Philippines Cost of Living

When expats ask about the cost of living in the Philippines, generally that question is quite not easy to answer. Compared to other major South East Asian Countries, Manila is ranked as the 117^th most expensive cities out of 214 cities surveyed. Manila- the capital city has a cost of living lower than Jakarta, Singapore or Bangkok.

Within the country, the cost of living varies depending of where one is living, whether it’s a city life or province life. Overall, the most expensive is Manila and Cebu ranked closely behind.

You don’t need to be millionaire or have a trust fund to live a comfortable life in Philippines. Some expats or even locals don’t consider Philippines a third world country, although poverty is obvious, there are still lot of wealth and is still way too far compare to places like Pakistan.

Right now, the exchange rate is $1 – 52 pesos, For an American or European salary, Philippines cost of living is very doable. If you’re making at least $1200 a month, you can live pretty easily here, it’s not a hand-to-mouth living that I’m talking about, It would be decent and comfortable life.

Anyone who decides to move to Philippines for few months or years will most like to rent a condo, apartment or even a house. The cost of the rent is considerably depending on which type of accommodation and on which part of the country you choose. To give you an idea, In Meto Manila - A large 3 bedroom condo will cost you P39,000 to P80,000 in city center while on other parts of the metro such as Quezon city, will cost you P15,000 to P25,000 a month, complete with gym facility, swimming pool and some appliances and a security guard, But if you don’t want to spend that amount for a shelter, forgo the swimming pool and gym, there are lots of cheaper options and still perfectly safe. There is a lodging option that is unique here in the Philippines, something like a combination of apartment and hotel called Apartelle. You can get some amenities of the hotel but you can stay a long time and it’s not expensive.

Food, depends on your taste, In big cities like Metro Manila or Cebu, meat is much cheaper than seafood, and in some provincial places, seafood is very cheap. There are also restaurants that offer cheap, decent servings depending on the luxury you want. Cow’s milk and some dairy products are quite expensive here, Soda and coffee is pretty cheap, Beer is really cheap here, the two stable beer brands here are San Miguel and Red horse and will cost only 35 – 40 Pesos a can.

Transportation in big cities you usually do is through taxis. Taxis in the Philippines are quite cheap also, with a base fare of P40. If you’re down where the action is, you won’t be paying maybe a buck or two for taxi. There are also other transportation options, Jeepneys- sort of a miniature bus are everywhere in the cities. They ride on routes on major roads of the city in just 8 pesos for the first kilometer. City buses are also everywhere in just 12 pesos on first kilometer. IF you want to cross over to another island, Local flights are very cheap if you book earlier from a promo price of P400, P2000- P6000 for regular flights, Boats and ship are cheap depends on destination, Manila to Cebu can cost P1200 to P2000.

One thing I would recommend before going to Philippines is that you will need a location independent source of income, or a pile of savings. If possible you have both because Philippines does not have lots of job opportunities for foreigners. Unlike Thailand or Cambodia where a lot of job opportunities when it comes to English teaching. Everyone in the Philippines already speaks English.