In this report we’re going to breakdown how much it cost to travel in the Philippines for one week.
We spent our whole trip on the island of Palawan but it didn’t turn out exactly how we thought. We had to change our plans a lot since we got stuck right when the typhoon hits but we still managed to have a great time.
Find out how much we spent traveling for one week in the Philippines on the island of Palawan!
Our Breakdown of the Cost to Travel in the Philippines for 1 Week
I had heard that the Philippines is very cheap but I couldn’t believe just how much cheap everything was until we got there. Although hotels were a bit more expensive than I thought, there were a lot of options and Agoda is an amazing site to find deals for countries in Asia.
1 USD equals 44.98 Philippine Peso. Prices listed below are written as what we paid in.
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What actually happened was that we changed our date to go back to Puerto Princesa two days earlier to make sure we didn’t get stuck in El Nido. We unfortunately couldn’t spend any time in Manila but that’s on our list for next time!
Airfare
We flew from Taiwan to the Philippines on a multi-city ticket we bought from CheapOAir as one of our stops back to the US. Flying within the Philippines is so cheap with Airasia, we paid $25 per person from Manila to Puerto Princesa one way. We had to pay for an extra check in luggage of $18 there and back.
Puerto Princesa
Accommodation
We stayed at a place called Blue Lagoon Inn & Suites. I chose this hotel because it’s super close to the airport, has an on site restaurant and awesome pool.
I had read before that Agoda is the best website to use in Asia, especially in the Philippines and they were right. Agoda gave me the lowest prices of every site I checked! I subscribed to their newsletter and created an account so I got an insider deal for half off at Blue Lagoon. When we had to book the two extra nights, the staff at the hotel were kind enough to match our price on Agoda. They were even promoting a deal on Booking.com and Agoda was cheaper.
For four nights plus a late check out, we paid $118.63.
Transportation
From the airport to our hotel, it cost us 50 PHP ($1.13) for a trike ride. The main form of transportation is a small “car” attached to a motorcycle.
From our hotel to Puerto Princesa proper one way, they charged us 20 PHP ($.45) during the day and 40 PHP ($.89) during the night. I read online that tourists get charged way more in the Philippines and they were absolutely correct. I overhead other trike drivers charging 8 PHP ($.18) to locals.
Food
Food is cheap in the Philippines but if you venture to touristic restaurants or upscale/fancy places, you’ll definitely pay more. We ate most of the time at the on site restaurant at our hotel which on average cost about $500 PHP ($11.13) for the two of us. When we ventured into town and checked out local places, you could get a whole meal for 100 PHP ($2.26) or less.
To be really honest, I wasn’t very impressed with Filipino food but I had kind of expected that. I tried several local dishes which I liked, but it was nothing that blew me away compared to foods we ate in other Asian countries. My favorite thing was ordering a mango smoothie and lumpia. The lumpia I had was so good I ordered it 3 times in two days!
Activities
We did two tours in Puerto Princesa, the firefly tour and the underground river. We enjoyed the firefly tour, it was a nice boat ride and the fireflies were so pretty. The Underground river tour was amazing. The landscapes, mountains, even the color of the water is truly an incredible sight to see.
We booked both these tours through our hotel, paying 2000 PHP ($44.52) for two people for the firefly tour including dinner and transportation and 2600 PHP ($57.87) for two people plus lunch and transportation for the Underground river.
We were really amazed at how cheap the tours were. We’re used to $100 all day tours so to pay about $28 per person for an all day tour including lunch and with almost 5 hours of driving, I was shocked.
When we came back to Puerto Princesa, we were thinking about doing the Honda Bay tour but tours got cancelled the day we wanted to do it. You could say we were really unlucky with timing on our trip 🙁
So what do you do when you’re stuck in Puerto Princesa… you get massages! There was a spa down the street from our hotel so we treated ourselves. I got my feet cleaned by some fish, got hour long massages, Yeison got a hand & foot massage, I got a full body scrub and both got facials. You can say we definitely pampered ourselves.
For all the things we got, we spent just 1800 PHP ($40) and that’s including a tip!
El Nido
Getting to El Nido
I found a website called PinoyTravel that lets you pre-book with Cherry Bus so I booked our bus tickets to and from El Nido at 2178 PHP ($48.75) for two people. Since we ended up going back to Puerto Princesa early, I lost half of that and paid an extra 1000 PHP ($22.38) for a shuttle. I don’t really recommend booking before hand, I just got overly paranoid since we were traveling kind of close to the holidays but our bus wasn’t even half full.
I heard a couple getting charged for a lot less when they bought tickets at the bus station. But it’s OK, next time we will fly even though it’s more expensive. The bus ride was loooong, curvy and not very fun (our bus driver hit a dog 🙁 sad.)
