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Istanbul vs Manila cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
๐น๐ท Istanbul
๐ต๐ญ Manila
At a glance
- Where Manila is clearly cheaper: Entry ticket (93%โ), SIM card (83%โ), Tuk-tuk / moto taxi (81%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: language โ Istanbul 3 vs Manila 2. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Istanbul | Manila | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โบ 450$11 | โฑ 280$4.91 | Manila โ55% |
| Street food1 item | โบ 180$4.39 | โฑ 50$0.88 | Manila โ80% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โบ 1,000$24.4 | โฑ 800$14 | Manila โ42% |
| Coffeeone cup | โบ 190$4.63 | โฑ 150$2.63 | Manila โ43% |
| Beerone bottle | โบ 220$5.37 | โฑ 120$2.11 | Manila โ61% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โบ 400$9.76 | โฑ 300$5.26 | Manila โ46% |
| Bottled water | โบ 20$0.49 | โฑ 25$0.44 | Manila โ10% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โบ 50$1.22 | โฑ 63$1.11 | Manila โ9% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โบ 320$7.8 | โฑ 220$3.86 | Manila โ51% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โบ 230$5.61 | โฑ 60$1.05 | Manila โ81% |
| Transitone ride | โบ 46$1.12 | โฑ 15$0.26 | Manila โ77% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โบ 800$19.5 | โฑ 500$8.77 | Manila โ55% |
| Hotel night3-star | โบ 3,500$85.4 | โฑ 3,500$61.4 | Manila โ28% |
| Studio rent (month) | โบ 28,000$683 | โฑ 25,000$439 | Manila โ36% |
| Laundry | โบ 120$2.93 | โฑ 60$1.05 | Manila โ64% |
| SIM card1 week data | โบ 1,500$36.6 | โฑ 350$6.14 | Manila โ83% |
| Haircutcut | โบ 500$12.2 | โฑ 180$3.16 | Manila โ74% |
| Massage1 hour | โบ 1,800$43.9 | โฑ 500$8.77 | Manila โ80% |
| Half-day tourper person | โบ 2,000$48.8 | โฑ 1,500$26.3 | Manila โ46% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โบ 1,500$36.6 | โฑ 150$2.63 | Manila โ93% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Istanbul or Manila?
Manila is 42% cheaper than Istanbul. Daily budget $174 vs $107; a month $3,072 vs $1,683.
Which is easier to travel, Istanbul or Manila?
About the same: Istanbul 2.6/5, Manila 2.6/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Istanbul and Manila?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Istanbul is about $3,072 and Manila about $1,683 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.