How much does it cost to live in Manila?
Typical Month (Mid Range)
$1,421 (₱89,301)
Housing, food, transport, mobile, coworking and gym.
Updated September 2026 · Sources cited: search.dotproperty.com.ph, lamudi.com.ph
- Typical Month (Lower End)
- $538 (₱33,833)
- Typical Month (Premium)
- $2,181 (₱137,130)
- Furnished 1-bed rent
- $954 (₱60,000)
Rockwell Center, Makati
Good to know
Good to Know
- Most furnished condo listings in Makati and BGC are advertised as monthly rent but actually require a minimum 1-year lease with 2 months advance plus 2 months deposit — genuinely flexible 1-3 month furnished stays are more limited and typically found via Airbnb/serviced-apartment operators rather than standard property portals, often at a premium over the advertised long-lease rate.
- Makati (Salcedo/Legazpi/Poblacion) and BGC are the two main expat/nomad-friendly districts — both are walkable, have reliable fiber internet, and cluster the malls, coworking spaces, and condo towers most listings reference.
- Shopping at mainstream Philippine supermarket chains (Puregold, SM Supermarket) is noticeably cheaper than at import-focused grocers aimed at expats — where you shop changes your grocery bill significantly.
- There's no unlimited monthly transit pass in Manila — everyone, including long-stayers, tops up a prepaid Beep card per ride, so budget by trip count rather than a flat commuting fee.
- Manila's notorious traffic means travel TIME between coworking spots and housing matters more than the fare itself — factor that into where you base yourself.
- Gyms, cinemas, and casual nights out are genuinely cheap by Western standards, but imported goods and Western-brand gyms/cinemas in malls like BGC or Rockwell run noticeably higher than the citywide average quoted here.
- The tourist-visa-extension route works for years of stay in theory, but each extension is a separate paid trip to a Bureau of Immigration office — long-stayers should budget both the fee and the time/hassle of repeated visits, not just a one-off cost.
- A Digital Nomad Visa was approved in principle in 2025 but its implementing rules were still pending as of mid-2026 — don't plan around it being available yet; check current status before assuming it's a live option.
Monthly Totals
- Mid-range month
- ₱89,301
Includes 7 estimated components
- Lean month
- ₱33,833
Includes 5 estimated components
- Comfortable month
- ₱137,130
Includes 8 estimated components
Living Costs
- Where nomads live
- Digital nomads and expats in Manila concentrate mainly in Makati (Poblacion, Salcedo Village, Legazpi Village — the CBD) and in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig. All housing figures below are priced in these two districts, which have the deepest supply of furnished condo listings aimed at short-term/expat tenants.
Housing (per month)
- Mid-range 1-bed
- ₱60,000
Local listing
Lamudi listing: Joya Lofts and Towers, 1BR with parking, 57 sqm, Rockwell Center Makati, fully furnished, PHP 60,000/month.
- Budget studio / 1-bed
- ₱22,000
Local listing
Dot Property listing: fully furnished studio unit, Salcedo Square Residences, Salcedo Village Makati, PHP 22,000/month inclusive of association fee.
- Premium apartment
- ₱95,000
Local listing
Dot Property listing: T1 Park Terraces, furnished 1-bedroom with balcony, 73 sqm, 1 parking space, PHP 95,000/month inclusive of dues.
- Private room in a shared home
- ₱18,000
Estimated
No live listing for a private room in a shared home was found in Makati/BGC at the time of research; figure is an estimate based on typical bedspace/room-share pricing patterns seen on Manila rental aggregators (which listed dorm-style bedspaces from as low as ₱4,100, implying a private room in a shared condo runs well above that).
Groceries
- Groceries for one (month)
- ₱11,000
Estimated
No dedicated Manila-specific grocery basket source was retrieved (Numbeo's Manila food-prices page had no contributed data at time of research); figure is a rough estimate for one person cooking most meals, shopping at a mid-range supermarket (e.g. Puregold, SM Supermarket) rather than a premium import-focused store.
Sample prices
1L Milk
- 1L Milk
- ₱100
Estimated
Estimate; no single-item price source retrieved for Manila at the time of research.
1kg White Rice
- 1kg White Rice
- ₱55
Estimated
Estimate; rice is a staple with heavily subsidized/regulated retail pricing in the Philippines.
Dozen Eggs
- Dozen Eggs
- ₱110
Estimated
Estimate; no single-item price source retrieved for Manila at the time of research.
