The Philippines costs PHP 1,800 to 2,800 a day (about $32 to $50) if you travel on dorms, carinderia meals and buses, PHP 3,100 to 7,000 ($55 to $125) for private rooms, restaurant dinners and a tour every other day, and PHP 8,000 to 18,000 ($140 to $320) for resorts and private boats. It is cheaper than Thailand’s islands for food and rooms but more expensive to move around, because every island group needs a flight and every famous beach charges a fee. Figures below use roughly PHP 57 to the US dollar.
Daily budget by travel style#
| Backpacker | Mid-range | Comfortable | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep | Dorm or fan room, PHP 400-900 | Air-con private room or small resort, PHP 1,800-4,000 | Beach resort or city 4-star, PHP 5,000-12,000 |
| Eat | Carinderia, street food, Jollibee, PHP 300-500 | Mix of local and tourist restaurants, PHP 800-1,500 | Resort and restaurant meals, PHP 2,000-3,500 |
| Move | Jeepney, bus, tricycle, PHP 100-300 | Grab, vans, a ferry, PHP 400-1,000 | Private transfers, taxis, PHP 1,000-2,500 |
| Do | One shared tour every 2-3 days, PHP 300-600 averaged | A tour most days, PHP 800-1,500 | Private boat, diving, spa, PHP 1,500-4,000 |
| Extras | Beer, SIM, fees, PHP 200-400 | PHP 400-800 | PHP 800-1,500 |
| Per day | PHP 1,800-2,800 ($32-50) | PHP 3,100-7,000 ($55-125) | PHP 8,000-18,000 ($140-320) |
Domestic flights are not in the daily figure. Add PHP 2,500 to 5,000 ($45 to $90) for each one-way hop between island groups and spread it across the trip. This is where the money goes:
Carinderia plate PHP 80-150, Jollibee meal PHP 150-200, mid-range restaurant PHP 400-800 a head, resort dinner PHP 1,200 plus.
Jeepney PHP 14, tricycle PHP 20-100, Grab across Makati PHP 150-300, domestic flight PHP 1,500-5,000 one way, fast ferry PHP 300-1,000.
Island-hopping day PHP 1,200-2,000, Boracay entry PHP 500, El Nido eco fee PHP 400, dive PHP 1,800-2,500, canyoneering PHP 1,500-2,500.
Accommodation prices#
A hostel dorm costs PHP 400 to 900 ($7 to $16) in Manila, Cebu City, El Nido, Coron and Siargao, usually with air-con and a pool at the top of that range. A fan room in a family guesthouse is PHP 800 to 1,500 on Siquijor, Camiguin, Bantayan or Moalboal and PHP 1,500 to 2,500 in El Nido. An air-con double in a small hotel runs PHP 1,800 to 4,000 ($32 to $70) almost everywhere; in Manila that buys a decent business hotel in Makati or BGC, in El Nido a room two streets back from the beach. Beach resorts start around PHP 5,000 and climb to PHP 12,000 to 25,000 for the well-known names on Boracay’s Station 1, Panglao’s Alona Beach or El Nido’s Lio estate. Hotel rates are usually quoted before the 12% VAT and a 10% service charge, so add 22% to any price that does not say “nett”. Christmas to New Year, Holy Week and Chinese New Year push beach rates up 30 to 100% and sell out weeks ahead.
Food and drink prices#
Eating like a local is the biggest saving available. A carinderia plate of rice with two viands (adobo, sinigang, grilled fish) is PHP 80 to 150 ($1.40 to $2.60); a silog breakfast of garlic rice, egg and tapa or longganisa is PHP 90 to 150; street food such as isaw skewers, fishballs and banana cue is PHP 10 to 30 a piece. A Jollibee Chickenjoy meal is about PHP 150 to 200 and a mall food-court plate PHP 150 to 250. A tourist restaurant dinner in El Nido, Boracay or Siargao costs PHP 400 to 800 a head with a drink, and a fresh seafood meal picked from the display at Boracay’s D’Talipapa or Cebu’s Lantaw-style places PHP 600 to 1,200. Coffee from a chain is PHP 150 to 200; a kape barako in a sari-sari store is PHP 20. A bottle of San Miguel Pale Pilsen is PHP 50 to 80 in a sari-sari or carinderia, PHP 100 to 180 in a bar and PHP 200 to 300 in a beach club; a Red Horse is similar, a cocktail PHP 250 to 450. Water in 500 ml bottles is PHP 20 to 35, but refill stations sell a litre for PHP 5 to 10, so carry a bottle.
