Cost of living comparison
compared to
Manila vs. China Cost of Living Summary
Manila is 33.0% more expensive than China overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 70.1% more in Manila
- Groceries
-
pay 91.7% more in Manila
- Transportation
-
pay 7.4% less in Manila
- Housing
-
pay 96.0% more in Manila
- Childcare
-
pay 27.2% less in Manila
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 11.3% more in Manila
- Clothing
-
pay 3.8% less in Manila
The cost of housing, groceries, restaurants, and entertainment and sports in Manila are more expensive than in China. Expenses including childcare, transportation, and clothing are lower in Manila. Notably, housing and groceries are significantly more expensive in Manila.
Manila vs. China Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Manila instead of China, you would:
pay 70.1% more for restaurants
|
China
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$2.90
CN¥20.50
|
$6.02
₱353.05
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.02
CN¥35.49
|
$4.30
₱252.18
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.47
CN¥3.36
|
$0.97
₱56.95
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.28
CN¥1.96
|
$0.50
₱29.53
|
|
China vs. Manila - Cost of restaurants
pay 91.7% more for groceries
|
China
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.63
CN¥11.52
|
$1.33
₱78.20
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.32
CN¥44.71
|
$4.28
₱250.71
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.70
CN¥47.44
|
$7.32
₱429.22
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.56
CN¥11.05
|
$2.21
₱129.78
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.52
CN¥10.78
|
$2.28
₱133.88
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.74
CN¥5.25
|
$1.52
₱88.87
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.55
CN¥3.86
|
$0.82
₱48.21
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.62
CN¥4.41
|
$1.64
₱95.97
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.50
CN¥3.57
|
$1.02
₱60.03
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.30
CN¥2.13
|
$1.17
₱68.60
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.39
CN¥2.79
|
$1.37
₱80.59
|
|
China vs. Manila - Cost of groceries
pay 7.4% less for transportation
|
China
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.34
CN¥30.68
|
$4.18
₱245.08
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$20.32
CN¥143.78
|
$13.76
₱806.96
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$19,143.98
CN¥135,449.43
|
$25,288.58
₱1,482,795.87
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$3.94
CN¥27.89
|
$2.92
₱171.48
|
|
China vs. Manila - Cost of transportation
pay 96.0% more for housing
|
China
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$11.18
CN¥79.08
|
$27.10
₱1,589.12
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$304.90
CN¥2,157.22
|
$512.96
₱30,077.69
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$195.65
CN¥1,384.25
|
$251.74
₱14,760.64
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$41.04
CN¥290.39
|
$100.49
₱5,892.28
|
|
China vs. Manila - Cost of housing
pay 27.2% less for childcare
|
China
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$390.25
CN¥2,761.13
|
$138.58
₱8,125.68
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,493.57
CN¥109,621.66
|
$17,035.39
₱998,869.80
|
|
China vs. Manila - Cost of childcare
pay 11.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
China
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.04
CN¥7.37
|
$1.46
₱85.74
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.84
CN¥20.07
|
$2.59
₱151.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.36
CN¥23.77
|
$3.27
₱191.65
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.13
CN¥290.99
|
$42.13
₱2,470.49
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.98
CN¥42.33
|
$7.48
₱438.79
|
|
China vs. Manila - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.8% less for clothing
|
China
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.93
CN¥324.95
|
$49.23
₱2,886.45
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$30.93
CN¥218.85
|
$29.70
₱1,741.30
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$71.26
CN¥504.18
|
$80.85
₱4,740.84
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$72.88
CN¥515.65
|
$49.70
₱2,913.92
|
|
China vs. Manila - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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