Budget Philippines: how expensive is The Philippines?

The Philippines is an incredible destination. Prepare for paradise-like beaches, friendly people and an amazing underwater world. It is a slightly more expensive destination than other backpacking countries in Southeast Asia, though. Are you curious about what to spend approximately in the Philippines? In this article we answer all your questions about the budget in the Philippines.

We traveled in the Philippines for 60 days in 2024. All our expenses are based on 2 people.

What currency is used in the Philippines?

In the Philippines, payment is made with the Philippine peso. To make it easy, we have already converted everything to euros in this article. We’ll take you through the budget for the Philippines below. Costs are broken down into activities, accommodation, transportation, food and beverages and other. This is all based on two people. At the bottom of this article, you’ll find a handy overview of common expenses in the Philippines.

The exchange rate averages between 55 and 60 pesos for €1. The rate does fluctuate greatly and is very dependent on the economy and climate in the Philippines. There have been many natural disasters in the Philippines in recent years, after which the exchange rate can drop significantly. This table uses an exchange rate of €1 = 60 pesos.

Cost of accommodation in the Philippines

We always try to spend as little money as possible on accommodation. Since this is often just the place where you sleep and barely spend any other time, we don’t mind a bit of simple sleeping. We have only two criteria: it must be clean and it must be near the center. Accommodations in the Philippines, compared to neighboring Vietnam and Indonesia, are often very expensive. Good value for money is sometimes hard to find.

In the Philippines, we spent an average of €20 per night together on accommodations, so €10 per person. This is a good average for a couple in the Philippines. Are you a solo traveler? Then on average you will spend between €8 and €15 for a good hostel.

Costs for activities in the Philippines

The cost of activities in the Philippines is (mostly) not too bad. There are a few exceptions where you pay a lot of money, but in general, the Philippines is the ideal destination for ultimate enjoyment of nature and beaches, which is not too expensive.

Please note that you almost always have to pay to enter a beach, or to go to a waterfall. This often only costs between 50 and 100 peso per person. A small, but often recurring fee.

Furthermore, there is one very big expense for activities in the Philippines, and that is the famous expedition! In 3 or 4 days you sail from Coron to El Nido (or vice versa) visiting the most breathtaking islands, enjoying ultimate views from the boat and snorkeling every day. On average you will pay between €300 and €500 for the four-day expedition tour, but this is really 100% worth the money! Read more information about the expedition from Coron to El Nido here.

On average, we spent €12 per day on activities. Think of snorkeling tours, boat tours and entrance to waterfalls. This amount does not include the expedition from Coron to El Nido.

Cost of renting a motorbike in The Philippines

On almost all islands in The Philippines, it is super nice to rent a motorbike and be able to enjoy driving yourself from A to B. With a motorbike in the Philippines you can easily get to waterfalls, find deserted beaches and cruise through beautiful nature.

The cost of renting a motorbike in the Philippines varies a lot, depending on the island. In the province of Palawan (where El Nido and Port Barton are located), you will easily spend 500 peso (€8.30) for one day of motorbike rental. In Siquijor and Bohol, on the other hand, you’ll pay around 300 peso (€5) per day. If you rent one for several days, you can always haggle well on the price. This will have some impact on your budget for the Philippines.

However, when renting a motorbike in the Philippines, always keep in mind that it is officially a motorcycle, and therefore you must officially have a motorcycle license for this.With only a car drivers license are you not insured if you get into an accident. Learn more about renting a motorbike in Asia here.

Cost of food and drink

The Philippines (in our opinion) really doesn’t have a special local cuisine. There is always a huge amount of meat involved in the dishes, which we don’t eat anyway as vegetarians. Fortunately, the Philippines is a tourist country where you can find good restaurants with other cuisines on all the islands. For example, we ate fantastic Spanish tapas, delicious Thai curries and Mexican burritos. Food and drink prices are quite high in the Philippines, especially if you do not like the local cuisine.

Altogether we spent a total of €40 per day on food and drinks, €20 per person that is. For this amount, we almost always ate 3 meals a day. We also had some beers and rum colas, which are very cheap. A beer costs an average of €1.50 and you can get a rum cola even cheaper.

Cost of transportation

Transportation in the Philippines is fairly well organized, but it always takes a very long time. Distances are long and because you are island hopping, you have to change means of transportation several times. Often you first have to take a cab to the port, then take a boat to the next island and then continue your journey by taxi/bus/boat.

As a result, the cost of transportation in the Philippines is also quite high. The buses and cabs are reasonably cheap but the boats are often quite expensive. For example, for 2 hours on the boat you pay an average of €15 per person. In addition, you cannot avoid taking at least one domestic flight in the Philippines. If you plan your itinerary longer in advance, it is wise to book these flights right away. If you book last minute flights in The Philippines you sometimes pay 3 to 4 times as much! Planning ahead pays off in the Philippines.

Other costs

In addition to the above expenses, we did some laundry, bought toiletries, tipped, bought sim cards and bought day passes for the gym. In total, we spent a combined €2.50 per day on other expenses.

The visa for the Philippines is free for the first 30 days (this is in 2025). If you want to stay another 30 days longer you will pay 3,000 pesos (€50) for the extension.

Average daily budget for the Philippines

After 35 days in the Philippines, we arrive at a daily budget of €47.50 per person. This of course does not include any flight to and from the Philippines. For us, this is one of the most expensive countries in Southeast Asia, coming close to Singapore. This is mainly due to the expensive food and accommodations. Still, we would 100% recommend visiting the Philippines. It is a beautiful country with an amazing underwater world and the most beautiful beaches. Totally worth every penny!

Cost overview budget the Philippines

To help determine your budget properly, we have written down below the common costs of your trip through the Philippines. This will make it easier for you to set your budget for the Philippines.

Please note that this is an average: in high season, prices are a bit higher everywhere, and in low season, of course, lower.