Transport prices#
Jeepneys charge a minimum fare of PHP 14 for the first four kilometres on traditional units and PHP 17 on the new air-conditioned “modern” jeepneys, after increases approved in 2026, so a cross-town ride is rarely more than PHP 25. Tricycles are PHP 20 to 50 for a short local hop shared with others, PHP 100 to 300 for a private “special” ride in a tourist town; agree the price first. Manila’s LRT and MRT cost PHP 13 to 35 a ride. Grab is PHP 150 to 300 for Makati to BGC, PHP 350 to 600 from NAIA to Makati, and motorbike taxis (Angkas, JoyRide, Move It) about half that. Metered taxis start at PHP 45 and add roughly PHP 13.50 per kilometre.
Buses are cheap for the distance: Manila to Baguio on Victory Liner is PHP 500 to 800 for four to six hours, Cebu to Moalboal on Ceres PHP 200 to 250, and a shared van Puerto Princesa to El Nido PHP 720 to 790. Ferries: OceanJet Cebu to Tagbilaran PHP 800 to 1,000, Dumaguete to Siquijor PHP 300 to 450, Batangas to Puerto Galera PHP 350 to 500, El Nido to Coron fast ferry PHP 2,750 to 3,250, and 2GO’s Manila to Cebu overnight PHP 1,500 to 3,500 depending on bunk class.
Domestic flights on Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines and AirAsia cost PHP 1,500 to 3,500 one way on trunk routes (Manila to Cebu, Cebu to Siargao) when booked a month out, PHP 4,000 to 7,000 inside a week or around holidays, and PHP 5,000 to 9,000 on the small AirSWIFT planes into El Nido’s Lio airport. Budget fares include only a 7 kg cabin bag; a 20 kg checked bag is about PHP 600 to 1,500 online and far more at the counter. The NAIA terminal fee (PHP 390 domestic, PHP 950 international) is built into tickets at most airports now, but a few small terminals still collect it in cash.
Tours, fees and activities#
Island hopping is where budgets diverge. In El Nido, joiner Tours A to D cost PHP 1,200 to 1,800 ($21 to $31) each with lunch, plus the PHP 400 Eco-Tourism Development Fee (valid ten days) and PHP 200 each for the Big and Small Lagoons; a private boat is PHP 6,000 to 10,000 a day. In Coron, the “Ultimate” or “Super Ultimate” day tours are PHP 1,500 to 2,000 including the Kayangan Lake and Twin Lagoon entrance fees. Boracay charges about PHP 500 at the jetty (environmental, terminal and boat) and PHP 1,500 to 2,500 for a paraw sailing or island-hopping half day. Siargao‘s three-island trip is PHP 1,500 to 2,500 per boat, surf lessons PHP 500 to 800 an hour. In Cebu, Kawasan canyoneering costs PHP 1,500 to 2,500 with guide, gear and transfers, Oslob whale shark watching PHP 1,000 to 1,500, and Moalboal’s sardine run is free from the beach. Diving is PHP 1,800 to 2,500 a dive with gear, PHP 18,000 to 25,000 for a three-day Open Water course. The Underground River from Puerto Princesa is PHP 1,500 to 2,200 as a package. Scooter rental is PHP 400 to 600 a day on Siquijor, Bohol, Siargao and Camiguin, petrol about PHP 65 to 75 a litre. A tourist SIM from Globe or Smart costs PHP 40 to 100 plus data promos of around PHP 99 for 8 GB a week or PHP 300 to 500 for a month; registration with your passport is compulsory. Keep every fee receipt; checkpoints ask for them.
