The Philippines is the most expensive country on our route, and it is not because food or beds cost that much more here. It is because of the water. The country is more than 7,000 islands, so between almost every stop there is a flight, a ferry or a bangka, and those costs stack up in a way you never see in Vietnam or Laos.
On the ground, it is actually pretty reasonable. On Siquijor you live on €18 a day, in Manila, on Bohol, in Moalboal, on Malapascua, in Port Barton and in Puerto Princesa on €20, and even the priciest islands stay at €25. The gap with Thailand is small; the difference is what you spend getting between places.
For the country as a whole, count on about €35 a day. That is well above every single figure below, and that is exactly the point: it includes the domestic flights, the ferries and the boat trips you came for.
Daily budget per stop
This is what you spend per day in each place, without the transport to get there and without tours:
- Siquijor: €18, the cheapest stop on the route
- Bohol: €20
- Malapascua: €20
- Manila: €20
- Moalboal: €20
- Port Barton: €20
- Puerto Princesa: €20
- Coron: €22
- Siargao: €22
- Boracay: €25
- El Nido: €25, level with Boracay as the most expensive stop
The most expensive stops are exactly the best-known ones. If you want your money to last, give Siquijor, Moalboal and Port Barton more days than Boracay.
Our verdict: the quiet islands here are cheaper and they are also some of the best stops on the route, which makes this an easy call
What a bed costs
A dorm bed costs €6 in Moalboal, in Puerto Princesa and on Siquijor, €7 on Bohol, in Coron, on Malapascua, in Manila and in Port Barton, €8 in El Nido and on Siargao, and €9 on Boracay. Across the board that is a little higher than in the neighbouring countries.
In Port Barton and on Malapascua there is no proper supermarket. Port Barton has no cash machine in the village and the only one on Malapascua is regularly empty, so work out what you need and bring it in cash.
What food and drink cost
A meal costs €2 in Manila and on Siquijor, €2.50 on most of the islands and €3 in El Nido, on Boracay and on Siargao. At a karinderia, the simple eateries where the food sits in trays behind the counter, you eat for the lowest figure in that range.
A beer costs €1.20 on almost every island and €1.50 on Boracay. That is more than in Cambodia and Vietnam and about the same as northern Thailand. What to eat while you are here is in our guide to food in the Philippines.
Our verdict: walk away from the beach and you eat for a third of the price, and better
What local transport costs
On the islands you rent a scooter, about €7 a day on Bohol, in Coron, in El Nido, in Moalboal, in Port Barton, in Puerto Princesa and on Siargao, about €6 on Siquijor and about €5 on Malapascua. On Siquijor that gets you round the 102 kilometre ring road, and on Siargao you do everything on it.
Two places work differently. In Manila the jeepney, at about €0.20 a ride, is by far the cheapest transport on the whole route, and on Boracay ordinary vehicles are banned, so you get around by electric trike for about €1 a ride.
Between the islands it is a different story: count on about €10 for a boat trip, and more for the domestic flights. How all of that fits together is in our guide to getting around the Philippines.
Where the money really goes
Moving around. For the big jumps between Palawan, the Visayas and Siargao you fly, and the earlier you book, the less you pay; book on the road and you pay a lot more. On top of that come the ferries within the island groups and the bangkas for the island hopping itself.
The second big cost is the trips. Tour C in El Nido costs about €22 including lunch and takes the whole day, and amounts like that add up fast when you do five of them. Diving the wrecks of Coron, Monad Shoal off Malapascua or the sardines of Moalboal is the biggest one-off cost of a lot of trips here.
And then there is the cost you only see afterwards: the spare day. When a typhoon comes through, flights are cancelled and boats stay on the beach, and a missed connection costs you an extra night and sometimes a new ticket. Budget money for that, not just time. The best months, and how the typhoon season plays out, are on our Philippines page.
Our verdict: book your domestic flights as soon as your dates are fixed, because that is the biggest saving you can make here
How much do three weeks in the Philippines cost?
At about €35 a day you end up around €735 for three weeks, including the flights and ferries between the islands, your beds, your food and a normal amount of trips. That is more than Thailand or Vietnam over the same period, and almost all of that difference is transport.
Going diving? Add that on separately. Stay within one island group, say just Palawan or just the Visayas, and you save on the flights and come down towards €600. How a route through the islands works is in our Philippines itinerary.
How to keep it cheap without ruining your trip
Pick one island group instead of the whole country if money is tight, because every jump between groups is a flight. Book those flights early. Eat at the karinderia, not on the beach. Share a scooter and share a bangka, because most trips are priced per boat, not per person.
Everywhere, bring more cash than you think you need, because there is no reliable machine in Port Barton or on Malapascua and in Coron they are often empty. What withdrawing money costs you is on our travel cards page.
Is the Philippines more expensive than Thailand?
On the ground, barely. A bed, a plate of food and a beer cost about the same here as on a Thai island, and on Siquijor or in Moalboal you actually pay less.
For the trip as a whole the answer is yes, and the difference is transport. In Thailand you take an €8 bus or train to your next stop; in the Philippines you fly or you sail, and that happens ten times a trip. Count on about €35 a day against €30 in Thailand, and that gap is almost entirely water and air.
Want to close it? Stay within one island group. Three weeks on just Palawan or just the Visayas costs you about the same as three weeks in Thailand, and you still see more than most people do in a month.
