Cost of Living in Quezon City, Philippines

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How Much Does It Cost to Live In Quezon City?

Quezon City is the most populous city in the Philippines.

It is the largest city in terms of population and land area in Metro Manila.

The senate is located here so most senators and congressmen live around the city – making it clear that this is one of the cities with the best quality of life.

The prices in Quezon City are similar to those in Manila, which means that only a small part of the nation can enjoy all the goodness this city has to offer.

However, what you spend there solely depends on your priorities and lifestyle.

RESTAURANTS

The prices in Quezon City are definitely higher than what is the norm of the Philippines, but you can surely find very decent places to eat in if on a tight budget. This is a relatively posh city with a high quality of life, so it’s brimming with expensive restaurants, but if you want to live at an inexpensive restaurant, a meal will cost you less than 3$, and it will still be delicious.

MARKETS

When in doubt about your budget – COOK! The best advice is to get out of expensive parts of the city when grocery shopping, and go to stores such as Cash & Carry, or to SM Hypermart. If you don’t mind spending money on groceries, the best thing to do is go to Rustan’s supermarket. If you shop there every few weeks, your bill for groceries will move between 50$ – 90$ roughly, each time.

TRANSPORTATION

Though traffic is a bit hectic in this city, there are many trees in here, and the air is actually fresher and cleaner than in many large cities of the world. Most residents of Makati use taxis here since the area is pretty large but the safest way to do this is to use cab applications such as GrabTaxi and Uber. Public transport can be used though, like in other cities of the Philippines, including jeepneys – the cheapest way to get around.

UTILITIES (MONTHLY)

Utilities are just ridiculously expensive in Manila. You can easily spend around 100$ per month. That would include using air conditioner around eight hours per day. Purely lights, gadget charging, TV and hot water in an apartment of around 85m2 will cost you over 130$. Water bill is around 5$ per month. These days electricity is very reliable. In the mid 90’s brownouts were very common but these days brownouts are very rare.

SPORTS & LEISURE

Quezon City, as the most populous city of this huge country, is literally filled with cinemas, theaters and other leisure opportunities, and a ticket for a movie in a cinema will cost you around 5$. Indulging in sports and fitness is more expensive, like in most countries. If you want a gym or a fitness club membership, it will amount up to around 30$.

CLOTHING & SHOES

Major cities like Quezon City are full of large malls. They also offer great shopping opportunities since the prices are somewhat low. For example, you can buy Levi’s jeans for around 40$, while a pair of running shoes of brands like Nike cost around 60$. Lighter pieces of clothing like shirts and summer dresses are around 20$.

RENT PER MONTH

Rent for an apartment is much higher in Quezon City than most other places in the Philippines. Depending on the part of the city, you can find an apartment for 270$ – if you have your mind set on living in the city center. If not, 150$ will suffice For a larger apartment for the whole family, you’ll have to pay at least 570$.

Cost of Living Averages Table for Quezon City

How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Quezon City?

An average person in Quezon City definitely spends the biggest amount of money on food – no wonder, really, considering that this is true for most cities of the world.

The next biggest expense is definitely rent, which, in this city is very high, just like everything else.

Interestingly enough, Quezon City – like most other cities in the Philippines, is special in the sense that utilities draw more money from the people than eating in restaurants.

Clothes are the least important of all expenses, according to these percentages.

Average Costs Breakdown

Quezon City: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages

Though the prices are pretty high in Quezon City, the sad reality is that salaries are not.

However, it is one of those cities in the Philippines brimming with corporations and companies so you can find jobs in almost any industry you want.

That being said, the salaries here are still low, as in much of the Philippines: an average monthly net salary in Quezon City is around 270$, which is not enough to live a comfortable life in this city.

Minimum wage in Quezon City is only around 180$.

Quezon City Safety Overview

READ THE FULL REPORT: Quezon City Safety Review

Safety Index:

55

• OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM
• TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: MEDIUM
• PICKPOCKETS RISK: HIGH
• NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: HIGH
• MUGGING RISK: MEDIUM
• TERRORISM RISK: HIGH
• SCAMS RISK: MEDIUM
• WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: HIGH

Cost of Living by City in Quezon City