1kg Chicken Breast
- 1kg Chicken Breast
- ₱220
Estimated
Estimate; no single-item price source retrieved for Manila at the time of research.
1.5L Bottled Water (Store)
- 1.5L Bottled Water (Store)
- ₱25
Estimated
Estimate for a store/supermarket purchase, not a restaurant price.
Eating out
- Cheap meal
- ₱150
Estimated
Tribune.net article (citing Wise) states a meal at an inexpensive restaurant costs around ₱200 in the Philippines; also notes a McDonald's-type combo meal averages around ₱200. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 200 PHP reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
- High-end meal
- ₱2,800
Estimated
No single retrieved source stated a specific high-end per-person price for Manila; figure is an estimate for a nice sit-down dinner (starter, main, drink) at a higher-end restaurant in Makati or BGC, based on general market positioning relative to the mid-range figure above.
- Mid-range meal
- ₱703
Estimated
Source states a mid-range three-course meal for two typically falls between ₱750 and ₱3,000; figure here is the range midpoint (₱1,875) halved to represent one diner, so it is an estimate derived from that range, not a stated single-person price. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 937.5 PHP reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
Work, Transport & Essentials
Coworking
- Venue
- Acceler8, Salcedo/Legazpi Village, Makati
- Day pass
- ₱590
Estimated
HitchHive guide states Acceler8 (Makati) day passes run 560–620 PHP; figure is the midpoint of that stated range.
- Monthly hot desk
- ₱7,000
Estimated
FlySpaces states Manila hot desks typically run ₱4,000–₱10,000/seat/month; figure is the midpoint of that stated range, blended across multiple listed spaces rather than one operator's exact price.
- Monthly Hot Desk Venue
- Market range across Metro Manila coworking spaces (e.g., Acceler8, Workhaven, Regus) rather than one specific operator
Transport
- How to get there
- LRT-1 light rail (minimum-fare single journey)
- About monthly passes
- No unlimited monthly transit pass exists in Metro Manila. Commuters use a prepaid, stored-value 'Beep' smart card (LRT/MRT/some buses) topped up per trip rather than a flat monthly product.
- Single ride
- ₱20
Official figure
Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) announcement: LRT-1 minimum single-journey fare rose from ₱15 to ₱20 effective April 2, 2025, under DOTr-approved fare adjustment.
Mobile & data
- Carrier
- Globe Telecom or Smart Communications (typical prepaid/postpaid data plan)
- Monthly plan
- ₱1,200
Estimated
No specific carrier page was retrieved at the time of research; figure is an estimate based on general knowledge of typical Globe/Smart postpaid or prepaid unlimited-data plans (~15-20GB+ tiers) commonly cited for the Philippines. Needs direct carrier-page confirmation.
- Data allowance
- Approx. 15–20GB high-speed data, estimated
Short Stays (per night)
- Seasonal pricing
- Yes
- Why
- Dry season (December–February) drives sustained tourism surge with ~86% higher rates versus rainy season (May–September); weather-driven pattern reshapes most of the city's accommodation pricing for months.
Low season
- Budget
- ₱2,200
2-star hotel low season (KAYAK: cheapest at $12 in low season, typical budget ~$20-30)
- Luxury
- ₱7,000
5-star hotel (KAYAK: cheapest 5-star $15, typical low-season: Conrad Manila $177 in May; 30% discount implied = ~$120-130)
- Premium
- ₱4,000
4-star hotel (KAYAK June-July: ~$60-70/night based on seasonality data)
- Standard
- ₱2,800
3-star hotel (KAYAK: $26-50 range, low end for May-Sept; Hotels.com: May/Aug/Sept cheaper)
High season
- Budget
- ₱3,500
2-star hotel average (KAYAK: $12-26 range for budget tier, adjusted to high-season premium)
- Luxury
- ₱9,000
5-star hotel (Conrad Manila, Peninsula Manila range: $144-177+ during peak Dec-Feb season)
- Premium
- ₱5,500
4-star hotel (KAYAK average $72/night, high-season weighted)
- Standard
- ₱4,500
3-star hotel (KAYAK: $26-50 range for 3-star in high season, mid-range estimate)
Low-season months
- May
- June
- July
- August
- September
High-season months
- December
- January
- February
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 Manila
Data last updated September 2026 · Verify anything important.