Cash, cards, ATM fees and tipping#
The Philippines still runs on cash once you leave the malls. Cards work in hotels, chain restaurants, supermarkets and mid-range restaurants in Manila, Cebu, Boracay and El Nido town, but tour desks, tricycles, carinderias, island fees, small guesthouses and most dive shops want pesos. ATMs charge foreign cards PHP 250 ($4.40) per withdrawal at BDO, BPI, Metrobank and most others, with limits of PHP 10,000 to 20,000 per transaction, so each PHP 10,000 you take out costs 2.5% before your own bank’s fee. HSBC machines in Manila and Cebu do not add the local fee. Always choose “withdraw in PHP” and decline the on-screen conversion offer, which costs another 5 to 8%. Smaller islands (Siquijor, Malapascua, Bantayan, Batanes, most of Romblon) have one or two machines that empty on weekends, so arrive with PHP 5,000 to 10,000 in cash per person. Money changers in Manila’s Ermita and Boracay’s D’Mall give fair rates for US dollars; count notes before leaving the window. GCash and Maya mobile wallets are everywhere but need a Philippine SIM and ID to set up, which is worth doing on a stay of a month or more.
Bring a no-fee debit card (Wise, Revolut, Charles Schwab or similar) and withdraw the maximum each time at a BPI or BDO machine inside a mall or bank lobby. Ten withdrawals of PHP 20,000 cost PHP 2,500 in local fees; forty of PHP 5,000 cost PHP 10,000.
Tipping and hidden extras. Sit-down restaurants and hotels add a 10% service charge, so you only tip on top where none appears (round up or leave 5 to 10%). Tip boat crews PHP 100 to 200 per guest after a good day, dive guides PHP 200 to 500 a day, drivers PHP 100 to 200, porters PHP 20 to 50 a bag. Watch for the hotel VAT-plus-service rule above, the 12% VAT quietly excluded from menu “++” prices in resorts, and airport fees at small terminals. Boracay requires a confirmed booking at an accredited hotel before you can board the boat, so a bargain unlicensed rental can leave you stranded in Caticlan. On Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve resorts in Boracay and El Nido often impose compulsory gala dinners of PHP 3,000 to 8,000 per person; read the fine print when booking those dates.
How to save money#
- Fly into Cebu instead of Manila if your itinerary is the Visayas; you skip a domestic flight and a Manila hotel night.
- Book domestic flights four to eight weeks ahead and watch Cebu Pacific’s piso-fare sales for PHP 1 base fares (you still pay about PHP 1,000 in taxes and fees).
- Take the overnight ferry instead of flying where it fits: Manila to Coron on 2GO saves a hotel night and the baggage fee.
- Stay in one island group rather than ticking off Palawan, Visayas and Siargao in two weeks; each move costs a day and PHP 3,000 to 5,000.
- Eat your main meal at lunch in carinderias, when the trays are fresh, and have the restaurant dinner.
- Travel in the shoulder months of May to June or late October to November, when rooms are 20 to 40% cheaper than December to April and the sea is usually still fine.
- Share tours and boats: a private El Nido boat split four ways costs less than four joiner seats on a busy day and lets you reverse the route to beat the crowds.
- Refill, don’t buy water; it saves PHP 100 a day and a bag of plastic.
Why Palawan and Boracay cost more#
El Nido, Coron and Boracay sit 20 to 50% above the national price level because almost everything is shipped in by boat or small plane, demand is concentrated in the December to April window, and local governments collect entry fees to pay for sewage and reef protection after the 2018 Boracay closure. A beer that is PHP 60 in Cebu is PHP 120 on White Beach; a room that is PHP 1,500 on Siquijor is PHP 2,500 in El Nido; a joiner tour that is PHP 1,200 in Coron costs PHP 1,500 to 1,800 in El Nido. AirSWIFT’s monopoly into Lio airport adds PHP 3,000 to 5,000 per flight compared with Puerto Princesa. If budget matters, do Boracay in May or June, sleep in Corong-Corong rather than El Nido town, or swap Boracay for Bantayan and El Nido for Romblon or Caramoan, where fees are a few pesos and rooms a third of the price.
