How Much Does It Cost to Live In Dumaguete?
Dumaguete is the capital city and main port of the Philippine province Negros Oriental, in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines.
This city is popularly known as the “City of Gentle People” and here, you can truly experience the best of everything: serenity, simplicity, and most of all safety.
It is a university town, most affordable to live in.
Like in most smaller cities in this country, life here moves much more slowly than in Manila.
Your own, personal, cost of living in this country depends on what kind of lifestyle you want to have, and what kind of a job you have.
Philippines : Cost of Living by City
Cost of Living in Philippines
RESTAURANTS
Eating out is definitely more expensive than cooking at home, but smaller cities of the Philippines offer some great cooking – and are not as expensive as you would expect.
Of course, there are many high-end fancy restaurants and they’re not cheap, but you can also eat at an inexpensive restaurant for less than 3$ and have a dinner for two at a mid-range restaurant for only about 14$.
MARKETS
Cooking at home is cheaper probably by 40 to 50% than eating outside.
You can shop at many supermarkets and you will find many fresh fruits though fresh vegetables are hard to come by of any quality.
There are also small bakeries in the neighborhood that sell cheap bread and sari-sari stores (variety stores) where you can buy goods in smaller packages.
TRANSPORTATION
The cheapest option for getting around Dumaguete is a tricycle since the city isn’t too large and you can get around using a tricycle or a motorcycle.
Taxis are not common but are normally found at the Dumaguete airport.
You can use Grab Car or Uber, and jeepneys are also a very cheap option to get around.
Transportation is, in general, very cheap though.
UTILITIES (MONTHLY)
Utilities are just ridiculously expensive in the Philippines, but this doesn’t apply to Dumaguete.
While in Manila you can easily spend around 100$ per month, here the prices are much lower.
Utilities including lights, gadget charging, TV, and hot water in an apartment of around 85m2 will cost you around 46.55$.
The water bill is around 5$ per month.
SPORTS & LEISURE
This university city offers a range of cinemas, theaters, and other leisure opportunities, and a ticket for a movie in a cinema will cost you around 4$, which is relatively cheap compared to what is considered the country’s average.
Indulging in sports and fitness is more expensive, like in most countries.
If you want a gym or a fitness club membership, it will amount up to around 25$.
CLOTHING & SHOES
Though Dumaguete isn’t exactly brimming with large malls that offer great shopping opportunities, you will surely find many places where you can shop for clothes – and the prices are pretty low, too.
For example, you can buy Levi’s jeans for around 18.27 $, while a pair of running shoes from brands like Nike cost around 65$.
Lighter pieces of clothing like shirts and summer dresses are around 9.44$.
RENT PER MONTH
Though everything else is cheaper, rent for an apartment is at least 200$ per month around the city.
But 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 for 190$, or 270$ – if you have your mind set on living in the city center.
For a larger apartment for the whole family, you’ll have to pay at least 350$.
Cost of Living Averages Table for Dumaguete
*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.| Average Restaurant Prices | |
|---|---|
| Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) | $2.19 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) | $0.91 |
| Water (0.33 Liter) | $0.46 | Average Market Prices |
| Milk (1 Liter) | $1.55 |
| Loaf Bread (500g) | $1.16 |
| Eggs (12) | $1.77 | Average Transport Prices |
| One Way Ticket | $0.37 |
| Monthly Pass | $9.14 |
| Gasoline | $0.90134 | Average Utilities Prices |
| Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) | $46.55 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local | $0.22 |
| Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | $32.43 | Average Leisure Prices |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | $19.74 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) | $2.74 |
| Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release | $4.57 | Average Clothing Prices |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) | $18.27 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) | $9.44 |
| 1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) | $65.33 | Average Rent Prices |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center | $258.96 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center | $210.66 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center | $365.46 |
How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Dumaguete?
An average person in Dumaguete definitely spends the biggest amount of money on food – which is no wonder, considering that most world cities follow that pattern.
The next biggest expense is definitely rent, which, in this city is very high, in comparison to other expenses.
Interestingly enough, the people of Dumaguete don’t spend as much money on utilities as the people in other cities of the Philippines, but they still spend a lot on both utilities and sports.
Clothes are the least important of all expenses, according to these numbers.
Average Costs Breakdown
Dumaguete: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages
As for the salaries, they are among the lowest in the whole country of the Philippines!
Even though the prices are very low, the salaries are too, which makes it impossible for people to cover all their expenses and not worry about tomorrow.
What testifies to that is the fact that the average monthly salary here is much lower than the minimum wage in other countries of the Philippines.
The average monthly net salary in Dumaguete is only 131.87$, which is nowhere near enough to live a comfortable life in this country.
The minimum wage in Dumaguete is just a bit over 158.7$.
Cost of Living by City in Dumaguete
| City | Cost of Living Index |
|---|---|
| Cebu | 34.0 |
| Davao | 34.0 |
| Makati | 51.07 |
| Manila | 34.0 |
| Quezon City | 31.66 |
how much would a long term rent on a 2 bedroom house be