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Is it possible to travel the Philippines on a budget in 2025? If so, how cheaply can you travel around the Philippines?
In this article, we’re going to share our savvy top tips for traveling around the Philippines on a low budget. The tips and advice that we share in this article are based on our own firsthand experience. We have visited the Philippines many times over the years, and we have learned some of the best ways to save money when you are traveling around this beautiful country.
Many of the ideas and advice that we share in this article cannot be found anywhere else online; these are our own tips and tricks, which we have developed and perfected over years of travel.
Is the Philippines an expensive country?
It all depends on your frame of reference. If you compare the Philippines to the rest of Southeast Asia, it is relatively expensive. On the other hand, if you compare the Philippines to Australia, Europe, or the USA, it is relatively cheap. The Philippines is more expensive than Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam. And although the Philippines is more expensive, the quality of products and services is low compared to other Southeast Asian countries.
If you are willing to make some compromises and travel on a low budget, the Philippines can be reasonably cheap. However, if you are not traveling on a low budget, the Philippines can be surprisingly expensive. In this article, we will give you some practical tips and advice to help you travel the Philippines on a low budget. Before we go on, here are a few prices to help you get to grips with the cost of traveling the Philippines.
Transportation prices:
Transport in the Philippines can be delightfully cheap; a short local journey on a tricycle (tuk-tuk) is likely to cost around 50 pesos. A long bus journey is likely to cost 200 – 300 pesos. You can find motorbike rents in the Philippines for around 300 pesos per day.
Food prices in the Philippines:
Local food in the Philippines is tasty, fresh, affordable, and readily available; you can generally eat for around 100 – 200 pesos for a tasty local meal.
Accommodation prices:
Accommodation in the Philippines can be surprisingly expensive, and you don’t get a lot for your money. In most popular destinations, it is hard to find rooms for less than £20 per night ($25); however, if you are willing to look around and push hard, you can sometimes get rooms for as little as £10 or $12 per night.
Internet prices in the Philippines:
Local SIM cards in the Philippines are generally very cheap, and mobile data is also very affordable. Expect to pay around 700 pesos for a 30-day tourist SIM card with 50 GB of data. The internet speed in the Philippines is very slow.
Activity prices:
Activities in the Philippines are generally very cheap. Many popular destinations and attractions have an entrance fee, but normally this is only a few dollars.
Withdrawing money in the Philippines – Avoid this mistake:
Don’t get caught out without cash in the Philippines. In many areas of the Philippines, it is not possible to make bank card payments; you can only pay in cash. In scenarios, ATM machines are few and far between, and are often out of order or unstocked. We recommend that you always have a reasonable amount of surplus cash in the Philippines. If possible, try to withdraw money at least three or four days before you really need it. You can normally find ATM machines in convenience stores like 7-Eleven, and also at banks in town.
1 Eat local Filipino street food
As a general rule, the cheapest way to eat in the Philippines is to purchase local Filipino street food. The Philippines has an excellent street food culture, with street food widely available both in big cities, small towns, and even in rural areas. Filipino street food is generally not too spicy and often includes rice, soup, curries, meat, fish, veggies, and egg. Eating local street food is not only a great way to save cash as you travel; it is also a wonderful way to connect with the culture and enjoy new culinary experiences. In touristy areas, you can often find restaurants serving international food such as pastas, pizzas, and even sushi. However, international food in the Philippines is particularly expensive.
Just for example, if you are in the El Nido beach area, you can easily find a tasty kebab, but this is likely to cost at least 350 pesos (£5 or $6). Although this may actually be cheaper than your home country, it is still relatively expensive by Filipino standards, and if you’re planning to travel on a low budget, you will need to find some cheaper local street food. In most places around the Philippines, it is possible to eat for as little as 30 pesos (under £0.50 or $0.60).
Some of the cheapest food in the Philippines can be found in bakeries, where you can find delicious fresh bread such as Pan de Sal and pastries. Also, watch out for dim sum, which can be as cheap as 50 pesos for 4 pieces, and steamed buns for 30 pesos. If you are struggling to find affordable food, you can also find food in convenience stores. There are plenty of convenience stores around the Philippines; watch out for 7-Elevens.
