How much does it cost to live in Boracay?
Typical Month (Mid Range)
$911 (₱57,273)
Housing, food, transport, mobile, coworking and gym.
Updated September 2026 · Sources cited: thenomadhq.com, wise.com
- Typical Month (Lower End)
- $412 (₱25,922)
- Typical Month (Premium)
- $1,607 (₱100,989)
Good to know
Good to Know
- Rent and grocery prices swing noticeably between peak season (roughly November-May) and low season, and between the busy Station 1-3 strip versus quieter Balabag/Bulabog areas — always ask what's included (wifi speed, aircon hours, utilities) before booking a monthly stay.
- Boracay is consistently reported as pricier than many other Philippine and Southeast Asian destinations for both dining and rent, largely due to its tourist-island status and reliance on shipped-in goods.
- Imported/packaged groceries cost noticeably more than in Manila or Cebu, while local produce, rice, and market goods stay comparatively affordable — shopping at the public market rather than convenience stores or resort minimarts saves significantly.
- Boracay is a small island with no metro/bus system — expect to rely on tricycles, e-trikes, or a rented scooter for getting around, all paid per trip rather than via a pass.
- There is no cinema on Boracay itself — the nearest movie theater is on the mainland near Kalibo or Caticlan.
- Several sources note Boracay runs noticeably pricier than other Southeast Asian nomad hubs, so it works better as a shorter recovery/work trip than a budget long-term base.
- Coworking on the island is limited to a small handful of spaces (some now using Starlink for more reliable connectivity) — book a day pass first before committing to a monthly membership.
- If you extend your tourist stay past 59 days, you'll also need an ACR I-Card, which adds to the total extension cost — budget for this if planning a multi-month stay.
Monthly Totals
- Mid-range month
- ₱57,273
Includes 6 estimated components
- Lean month
- ₱25,922
Includes 4 estimated components
- Comfortable month
- ₱100,989
Includes 6 estimated components
Living Costs
- Where nomads live
- Boracay's main tourist/nomad strip runs along White Beach through Station 1, Station 2 (the busiest, with Dmall) and Station 3; Balabag and the area near Bulabog Beach (the kitesurfing side) are the cheaper alternative areas often used by longer-stay visitors and budget nomads.
Housing (per month)
- Mid-range 1-bed
- ₱32,500
Estimated
Midpoint of thenomadhq's quoted range for a studio/1-bedroom in the central area (Station 1 or 2): PHP 25,000-40,000/month.
- Budget studio / 1-bed
- ₱18,500
Estimated
Midpoint of thenomadhq's quoted range for a studio/1-bedroom in the cheaper area (Balabag or near Bulabog): PHP 15,000-22,000/month.
- Premium apartment
- ₱66,579
Survey / cost-of-living site
Wise cost-of-living page states the average monthly rent for a 3-bedroom apartment in the city centre in Boracay is $1,059.
Published in USD
- Private room in a shared home
- ₱10,000
Estimated
No dedicated live listing found for a private room in a shared house in Boracay; figure is an estimate based on typical shared-house/room pricing patterns observed in the general rental market for the island (no single source states this exact figure).
Groceries
- Groceries for one (month)
- ₱10,000
Estimated
Midpoint of thenomadhq's quoted grocery range for a single person shopping at local markets/supermarkets: PHP 8,000-12,000/month.
Sample prices
1L Milk (Supermarket)
- 1L Milk (Supermarket)
- ₱109
Survey / cost-of-living site
Hikersbay price aggregator lists 1 litre of milk in Boracay at 109 PHP.
Eating out
- Cheap meal
- ₱188
Estimated
Wise states a meal at an inexpensive restaurant in Boracay costs approximately $4. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 251 PHP reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
Published in USD
- High-end meal
- ₱2,000
Estimated
No single source quoted a high-end per-person meal price for Boracay; this is a rough estimate based on typical upscale beachfront/resort restaurant pricing observed on the island, not tied to a specific listing.
- Mid-range meal
- ₱472
Estimated
Wise states a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant costs around $20; halved here to estimate a single-person cost of $10. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 629 PHP reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
Published in USD
Work, Transport & Essentials
Coworking
- Venue
- Mahogany Lounge (Station 1, White Beach)
- Day pass
- ₱300
Survey / cost-of-living site
Personal expat blog account: paid PHP 300 for a day of workspace at Mahogany Lounge, Boracay; a separate coworking guide also cites PHP 300/day for a comparable resort-based space.
- Monthly hot desk
- ₱3,521
Survey / cost-of-living site
Coworking aggregator site states monthly memberships average $56 across Boracay's ~3 coworking spaces.
Published in USD
Transport
- How to get there
- tricycle / e-trike
- About monthly passes
- No public transit monthly pass exists — Boracay is a small island with no metro or bus network; tricycles, e-trikes, and rented scooters are paid per trip.
- Single ride
- ₱50
Estimated
Estimated typical fare for a short tricycle/e-trike hop on the island; no live fare schedule was found in the sources we checked.
Mobile & data
- Carrier
- Globe / Smart
- Monthly plan
- ₱499
Survey / cost-of-living site
Expat guide states Globe/Smart SIM-only unlimited-browsing plans start at ₱499/month, with data-speed caps after a high-speed allotment.
- Data allowance
- Unlimited data with speed throttling after a set high-speed data cap
Short Stays (per night)
- Seasonal pricing
- Yes
- Why
- Boracay's accommodation pricing swings sharply with its dry season (December to February peak tourist season with optimal weather) versus wet season (June to October with heavy rainfall and typhoon risk), plus concentrated demand around Christmas/New Year and multiple April-May festivals.
Low season
- Budget
- ₱2,000
2-star hotel/basic studio Airbnb; momondo August low-season data shows $173 average across all properties; budget tier estimated proportionally lower
- Luxury
- ₱9,350
5-star hotel; HotelsCombined reports 5-star rates drop to $44/night in September low season; Booking.com and other sources confirm 40-50% discounts from peak in low season
- Premium
- ₱7,050
4-star hotel; proportional reduction from high-season $209 based on momondo August premium-tier discount patterns (~43% off peak)
- Standard
- ₱3,550
3-star hotel; Airbtics Boracay ADR data shows PHP3,463 (~$60) annual average with heavier weighting to low-season months
High season
- Budget
- ₱3,500
2-star hotel/basic studio Airbnb; Trip.com aggregate data shows ~$60 average ADR in high season per Airbtics data; sourced from hotel booking platforms
- Luxury
- ₱21,370
5-star hotel; Shangri-La Boracay official rate of $362 per night; mid-range 5-star average ~$266-$310 per Booking.com and momondo peak-month data (Feb: $349/night)
- Premium
- ₱12,350
4-star hotel; Trip.com reports $209 average for 4-star weekend rate
- Standard
- ₱5,560
3-star hotel; Trip.com reports $94 average for 3-star in recent high-season weekend snapshot
Low-season months
- June
- July
- August
- September
- October
High-season months
- December
- January
- February
- March
- April
- May
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this cost of living research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Boracay
Data last updated September 2026 · Verify anything important.