Sample budgets for one and two weeks#
| Trip | Backpacker | Mid-range | Comfortable |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 week: Manila 1 night, El Nido 4, Coron 2 (one domestic flight each way, one fast ferry) | PHP 22,000-30,000 ($385-525) | PHP 40,000-60,000 ($700-1,050) | PHP 90,000-150,000 ($1,580-2,630) |
| 2 weeks: Manila 1, El Nido 3, Coron 3, Cebu/Moalboal 3, Bohol 3 (three flights, two ferries) | PHP 45,000-60,000 ($790-1,050) | PHP 80,000-120,000 ($1,400-2,100) | PHP 180,000-300,000 ($3,160-5,260) |
| 2 weeks Visayas only: Cebu, Moalboal, Bohol, Siquijor, Bantayan (no domestic flights) | PHP 35,000-48,000 ($615-840) | PHP 65,000-95,000 ($1,140-1,670) | PHP 150,000-240,000 ($2,630-4,210) |
These exclude international flights and travel insurance. A couple sharing rooms spends about 70 to 80% of two solo budgets. For the full day-by-day plans behind these totals see the Manila, El Nido and Cebu pages.
Where your pesos go furthest#
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More Philippines guides#
Philippines travel costs FAQs#
Is the Philippines cheap to travel?
Yes for food, local transport and rooms: PHP 2,000 to 3,000 a day covers a dorm or fan room, three meals and a bus or ferry. It is less cheap than mainland Southeast Asia once you add domestic flights (PHP 2,500 to 5,000 per hop) and island fees, so a two-week multi-island trip typically costs $800 to $1,100 on a backpacker budget and $1,400 to $2,100 mid-range.
How much cash should I bring to the Philippines?
Land with the equivalent of PHP 5,000 to 10,000 per person in cash (US dollars are easiest to change) and withdraw PHP 10,000 to 20,000 at a time from bank ATMs in cities. Small islands have few or no machines, so carry two to three days of spending money in pesos before each ferry.
How much is a meal in the Philippines?
A carinderia meal of rice and two dishes is PHP 80 to 150, a fast-food meal PHP 150 to 200, a tourist restaurant main PHP 300 to 500 and a resort dinner PHP 1,200 or more. A bottle of San Miguel is PHP 50 to 80 in shops and PHP 100 to 180 in bars.
What are the ATM fees in the Philippines?
Almost every bank charges foreign cards PHP 250 per withdrawal on top of your own bank’s fee, with a limit of PHP 10,000 to 20,000 per transaction. HSBC ATMs in Manila and Cebu waive the local charge. Always decline the ATM’s currency conversion offer.
Can I pay by card in the Philippines?
In malls, hotels, chain restaurants and larger tourist restaurants, yes, usually Visa and Mastercard with American Express less common. Tours, fees, tricycles, carinderias, markets and most guesthouses on the islands are cash only. GCash QR payments are everywhere but need a local SIM to set up.
How much is a domestic flight in the Philippines?
PHP 1,500 to 3,500 one way on busy routes such as Manila to Cebu or Cebu to Siargao when booked a month ahead, PHP 4,000 to 7,000 last minute or at Christmas, and PHP 5,000 to 9,000 into El Nido. Add PHP 600 to 1,500 for a checked bag on budget carriers.
How much does El Nido island hopping cost?
Joiner tours are PHP 1,200 to 1,800 per person including lunch, plus the PHP 400 ten-day eco fee and PHP 200 for each lagoon, so a first day costs about PHP 2,000 to 2,400. A private boat for up to six people is PHP 6,000 to 10,000.
Do you tip in the Philippines?
Not much. Restaurants add a 10% service charge, so tip only where none appears. Give boat crews PHP 100 to 200 per guest, dive guides PHP 200 to 500 a day, drivers and porters PHP 50 to 200. Rounding up a tricycle fare is appreciated but not expected.