For tips and advice on taking the bus and shuttle, we wrote an article about it here.
Accommodation
I booked a hotel in El Nido on Agoda during their insider deals called Novie’s Tourist Inn. It had fair reviews and it was a little bit outside El Nido so that we could walk or take a trike.
We stayed one night at Novie’s and the room was really nice. Big, spacious, clean bathroom and came with an extra couch. The only downside was the damn roosters. I’ve had my fair share of roosters crowing in the middle of the night, but I’ve never heard SO many roosters crowing all at once for hours.
Besides that, we really enjoyed Novie’s. If we go back to El Nido we will probably stay there again and get a room away from the roosters (up to the left in case you want to know). Or get a hotel in town though that’s a lot more expensive. Even though the trike was only $1 back to the hotel, it adds up and it takes time away.
For four nights, I paid $88.13 but lost half of it. It was too late to get a refund when we got to El Nido so we actually had two rooms booked for our last 3 days.
Activities
Since boat tours were cancelled for the one full day we were in El Nido, Yeison and I decided to find the best alternative activities. We rented a motorcycle for 500 PHP ($11.20) and went to Nacpan beach, got full body massages, watched the sunset at Corong Corong and hung out with other travelers we met on the road.
Total Expenses
We actually ended up spending more in the Philippines than I thought we would since I lost a good chunk due to the typhoon.
We spent a total of $800 including food, activities, lodging and airfare to and from Manila. We ate at mostly the “fancy” places so food cost us more. Plus we were splurging and treating ourselves since we got stranded due to the typhoon and couldn’t do any of the tours at El Nido.
What we loved about the Philippines
The nature, landscapes and availability of Wi-Fi
Even though Wi-Fi wasn’t the fastest, it was readily available in most of the public places which was really nice.
The nature and landscapes of the Philippines are simply amazing. It’s hard not to be in awe as you walk around Palawan since it’s so beautiful. This was the highlight of our trip and would be the reason why we’d go back. Hopefully we’ll have our diving certification by then!
The locals were also so so nice. When we were wandering around El Nido after discovering tours were cancelled, a local came up to us and tried to help us find other fun things to do. Unfortunately all the land tours were booked but he even called a bunch of his friends to try to find anyone who had space for 2 more.
What we didn’t love
The only thing we didn’t really like was that some of the locals were so persistent in charging us more. When we were renting the scooter, the man we talked to charged us 500 PHP but his co-worker tried to charge us 1000 PHP for the same scooter and wouldn’t leave us alone.
When we were walking down the street in Puerto Princesa, the tuk tuk drivers would come up to us and ask if we needed a ride which was fine, but they would keep asking and some even followed us down the street after we said no. It was a bit unnerving and annoying to be honest.
I know that most of the people who work in the tourism industry aren’t like this, everyone at the hotels and restaurants was incredibly nice and polite and I never felt hassled at all. We just ran into a couple of odd ones on the road.
Wrap Up
The Philippines was a country we had both been looking forward to for a long time and even though our trip didn’t exactly turn out as expected, we still had a blast. I can see why it is becoming one of the top destinations in the world! With so many islands and different places to explore, I think it’d be impossible not to love the Philippines.
The cost to travel in the Philippines is truly very affordable and you can stretch your dollar pretty far there. Next time we’ll go in dry season and take a much longer time so we can visit multiple islands. I can’t wait to hike up mountains, see the chocolate hills, go snorkeling and do as much as possible to experience the Philippines to the max!
Read our other country travel expenses here!
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I had a few negative experiences in the Philippines, but that being said, it was a beautiful place with lush green mountains and nice beaches! Definitely worth the visit!
Same with us – I also remember your post about the food and I have to agree with you on that! But it is a gorgeous country
Thanks for sharing Philippines on your readers. I would just like to correct that Palawan is just a part of the Philippines and that about the transportation they do have Taxis. On some or most of highly urbanized city in the Philippines Tricycle aren’t allowed on main roads. Palawan is really a great place I hope you have enjoyed your stay and had a chance to find awesome food..
Thanks, yes it has been pointed out about the taxis already 🙂
Traveling in the Philippines is one of my favorite hobbies specially during summer, and I always very conscious in everything like expenses. I have to budget my money and try to find affordable options for my adventure. I HAVE BEEN TO Surigao, Camiguin, Cagayan de Oro and Ilocos and my travel was just so amazing. Water rafting in Cagayan de Oro is the best rafting adventure I’ve ever experience and will never be forgotten.