2 Watch out for cheap flights
If you’re planning to visit the Philippines, you will need to look for the cheapest flight to the country. For most people, flying is the biggest part of their travel budget, so if you’re able to get good deals on flights, you will save a lot of money on your overall trip. Over the past few years, it has become increasingly difficult to get cheap last-minute flights; the general rule is to book as early as possible and be flexible with your dates and flight route. If possible, try to look at and be open-minded about your departure airport.
Consider a wide range of different airlines, including budget airlines like Scoot, Cebu Pacific, Vietjet, and AirAsia. (All of these low-budget Southeast Asian carriers have cheap flights to and around the Philippines.) In most cases, you will need to take a flight to Manila and then a second flight to your destination within the Philippines. You may well have a layover in Manila (Many of the layovers in Manila are overnight layovers, so you may also need to budget for a guest house near the airport). So if you’re looking to plan a low-budget trip, remember to check the budget airlines and book as early as possible.
3 Find unique destinations
Prices vary a lot around the Philippines, from town to town and from island to island; some of the most expensive parts of the Philippines are Manila, Palawan, and areas of Cebu. One of the best ways to save money on your overall trip is to be flexible and open-minded as you are planning your trip. We recommend that you look at some lesser-known destinations. Destinations which are more well-known are more popular, and destinations which are more popular are more expensive.
We recommend looking for towns and villages which are less traveled and less well-known. You will be able to find more affordable accommodation and more cheap local street food; it is also a lot more fun and adventurous to travel to a less popular town, so if you are genuinely backpacking around the Philippines on a low budget, get off the beaten track, be spontaneous, and have an adventure.
4 Compromise When it Comes to Accommodation
Accommodation in the Philippines generally has a very high cost-to-quality ratio. This means that you pay a lot of money for relatively basic and simple accommodation. This is particularly true compared to other Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. If you are willing to search around, you can generally find places offering cheap budget double rooms in the £10 – £20 range (This is roughly $12 to $25). For a solo backpacker, you can sometimes find hostels with dormitory rooms; dorm beds typically start around £5 or $6.
If you book a cheap room in the Philippines, you need to be aware that the level of comfort, hygiene, and facilities are very basic. However, in some cases, you can still find budget options in excellent locations, so you do not necessarily need to compromise on location if you are travelling on a tight budget. The best way to find cheap accommodation in the Philippines is to use a booking platform like Agoda or Booking.com, and arrange the search result in order of price from lowest to highest (the default setting puts the “highest recommended” accommodation first and, in many cases, this offers expensive places at the start of the list).
Using Platforms to book your accommodation
You can use platforms like Agoda and booking.com to book your accommodation. Click “show prices from lowest to highest”
5 Contact guest houses directly
If you are travelling on a really tight budget, look for accommodation that you are interested in and then use their Facebook page to contact them directly and negotiate a cheaper deal. In some cases, your accommodation may be willing to offer a cheaper price if you book directly with them. The main disadvantage of finding accommodation this way is the lack of transparency and security. If you’re travelling with kids, another way to save money is being willing to bed share. So if you are able and willing to share beds as a family, you can save a lot of money.
If you are planning to do this, make sure that you enter all your kids on your booking. We also recommend taking a screenshot with a page showing that you have booked your kids into the room as well. In some cases, young kids are not chargeable in rooms. If this is the case, they may not be included in the official booking confirmation. We had some situations where guest houses were unhappy with us arriving with kids (even though they were included on the original booking). We were able to show the print screen to prove that we had included them in our original booking.
Top Tip: Cheap guest houses in the Philippines are sometimes called “pension houses.” The idea is that older people in society give the accommodation to earn a living or pension.
6 Use Long Distance Buses to Travel Around
If you are planning to do longer journeys between towns or cities in the Philippines, we recommend using long distance buses. Although it is possible to hire private taxis, this can be surprisingly expensive. For example, let’s say you are going to Cebu City and you want to visit the spectacular whale sharks in Oslob. The journey is likely to take at least 4 hours each way. You can take a bus for just over 200 pesos (This is around £3 or $3.50).
Alternatively, you can take a private taxi, which was likely to cost at least £60 or $80 for the round trip (A taxi can generally take up to three people). In some cases, a taxi may be preferable if you are short of time, and you are travelling as a group so that the cost is shared across more people. Long distance buses in the Philippines are surprisingly cheap, generally costing between 200 – 600 pesos for a long journey (This is around £3 – £9 or $3.50 – $10). Buses may be less comfortable and take more planning, but if you are travelling on the budget, it is worth taking a bus.
