Cost of living comparison

compared to

Kunming vs. Manila Cost of Living Summary

Kunming is 9.4% more expensive than Manila.

Restaurants: pay 29.2% less in Kunming
Groceries: pay 35.9% less in Kunming
Transportation: pay 38.7% more in Kunming
Housing: pay 40.5% less in Kunming
Childcare: pay 90.2% more in Kunming
Entertainment and Sports: pay 5.8% more in Kunming
Clothing: pay 36.5% more in Kunming

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

Kunming vs. Manila Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 29.2% less for restaurants

	Manila	Kunming
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$6.02 ₱348.31	$2.45 CN¥16.95	-59.3%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$4.30 ₱248.79	$6.06 CN¥41.89	+41.0%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.97 ₱56.19	$0.47 CN¥3.23	-51.9%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.50 ₱29.13	$0.27 CN¥1.86	-46.6%
Average			-29.2%

Manila vs. Kunming - Cost of restaurants

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pay 35.9% less for groceries

	Manila	Kunming
Bread 1 loaf	$1.33 ₱77.15	$1.71 CN¥11.82	+28.3%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.28 ₱247.35	$3.50 CN¥24.21	-18.0%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.32 ₱423.46	$8.05 CN¥55.61	+10.0%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.21 ₱128.04	$1.77 CN¥12.20	-20.2%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.28 ₱132.09	$1.91 CN¥13.18	-16.4%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.52 ₱87.68	$0.59 CN¥4.06	-61.2%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.82 ₱47.57	$0.43 CN¥2.97	-47.8%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.64 ₱94.68	$0.64 CN¥4.39	-61.1%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.02 ₱59.22	$0.51 CN¥3.51	-50.3%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.17 ₱67.68	$0.16 CN¥1.10	-86.4%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.37 ₱79.51	$0.38 CN¥2.64	-72.2%
Average			-35.9%

Manila vs. Kunming - Cost of groceries

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pay 38.7% more for transportation

	Manila	Kunming
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.18 ₱241.79	$4.37 CN¥30.19	+4.6%
Monthly public transit pass	$13.76 ₱796.14	$35.05 CN¥242.14	+154.7%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$25,288.58 ₱1M	$20,328.62 CN¥140K	-19.6%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$2.92 ₱169.18	$3.36 CN¥23.25	+15.1%
Average			+38.7%

Manila vs. Kunming - Cost of transportation

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pay 40.5% less for housing

	Manila	Kunming
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$27.10 ₱1,567.81	$16.44 CN¥113.57	-39.3%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$512.96 ₱29,674.25	$280.39 CN¥1,937.15	-45.3%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$251.74 ₱14,562.65	$210.30 CN¥1,452.86	-16.5%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$100.49 ₱5,813.24	$39.16 CN¥270.55	-61.0%
Average			-40.5%

Manila vs. Kunming - Cost of housing

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pay 90.2% more for childcare

	Manila	Kunming
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$138.58 ₱8,016.68	$420.59 CN¥2,905.72	+203.5%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$17,035.39 ₱985K	$13,085.09 CN¥90,400.31	-23.2%
Average			+90.2%

Manila vs. Kunming - Cost of childcare

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pay 5.8% more for entertainment and sports

	Manila	Kunming
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.46 ₱84.59	$1.40 CN¥9.69	-4.1%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.59 ₱149.67	$3.06 CN¥21.15	+18.3%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.27 ₱189.08	$2.10 CN¥14.53	-35.7%
Monthly membership at local gym	$42.13 ₱2,437.35	$70.10 CN¥484.29	+66.4%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$7.48 ₱432.90	$6.31 CN¥43.59	-15.7%
Average			+5.8%

Manila vs. Kunming - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 36.5% more for clothing

	Manila	Kunming
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$49.23 ₱2,847.73	$70.10 CN¥484.29	+42.4%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$29.70 ₱1,717.94	$33.30 CN¥230.04	+12.1%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$80.85 ₱4,677.25	$64.49 CN¥445.54	-20.2%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$49.70 ₱2,874.84	$105.15 CN¥726.43	+111.6%
Average			+36.5%

Manila vs. Kunming - 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: February 2026

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