Cost of Living in Manila Philippines
Getting around by jeepney is dirt chep
The cost of living in Manila depends greatly on several factors such as location and lifestyle. The area where you decide to stay in the metro area has its own price range when it comes to certain things like house rent and utilities. Your preferences of the food you want to eat or your preferred mode of transport determine how much you spend in a day.
Cost of accommodation in Manila
You have a wide range of choices if you’re looking for a place to stay in Manila. Rental apartments, condominium units, fully equipped houses, bedspaces, and lodging houses are just some of the options available. Condominium units are the top choice of those who just want to stay in the heart of Manila for just a short time. Having a fully equipped house is also plausible; however, the best ones are often in the suburbs.
Instead of buying a property, the best move for foreigners is to rent. Unless you plan to stay in Manila for good, or you think of visiting the city quite frequently, renting is the most practical choice. Renting arrangements in the metro can be either ‘definite’ or ‘indefinite’. With indefinite renting, also labelled as ‘open rent’, you pay on a monthly basis, while definite renting, commonly referred to as ‘closed rent’, requires you to rent the place for a set period of time (usually three months or more).
A close rent can be problematic in the sense that the rightful owner has the right to evict tenants after the designated period, unlike in open rents where you can stay for as long as you want provided that you pay your monthly dues. Renting a bedspace in Manila usually costs PhP2,000, while a fully-furnished house is around PhP10,000.
Food and grocery costs in Manila
Manila is a cheap place to live
It is easy to find international food in Manila. Fast food chains are very common, and you can get a meal for less than a hundred pesos (about US$2.50). There are also eateries that serve Filipino dishes, where meals are much cheaper. However, these inexpensive diners are not popular in the country’s financial and commercial hubs, and are usually found only in residential areas.
Because there are numerous shopping centres located all over Manila, it is also quite easy to find supermarkets that sell all sorts of food. Imported goods are also available in higher-end supermarkets housed in shopping centres. Groceries are quite cheap, and the prices of imported products are about the same as the price anywhere in the world. For food and groceries alone, you can expect to shell out around Php10,000-Php40,000 a month.
Costs of getting around Manila
Tricycles are pretty popular in residential areas where the streets are not wide enough to allow larger vehicles. The cost of a ‘trike’ ride starts at Php8.00 and goes up depending on the distance.
Jeepneys are the most popular vehicle in the metro; they’re such a part of life here, that they have become the symbol of Manila like the tuk tuk symbolises Bangkok. There are many areas where jeepneys can pass through tricycle and bus routes, making them the most convenient way of going around. Furthermore, a jeepney ride is extremely cheap. The usual jeepney fare ranges from Php7.00 to up to Php40.00.
Buses are the easiest way to move along major highways like EDSA. Take note that there are areas where only buses are permitted. If you would be covering great distances, it is better to go by bus to save time and money. There are two kinds of buses – ordinary and air conditioned. Fares for air conditioned buses are higher compared to ordinary ones, but both have a base fare of Php10.00.
Taxi cabs and trains are also quite easy to find and are certainly the most comfortable means of public transport. Taxis have a base fare of Php30.000 with Php2.50 added for every kilometre covered. Trains – specifically the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and the Light Rail Transit (LRT) – cover only limited areas, usually the busiest ones in Manila. A train ride averages from Php10.00 to around Php15.000.
Utilities costs in Manila
Electricity and water are the two primary utilities you need to pay for. Although there are rentals where they are already included in your monthly bill, it is still better to consider choosing to rent a place where you have free reign of your electric and water supplies as this often works out cheaper.
Take note, that electric supply in the Philippines is most of the time 220 volts; hence, if you are someone from the US, you will need an adapter. Water supply in Manila is often from the main water station. There are also some areas where it is delivered, pumped from the ground or taken via a well, but these methods are not common. Majority of the urban side has their water supply provided by water companies, especially in the upscale areas or in the financial, commercial and industrial hubs.
If you plan to rent a car, be ready to spend quite a lot on petrol. A litre of petrol in Manila costs around Php35.00-Php50.00. Having your own car is certainly the best way to move around, since you can go wherever you want. It also saves you from the hassle of transferring from one vehicle to another which is public transport. However, driving in Manila is not for the fainthearted, so most expats and long-staying tourists hire drivers. The typical rate for a driver is about PhP500 per day.