7 Barter to Get the Best Prices
If you’re really travelling on a low budget, you can barter to get the best prices. In the Philippines, bartering is actually a very fun and enjoyable way to travel and connect with locals. The goal of bargaining is to get a fair and reasonable local price for products and services. As a foreigner, you are likely to be charged more. Whether you are trying to arrange a taxi, book a tour, or even purchasing street food, so it is important to be ready to barter. It is important to approach bartering in the correct way. We recommend that you build a friendly and positive rapport and never insult the product or service. Remember, no one will sell you anything for a price less than they are happy with, and if you feel the price is too high, you can always move on and look elsewhere.
8 Plan Your Activities Independently
The Philippines is packed with exciting, beautiful, and adventurous activities. Many people prefer to pre-book their activities online. It feels a lot safer and more reliable to do it this way. However, as a general rule, this is more expensive than arranging your activities locally. More often than not, the cheapest way to do an activity is just to travel there yourself (and if there is an entry fee, pay on arrival).
From time to time, you may be able to book a trip or tour locally and, in rare cases, this may actually be cheaper than going independently. Planning your own trips and adventures independently is often a lot more fun and allows increased flexibility. You can go at your own pace and spend as long as you want; you do not need to worry about staying with your tour group. So, to summarize: avoid booking trips, tours, and activities online in advance. If you do book a trip or tour, try to book it with a local travel agent.
9 Purchase big bottles of water.
It is not safe to drink water directly from the tap in the Philippines. You will need to rely on buying bottles of water; the cheapest way to do this is to buy a large 15-litre bottle of water and keep it in your room. You can then use this to fill up your water bottle. This, of course, is only a good idea if you are planning to spend at least three or four days in the same accommodation. So, if you’re travelling faster, you may want to find a 5-litre bottle instead. (You can normally find 5-litre drinking water bottles in convenience stores and supermarkets around the Philippines.)
Some hotels and guest houses will also have water dispensers where you can fill up your bottle. It is important to recognise that buying smaller 1.5-litre bottles of water is likely to add up over the course of your trip. Remember, if you’re travelling on a low budget, every dollar counts. It is also more environmentally friendly to buy larger bottles of water (because there is less single-use plastic waste).
10 Look for a shared kitchen
Local Filipino street food is generally widely available, fresh, tasty, and very affordable; however, in some areas, it can be more difficult to find local food. (We particularly found this in El Nido, which is a very touristy town.) Another way to do food cheaply in the Philippines is to find a guest house or hostel that has a shared kitchen. (You can normally find this on the hotel description page on Agoda or Booking.com.) There are plenty of supermarkets and local markets around the Philippines where you can buy affordable rice, veggies, and meat. Cooking your own food may be more time-consuming, but it is a great way to save money if you’re travelling on a low budget in the Philippines.
11 Take tricycle tuk-tuks
One of the cheapest ways to do short local journeys in the Philippines is to take a tricycle tuk-tuk. This is a very fun, affordable, and convenient way to travel around in the Philippines. You can find tricycle tuk-tuks all over the country. There is no fixed price, but there are a few general rules to help you work out a fair price. Firstly, some tricycle tuk-tuks may have a fixed pricing system. In this case, the price is generally charged per person. (If you’re travelling with kids and they need their own seat, you will need to pay for them too.)
For a short local journey, the price may be as little as 13 pesos per person. However, as a foreigner, you are likely to be charged more than this, so it is very important to make sure you agree on a price and a clear location with the driver before you depart. If you are using a tricycle tuk-tuk for a short journey (a few kilometres), 50 – 100 pesos is a very fair and reasonable price. In some touristy areas, drivers may try to charge a lot more than this.
12 Use Grab taxis
If you’re struggling to get a good price from a taxi driver, try using the Grab taxi app to order a taxi. In some cases, this may actually be cheaper and easier than trying to negotiate a fair deal with a local driver. Grab is not available everywhere – but it’s definitely worth trying – especially in some of the bigger cities. You do need to have some mobile data on the go in order to use the Grab taxi app. The app sets a fair local price for your taxi journey.