Thanks for the great review on our province 😀 (I’m from Palawan)
We recently have taxis around the city already so it’s much convenient for tourists now 🙂
I feel kind of bad that you didn’t get to eat the best delicacies though. 🙁 Kalui and Ka Inato are 2 of the greatest restaurants you could go to. They’re always packed with tourists and locals because of their amazing food (have you tried tamilok and crocodile sisig?) 🙂
But I feel embarrassed that you had to encounter those irritating drivers. Sorry you had to experience it 🙁
I do hope you visit us again soon. There are a lot of new places to go to and new activities to enjoy! 🙂 ^^
Hi Sae! Ah that’s great there are taxis, that will definitely be more convenient. I didn’t get to try crocodile sisig but I tried another sisig… maybe fish? I can’t remember. I’ll have to try that and tamilok next time!
It is unfortunate but hey, it happens in every country 🙂 We’re planning to return, we loved the Philippines! So many gorgeous places and such nice people. Thanks for reading Sae 🙂
Hi Sammy! Thank you for blogging about your trip to the Philippines, specifically Palawan. I was reading your post about South Korea as I’m helping a friend estimate her expenses while she’s there when I saw a link about your trip to the Philippines. 🙂 I have to say that there are taxis in the Philippines and you just went to a part of our country, a province, which aren’t as modern as our cities. But I wouldn’t really recommend staying in most of our cities in Metro Manila because traffic is terrible.
And I have to agree with what you said about the hecklers on the street, they do that too to Filipinos who live in another city. Personally, I’m annoyed by them because they overcharge and they’re often creepy. That’s why when a foreign friend asks me for some tips when they go to the Philippines, I always tell them that it’s always good to know a local who they can trust, especially if that local can take them around. 🙂
Thanks for your nice comment Rowen! I realized there are taxis in the country, just not the typical yellow cabs in Palawan. I have heard traffic in Manila is the worst!
It’s interesting to know the hecklers do that to locals as well, they weren’t usually annoying but there the occasional one that was. I would love to visit again with a local to experience the country from a different perspective!
I’m planning to go in the Philippines in October till November. I’m planning to stay at least 3-5 days in Manila to meet some my friends, families and batchmates. 1 1/2-2 weeks between Palawan, Cebu and Davao or possibly Luzon parts (Vigan, Batanes). and the last week til November 2 in my hometown to visit my relatives there and my mom’s grave. I want to travel to a lot of places I haven’t gone to a lot of places while staying there. I am a Filipino living in US for 4 years now but I only went to Manila, Legazpi, Masbate (my hometown), Cebu, Baguio and Tagaytay my whole life living there. I know a trip isn’t as fun if you’re travelling alone so I am planning to bring my cousin or my younger brother to that places. I am actually starting to save now (saving 300 dollars per paycheck and buying small pasalubongs [goodies] to my godchildren[apparently they went from 3 to who knows how many], cousins and aunts and uncles —Also, going to buy a plane ticket in June) because one of my friends just went to vacation there for 2 weeks and she spent at least 1,200 dollars beside her airfare and goodies and gifts. And all she did was eat out with her family. She said she enjoyed it though even though she only went to a few places. Everything there raised prices. Lol. The last time I was there, I can buy a good quality rice for 45 php but now the poor quality rice is 45 php (NFA). In terms of transportation, I won’t actually ride a taxi in those places except going on and off the airport coz I know how to haggle prices since I am a Filipino and not really looking like a US resident tourist. Going to bookmark your blog for reference coz it is very helpful. Thank you for sharing!!!
I’m grieving that you missed out on taking a boat trip from El Nido. 🙁 After you get past noticing that parts of your wooden vessel are held together with plastic zip ties, you’re dazzled by surreal island formations, inviting turquoise water, and magical hidden lagoons. I do hope you’ll get to have this awesome experience on your next trip to Palawan.
A year later, we are still grieving as well. We are hoping to go back end of this year and experience all we missed out on. Haha plastic zip ties? Well I’m sure the gorgeous scenery certainly makes up for it!
If you plan to go back in the Philippines I am willing to be your local guide so you wont get over charged 😉
Seriously, let me know we might be able to work out something while you are here 🙂
(Like you said there are beautiful places to visit here and I’ve been only to couple of them been to Coron Palawan last year and plan to go to El Nido next, it would be great if we can travel together I consider myself a local tourist )
Cheers!
Hi May! That would be amazing. We are hoping to go back next year, will definitely let you know if we do, we’d love a local guide! That would be a lot of fun 🙂
I love The Philippines. I did get over charged a few times myself, I know I did but sometimes I just roll with it for an easier life! Sounds like you had a great time.
We did as well but it’s just what happens! It’s such a beautiful country.
The place has a lot of beautiful island and whats keep me coming back is the place where I could never forget, the place that has fantastic views, “PALAWAN” . Not so expensive and really amazing. I highly recommend this place to everyone.
