Cost of living comparison

compared to

Balti vs. Manila Cost of Living Summary

Balti is 8.5% more expensive than Manila.

Restaurants: pay 35.6% more in Balti
Groceries: pay 36.4% less in Balti
Transportation: pay 35.3% more in Balti
Housing: pay 6.4% less in Balti
Childcare: pay 39.5% less in Balti
Entertainment and Sports: pay 8.4% less in Balti
Clothing: pay 79.5% more in Balti

The cost of clothing, restaurants, and transportation in Balti are more expensive than in Manila. Expenses including childcare, groceries, entertainment and sports, and housing are lower in Balti. Notably, clothing is significantly more expensive in Balti.

Balti vs. Manila Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Balti instead of Manila, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 35.6% more for restaurants

	Manila	Balti
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$6.02 ₱355.52	$8.51 MDL146.12	+41.3%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$4.30 ₱253.94	$7.90 MDL135.68	+83.7%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.97 ₱57.35	$0.89 MDL15.28	-8.4%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.50 ₱29.73	$0.63 MDL10.90	+26.0%
Average			+35.6%

Manila vs. Balti - Cost of restaurants

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pay 36.4% less for groceries

	Manila	Balti
Bread 1 loaf	$1.33 ₱78.74	$0.43 MDL7.31	-68.1%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.28 ₱252.46	$4.86 MDL83.50	+13.7%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.32 ₱432.22	$4.78 MDL82.06	-34.7%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.21 ₱130.69	$1.68 MDL28.81	-24.2%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.28 ₱134.82	$2.14 MDL36.67	-6.5%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.52 ₱89.50	$0.41 MDL7.06	-72.9%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.82 ₱48.55	$0.86 MDL14.82	+5.0%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.64 ₱96.64	$0.71 MDL12.26	-56.4%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.02 ₱60.45	$0.97 MDL16.62	-5.5%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.17 ₱69.08	$0.34 MDL5.87	-70.8%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.37 ₱81.15	$0.27 MDL4.60	-80.5%
Average			-36.4%

Manila vs. Balti - Cost of groceries

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pay 35.3% more for transportation

	Manila	Balti
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.18 ₱246.80	$5.28 MDL90.65	+26.3%
Monthly public transit pass	$13.76 ₱812.61	$18.24 MDL313.11	+32.5%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$25,288.58 ₱1M	$31,975.35 MDL549K	+26.4%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$2.92 ₱172.68	$4.56 MDL78.28	+55.9%
Average			+35.3%

Manila vs. Balti - Cost of transportation

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pay 6.4% less for housing

	Manila	Balti
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$27.10 ₱1,600.23	$10.70 MDL183.66	-60.5%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$512.96 ₱30,288.01	$421.56 MDL7,237.82	-17.8%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$251.74 ₱14,863.86	$303.95 MDL5,218.47	+20.7%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$100.49 ₱5,933.48	$132.57 MDL2,276.08	+31.9%
Average			-6.4%

Manila vs. Balti - Cost of housing

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pay 39.5% less for childcare

	Manila	Balti
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$138.58 ₱8,182.49	$121.58 MDL2,087.39	-12.3%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$17,035.39 ₱1M	$5,674.29 MDL97,421.53	-66.7%
Average			-39.5%

Manila vs. Balti - Cost of childcare

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pay 8.4% less for entertainment and sports

	Manila	Balti
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.46 ₱86.34	$1.82 MDL31.31	+24.7%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.59 ₱152.77	$1.68 MDL28.88	-35.0%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.27 ₱192.99	$3.34 MDL57.40	+2.3%
Monthly membership at local gym	$42.13 ₱2,487.76	$42.55 MDL730.59	+1.0%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$7.48 ₱441.85	$4.86 MDL83.50	-35.0%
Average			-8.4%

Manila vs. Balti - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 79.5% more for clothing

	Manila	Balti
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$49.23 ₱2,906.63	$67.78 MDL1,163.78	+37.7%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$29.70 ₱1,753.48	$54.80 MDL940.81	+84.5%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$80.85 ₱4,773.99	$117.62 MDL2,019.42	+45.5%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$49.70 ₱2,934.30	$124.34 MDL2,134.82	+150.2%
Average			+79.5%

Manila vs. Balti - Cost of clothing

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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: March 2026

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