Cost of Living in the Philippines in 2008 (Part 1)

After writing the entry entitled “Magkano Po Ito? (How Much is This?)”, I was struck with the idea of writing something about consumer goods prices in the Philippines (particularly in Metro Manila). Well, it’s really more of a “recording” than “writing”… nevertheless, I thought, this kind of information can be very useful to a lot of people (such as those who are doing research and those who are planning to visit the country).

In addition, I think saving this kind of information for posterity is a very good idea. And I think that it is very likely that I, myself, will be referring back to this some time in the future.

However, I can’t do this at one go… if I do, due to the length of time I’d likely be spending on collecting and writing down data, many information will most probably be already outdated by the time I finish. So, with that in mind, I’ll be posting this in portions. Starting with…

(Just to give reference points, I’ll be including the latest monetary exchange rates and the minimum daily wage in every post I make regarding this matter)

Philippine Peso Exchange Rate:
to the U.S. Dollar = P44.975 (as of August 14, 2008 – 5:25 pm)
[to the Euro = P67.01037 (as of August 15, 2008)]

Minimum Daily Wage (as of August 14, 2008): P382.00

Communication

Mobile Phone – Data gathered are from August 14, 2008

Text Messaging (Globe Telecom/ Smart Communications – Prepaid Subscriptions)

• Local: P1.00/160 characters
• International: P15.00/160 characters
• Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS): P5.00 (Globe) / P2.00 (Smart to Smart) / P1.00 (Smart to other networks)
• International MMS: P20.00/message sent (Smart)

Voice Calls (Globe Telecom/Smart Communications – Prepaid Subscriptions)

• To same network: P6.50
• To other networks: P7.50
• To landline: P7.50
• International Direct Dialing (IDD): US$0.40 (Globe Telecom)

Landline (Residential) – Data gathered are from August 14, 2008

PLDT

• Installation Charges: P1,999.00
• Subscriber Investment Plan: P1,000.00
• Monthly Rates: P605.26

Internet Connection (Residential) – Data gathered are from August 14, 2008

BayanDSL

• 384 kbps: P899.00
• 768 kbps: P1699.00
• 2.0 Mbps: P2699.00

SmartBRO (Wireless)

• 384 kbps: P999.00

PLDT myDSL

• (up to) 1.0 Mbps: P999.00
• (up to) 2.0 Mbps: P1,995.00
• (up to) 3.0 Mbps: P3,000.00

Fuel (as of August 13, 2008)

Caltex

• Unleaded: P57.97 to P58.15
• Unleaded/LRA: P58.06 to P58.80
• Diesel: P55.98 to P57.00
• Kerosene: P59.00 to P60.34

Petron

• Unleaded: P57.85 to P58.15
• Unleaded/LRA: P58.55 to P58.85
• Diesel: P56.77 to P57.85
• Kerosene: P59.68 to P60.98

Shell

• Unleaded: P57.97 to P58.07
• Unleaded/LRA: P58.06 to P58.71
• Diesel: P56.48 to P56.98
• Kerosene: P59.80 to P60.30

Transportation – Data gathered are from August 14, 2008

Tricycle: P6.00 to P15.00 per passenger

Taxi:

• P30.00 (flag down rate)
• P2.50 for every kilometer traveled
• PLUS P10.00 to the actual fare (technically, this makes the “flag down rate” P40.00)

Jeepney:

• Minimum Fare: P8.50 (first 4 kilometers)
• PLUS P1.50 for every succeeding kilometer

FX:

• Minimum Fare: P15.00 (increases at P5.00 increments depending on distance of trip lacks uniformity among FX drivers as some charges more than others)

Bus:

• Ordinary (non-air-conditioned): P10.00 (for first 5 kilometers) PLUS P1.95 for every succeeding kilometer
• Non-air-conditioned: P12 (for first 5 kilometers) PLUS P2.35 for every succeeding kilometer

Metro Rail Transit (MRT): P10.00 to P15.00

Manila Light Rail Transit (LRT):

• P12.00 (1 to 4 interstations)
• P15.00 (5 to 17 interstations)

Utilities (Residential) – Data gathered are from August 14, 2008

Electricity (Meralco)

Distribution Charge (per kwh):

• 0 – 200 kwh: P0.5729
• 201 – 300 kwh: P0.8765
• 301 – 400 kwh: P1.1628
• 401 kwh and up – P1.6615

Supply Charge (per kwh): P0.5271

Metering Charges:

• Energy (per kwh): P0.2435
• Fixed Amount (per customer): P5.00

Water (Maynilad)

• P32.63/cubic meter inclusive of Value Added Tax (average)

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (kitchen use – 11 Kg.)

• Gasul: P623.50 to P641.00
• LiquiGaz: P620.00 to P670.00
• M Gas: P645.00
• Shellane: P646.00 to P665.50
• Total Gas: P613.00 to P650.00

Click here for Part 2

Click here for Part 3

(Disclaimer: All information shown above are subject to change over time. Although much care is taken in assuring that all information provided herein are correct, some errors MAY still be present... after all, I'm only human. As such, you SHOULD subject the information contained herein to further verification before using them for whatever reason.)