Fee not published
Confirmed on its own website
Cost of Living inBaguio, Philippines
Cordillera, Philippines273KUpper middle incomeRemote-work friendly
Image credit: Ralff Nestor Nacor
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Your money goes 3.56x further
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Philippines: $10,748/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 71% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Using the country-level NYC comparison for now. We do not have a defensible city-level aggregate cost index for this city yet.
Overall
3.4x further
Prices are 71% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Rent
14x further
Prices are 93% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Groceries
2.8x further
Prices are 65% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Restaurants
5.2x further
Prices are 81% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Income Category
Upper Middle
World Bank GNI
GDP per Capita
$10,748
PPP, International $
City Population
273K
Child Education
Public-school quality + expat access, alongside international and private school cost — the two paths a relocating family weighs.
Public schools
This describes Philippines as a whole. Enrollment rules and school quality can vary within the country, so check with schools in Baguio.
Quality
Mixed public-school option
Expat access
Available to residents
conditionalInstruction
English / Filipino
Language fit is more manageable.
PISA / outcomes
Qualitative only
Using curated quality notes for now.
Why this quality rating
The Philippines has a more English-friendly public path than many peers, but quality still varies too much for the system to feel universally strong.
Why the expat-access rating looks like this
Resident families can generally access public schools, and English helps, but many expat households still choose private options for predictability.
📋 Homeschooling
Legal with DepEd accreditationRegistration requiredCurriculum approvalPeriodic assessment
Homeschooling is legal through DepEd-accredited homeschool providers. The Alternative Learning System (ALS) provides a pathway. Individual families typically work through an accredited program rather than independently.
Homeschool legality in Philippines — check current regulations before committing.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
International & private schools
1 confirmed school
2 more suggested by AI, not verified
- American1
Schools' websites are found with Wikidata and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), and each is checked on the school's own site.
Childcare & Domestic Help
Estimate-only country fallback for the family-support costs we track in Philippines.
Full-time nanny (5 days)
$295-$650
Estimate-only country fallback
Live-in / 24-7 nanny
$510-$1,050
Estimate-only country fallback
Source: curated family relocation research(derived country fallback)
Getting Around
The concrete mobility picture for Baguio: airport access, urban transit, and rideshare practicality.
Walkability score: 48/100 (walkable core). This is derived from the verified mobility profile and is used by the walkability gate.
Walkability
48/100
mobility profile walkability mention
Airport
Loakan airport and Manila/Clark road backup
The refreshed family mobility queue lists Baguio as the next Philippines walkability gap; CAAP documents active Loakan airport terminal work, while most family travel still backs up to Manila or Clark by road.
Urban transit
Jeepneys, taxis, and compact hill-city walking
buswalking
Baguio remains jeepney-, taxi-, and road-led, but the compact central hill-city core supports selected walking errands when weather and grades cooperate.
Rideshare
Grab, taxis, and jeepneys
Grab-style app rides, taxis, and jeepneys are the practical everyday fallback for hills, school runs, and regional bus transfers.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Philippines.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
20 facilities tracked
Facilities updated 7 months ago
Healthcare system
LimitedDoctor staffing is lighter, hospital capacity looks tighter, and households still pay a large share themselves weigh on this rating.
Public care
LimitedPublic funding looks lighter, patients still shoulder a meaningful share of costs, and country-level outcomes are weaker weigh on this rating.
Private care
LimitedThe tracked private-style network still looks thin and self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse weigh on this rating.
UHC coverage
69/100
2023
Physicians
0.79/1k
2021
Hospital beds
0.97/1k
2021
Out of pocket
44%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
69.9 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
84/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
13.6/1k
2024
International patient readiness
LimitedPrice transparency is still sparse and headline outcomes are less reassuring weigh on this rating.
Pricing transparency
LimitedPublished self-pay prices are scarce and few facilities expose web pages we can verify weigh on this rating.