The Philippines definitely has taxis. It’s got more taxis than every other country in Asia that I have visited. Well, maybe except Japan. I am in Manila at present, and will be traveling to Cebu on Tuesday. Vacationing here for the 3rd time in five years.
Taxi operation is probably prohibited in those resorts in Palawan to protect the places from more pollution and traffic. But in all the urban areas, taxis are everywhere. If anything, there’s too many of them. But who cares about taxis anyway, when there’s the colorful and fun and readily available Philippine Jeepney. lol
I love the glorious sunshine and blue skies. The country has a great balance of night and day. I mean I practically don’t need a watch to know what time it is. Except for the occasional typhoons which I have fortunately avoided so far, the weather is fantastic. I love that I can weak flip flops the whole day without worrying about frozen toes. Yeah, simple pleasures.
It’s unfortunate you don’t have good memories of the food, but I have grown to love it. The best ones I’ve tasted are non-resto meals and the food served during celebrations. They have this town or city celebration called fiesta and every household prepares a feast. I love adobo, kare-kare, sinigang, grilled pork or seafood and Filipino bbq and of course lumpia. You should try fresh lumpia next time. And Calamansi juice, too! ANd GOd the fruits. How I love the fruits. They have the best mango in the world. Small- big, green-yellow. Sour-sweet. Everything’s good. Seriously.
I really love the country. Very friendly people and everyone speaks and understands some degree of English. I am not a native English speaker myself, and a lot of the people I have met speak better English than me. Other than the random hustlers, I’ve had the great luck of meeting wonderful people along the way who seems to have ready smiles and such happy dispositions all the time. Really lovely people.
I will be in Cebu for a week, and then off to Boracay . After that Cagayan de Oro is the next stop for white water rafting and nature trekking. Then I’ll be flying back to Manila for mall-hopping. i can’t believe how many malls they have in this country. So accessible, too.
Looks like you had amazing week! Love love the Philippines
Thanks! We did. Wish it turned out a bit better in terms of weather though, didn’t get to do as much as we wanted but it was still lovely!
great article , good info.But dude , Phil. has taxi’s maybe not in Puerto Princesa
Ah well I just knew in Palawan they have the tuk tuks which I guess is technically a taxi!
this is very nice….because we plan only to go coron…but now we want to go also puerto princesa….despite the weather..I hope not..because our vacation will be on July 2015….Tnx for the ideAs….
PP is definitely worth checking out for a few days! You can also do the Honda Bay tour or wander around the city. Have a great trip! 🙂
Try going to “lesser known” vacation spots. They’re a lot cheaper (cheaper in price and not getting charged the Cano prices) than the ones that are well known by foreigners and also a lot nice . My fiancé lives in the PI, so she won’t tolerate getting charged more just because I’m a “rich Cano”.
I really hope one day we will be able to! I’d love to explore the lesser known places. Maybe I’ll have to ask your fiancee to take us around too so we don’t get charged more haha 😉
Would love to visit The Philippines one day! Looks beautiful!
Hi Becky,
It is awesome, we are planning to going back soon 🙂
Happy travels
Although there were some snags, it seems like you guys had a wonderful trip! I would love to go to the Philippines one day! I am going to be working in Japan and I am looking for flights within Asia via Air Asia. Despite the recent accident, it seems like a great way to get by in Asia. Any thoughts?
It is actually. AirAsia is really cheap and they fly all over Asia. From Manila you can catch an AirAsia flight to so many islands in the Philippines and we had a good experience with them. $20 a person one way is a really great price for an hour and a half flight!
Great stuff, really good info. Have wanted to go to Palawan for the longest time and something always seems to come up. We’ll make it there one day and I’ll refer to some of your resources.
Fabulous photos.
Frank (bbqboy)
Thanks Frank! Hopefully you’ll go one day, it’s really beautiful!
WOW! great post and I can not believe the prices! Since we are trying to travel the next 2 years on a very minimal budget we may have to make this a stop!
Thanks Erika! This would be a great country to visit for budget travel, you can do a lot for little!
That’s a really nice picture of you guys at El Nido! I visited the Philippines six years ago and wasn’t really impressed with the food, but I was only on Luzon, so maybe I missed the good stuff! Good to know it’s still a pretty cheap place to travel, though!
Thanks Sam! Yea the food wasn’t the best for us but maybe we needed to find some of the good local traditional stuff. But yea it is still pretty cheap!
Drooling! Where did you guys find that good looking lumpia?
We got it at a restaurant called Kinabuch in Puerto Princesa. It was SO good and cheap too! It was around 100-150 PHP and came with the rice and sauce.