How Much Does It Cost to Live In Davao?
Davao City, officially known as the City of Davao, is a highly urbanized city on the island of Mindanao, Philippines.
It is the third-most populous city in the Philippines after Quezon City and Manila.
Many say that life in Davao is much more for the chill and the laid back and that life here moves much more slowly than in Manila.
It is also much cheaper than Manila.
One of the local sayings in Davao is that ‘everything only takes ten minutes to get there’ – wherever you want to go – it’s ten minutes away.
Philippines : Cost of Living by City
Cost of Living in Philippines
RESTAURANTS
The bad thing about Davao’s restaurants is that they are all selling the same stuff without any variation.
However, the food here is much cheaper than in many other major cities, though many say that it’s not that good.
But don’t worry, there are always some reasonable restaurants around.
If you eat at inexpensive restaurants, a meal there will cost you around 3$.
MARKETS
The selection of fruits is huge in Davao, the prices are low, and fruits like watermelon, pineapple, mango, and bananas are available year-round (all grown locally).
There is, however, a lack of imported foods. Supermarkets, in general, are limited on the stock.
Fresh vegetables are also hard to come by at any quality.
If you need to eat Western food all the time it gets expensive but if you mix western food and Filipino food it’s much cheaper.
TRANSPORTATION
Traffic in Davao isn’t as bad as in other places in the country.
Transportation is easy and isn’t as expensive.
Taxis are ubiquitous, and drivers are honest.
They are also cheap by western standards though not advisable when you’re on a budget.
The public transport does, however, consist of many, many multicast and jeepneys crowding every other vehicle off the road, so it can get a bit chaotic.
UTILITIES (MONTHLY)
Utilities are just ridiculously expensive in the Philippines, and this applies to Davao, too.
You can easily spend around 100$ per month.
That would include using air conditioners for around eight hours per day.
Just lights, gadget charging, TV, and hot water in an apartment of around 85m2 will cost you over 103.3$.
The water bill is around 5$ per month.
SPORTS & LEISURE
Movie theaters in Davao, offer a very cheap service!
You can go there for about 5$, enter any time you want and stay all day if you want to!
Indulging in sports and fitness is more expensive, like in most countries.
If you want a gym or a fitness club membership, it will amount up to around 50$, which is much cheaper than in other cities in the Philippines.
CLOTHING & SHOES
Because it’s a major city, shopping opportunities in Davao are excellent.
You can find most of what you’re looking for in any of the malls of Davao which makes sense for a city of this size, but don’t expect the same range or high quality as in Manila.
You can buy Levi’s jeans for around 73.09$, while a pair of running shoes from brands like Nike cost around 75$.
RENT PER MONTH
Rent isn’t too expensive in a large city like Davao.
If you are alone, you might prefer to stay in a boarding house or lodging house.
Depending on the part of the city, you can find an apartment costing around 150$ – if you don’t mind living outside of the city.
However, if you have your mind set on living in the city center you’ll have to pay at least 270$.
Cost of Living Averages Table for Davao
*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.| Average Restaurant Prices | |
|---|---|
| Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) | $3.65 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) | $1.01 |
| Water (0.33 Liter) | $0.43 | Average Market Prices |
| Milk (1 Liter) | $1.71 |
| Loaf Bread (500g) | $1.30 |
| Eggs (12) | $1.92 | Average Transport Prices |
| One Way Ticket | $0.22 |
| Monthly Pass | $14.6 |
| Gasoline | $1.34 | Average Utilities Prices |
| Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) | $103.3 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local | $0.14 |
| Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | $41.24 | Average Leisure Prices |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | $50.86 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) | $4.57 |
| Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release | $4.66 | Average Clothing Prices |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) | $73.09 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) | $30.61 |
| 1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) | $75.38 | Average Rent Prices |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center | $271.49 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center | $153.04 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center | $657.83 |
How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Davao?
An average person in Davao definitely spends the biggest amount of money on food – which is no wonder, considering that most world cities follow that pattern.
The next biggest expense is definitely rent, though rent isn’t really that expensive in Davao and it’s only a bit bigger expense than, for example, transportation.
Interestingly enough, Davao – along with other cities of the Philippines – is rare in the sense that utilities draw more money from the people than eating in restaurants, which is not common at all.
Clothes are the least important of all expenses, according to these numbers.
Average Costs Breakdown
Davao: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages
Davao is also one of the most populous cities in the Philippines so you can find jobs in every industry you like especially in BPO (Business Process Outsourcing), IT, and others.
That being said, don’t expect a high paycheck because of this: salaries aren’t the highest in Davao – far from it!
What testifies to that is the minimum wage in Davao which is only around 158$.
The average monthly net salary in Davao is around 280$, which is much lower than what is considered the county’s average and is definitely not enough to live a comfortable life in this country.
Davao City Safety Overview
READ THE FULL REPORT: Davao City Safety Review
Safety Index:
- OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM
- TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
- PICKPOCKETS RISK: LOW
- NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM
- MUGGING RISK: MEDIUM
- TERRORISM RISK: HIGH
- SCAMS RISK: MEDIUM
- WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW
Cost of Living by City in Davao
| City | Cost of Living Index |
|---|---|
| Cebu | 34.0 |
| Dumaguete | 34.0 |
| Makati | 51.07 |
| Manila | 34.0 |
| Quezon City | 31.66 |
Good info, I agree, used to live in Lapu Lapu for 8 years on budget thanks
thank yo very much for making all this information possible I really appreciate the time and effort so maraming salamat Po
i have lived in davao 5 years from the u.s. my jan.2021 electric bill was 64 dollars,4 bed 2 story house,run 2 a/c in 2 bedrooms all night,water bill per month about 6 dollars, cable,wi-fi and land line is 74 dollars a month,all itilities about 150 to 160 a month,family of 4 i live off time deposit interest,which is 7 percent interest,other cds pay 3 to 3.7 percent, i get 1600 a month, and manage to save 500 a month,my 2 kids are in private school, much better here than the u.s. very low crime rate,one of the lowest in the world of cities, college very affordable too
Hi, we are looking at living in Davao 5 months a year. Can you get cable, internet for just 5 months or do you have to pay monthly for a full year