Facility coverage
Pharmacy: 9Clinic: 4Dentist: 3Hospital: 2Laboratory: 2
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Philippines yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
Fort Del Pilar Station Hospital
Hospital · Emergency
Roseville Rehabilitation Center
Hospital · Emergency
Camp 8 Health Center
Clinic
Clinic
Clinic
Poliwes Health Center
Clinic
Tuba Rural Health Unit
Clinic
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-11-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Safety Index66/100
Crime Index34/100
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
Political Stability-1.10
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Administrative & Support Services | — |
| Agriculture & Farming | — |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | — |
| Construction | — |
| Education | — |
| Finance & Insurance | — |
| Healthcare & Social Work | — |
| Hospitality & Food Service | — |
| Information & Technology | — |
| Manufacturing | — |
| Mining & Quarrying | — |
| Other Services | — |
| Professional & Scientific Services | — |
| Public Administration & Defence | — |
| Real Estate | — |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | — |
| Transport & Logistics | — |
| Utilities | — |
2023 annual wages in Baguio, Philippines · Source: PSA LFS (region-adjusted)
Price Comparison vs. US
beer
$1.50Estimated81% cheaper
big mac
$2.68Estimated57% cheaper
bread 500g
$1.75Estimated48% cheaper
budget hotel
$81.92Survey-verified126% more
childcare preschool
$711.78Estimated54% cheaper
cinema
$5.00Estimated70% cheaper
coca cola
$0.50Estimated77% cheaper
eggs dozen
$3.04Estimated37% cheaper
gasoline liter
$1.15Estimated12% more
inexpensive meal
$10.26Estimated51% cheaper
internet 60mbps
$39.95Estimated41% cheaper
iphone
$1099.00Estimated10% more
jeans
$28.00Estimated45% cheaper
latte
$3.00Estimated44% cheaper
luxury hotel
$81.92Survey-verified83% cheaper
mcmeal
$3.50Estimated65% cheaper
milk liter
$1.62Estimated33% more
monthly pass
$39.48Estimated43% cheaper
nike shoes
$58.00Estimated36% cheaper
rent 1br
$921.08Estimated49% cheaper
rent 2br
$580.00Estimated87% cheaper
rent 3br
$1796.93Estimated44% cheaper
subway fare
$0.25Estimated90% cheaper
taxi km
$1.03Estimated45% cheaper
utilities basic
$144.76Estimated32% cheaper
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
visa freeUp to 30 days
US passport holders can stay up to 30 days without a visa.
Long-Term Visa Programs
retirement
SRRV Classic PhilippinesDuration varies
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page — no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Baguio compared with the US?
Your money goes about 3.6x further in Baguio than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate. We are using the country-level cost index for Philippines here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
Is Baguio cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Baguio is cheaper overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 71% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Baguio. We are using the country-level cost index for Philippines here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How does rent in Baguio compare with New York City?
Rent in Baguio is about 93% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City). We are using the country-level cost index for Philippines here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Baguio?
Groceries in Baguio are about 65% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 81% cheaper than the same benchmark. We are using the country-level cost index for Philippines here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
About Baguio
Baguio sits at roughly 1,500 meters in the Cordillera mountains of northern Luzon in the Philippines, established by American colonial planners in the early twentieth century as a summer capital because its elevation kept temperatures well below those of Manila year-round. The city remains a major domestic destination for Filipinos escaping lowland heat and hosts a dense concentration of universities, including the University of the Philippines Baguio and Saint Louis University, which sustain a large student population. The local economy mixes education, tourism, BPO services, and a recognized cluster of artists and craftspeople tied to the Igorot communities of the Cordillera. English and Tagalog are universal with Ilocano widely spoken. The climate is cool and damp year-round with a wet southwest monsoon.
Cool climate year-round (16-20°C, less AC costs)Internet: fiber available but speeds inconsistent (5-25 Mbps)Growing expat/nomad community with meetup groupsHighly walkable downtown with pedestrian-friendly streetsExceptional food scene: fresh produce, specialty coffee, dining varietyLimited nightlife; quieter social sceneCoworking spaces: ONEspace, Work Inc availableGenerally safe with low crime rates for tourists/expats
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