Philippines
The best beaches in Asia, behind the most tiring logistics.
Cheaper. The exchange rate moved +7.9%; local prices rose +5.1%.
- Lean
- $30
- Comfort
- $148
Ranked 9 of 65.
What your money buys there
30 monthsThe dashed line is what a currency converter shows. The solid line is the same thing after prices in both countries are taken into account. When they part, the solid one is telling the truth.
How the score is built
- Dislocation ×0.36
- 69
- Price floor ×0.30
- 77
- Safety ×0.20
- 75
- Ease ×0.14
- 63
Real price drop vs last year and vs the five-year norm
How low the daily cost is in absolute terms
From the current travel advisory
How well set up the country is for visitors
The full reading
| Real change, 3 months | +3.4% | Is the move still going, or already reversing? |
|---|---|---|
| Real change, 12 months | +6.3% | The headline: what your money buys versus a year ago. |
| Exchange rate alone, 12 months | +7.9% | What a currency converter would tell you. |
| Local inflation, 12 months | +5.1% | How much of that the destination's own prices took back. |
| Versus five-year average | +14.4% | Cheap or dear against its own recent history. |
| Advisory | Level 2 | Increased caution |
| Ease of travel | 3.5 / 5 | Workable |
- Island hopping for $25 a day
- English spoken everywhere
- Diving at Southeast Asia's lowest prices
You will lose days to ferries and delayed flights, typhoon season runs June to November, and parts of Mindanao are off-limits.
When to go
November is shoulder season- Janpeak
- Febpeak
- Marpeak
- Aprpeak
- Mayshoulder
- Junoff
- Juloff
- Augoff
- Sepoff
- Octoff
- Novshoulder
- Decpeak
Safety and ease
- US State Department
- Level 2: Increased caution · updated 31 August 2026
- Read the full advisory ↗
- Advisories are often regional. A country-wide level can hide both safe areas and no-go zones, and other governments may judge differently.
- Tourism infrastructure
- Workable · 3.5 / 5
Elsewhere in Southeast Asia
Reading of 12 November 2026. In US dollars, Philippines reads +6.3% over twelve months in real terms with a mid-range day near $65. Costs are modelled, not quoted: see the method.