General Santos at a glance
- General Santos is the cheapest of Philippines's 11 priced cities: $444 a month in essentials, 36% below Metro Manila at $689.
- 104.6 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at city level.
- PM2.5 averages 7.5 µg/m³ a year, 2× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 11 Philippines cities we track, so every row says whether General Santos is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $444 | $550 | $106 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $115 | $205 | 1.78× as much |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $181 | $293 | 1.62× as much |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $107 | $106 | $1 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $95 | $86 | $9 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $111 | $146 | 1.32× as much |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $16 | $13 | $3 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $247 | $422 | 1.71× as much |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $371 | $631 | 1.70× as much |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in General Santos, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $3.54 | $3.89 | $0.35 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $28.00 | $19.46 | 1.44× as much |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $2.88 | $4.05 | 1.41× as much |
| Cappuccino, regular | $2.72 | $2.43 | $0.29 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $1.65 | $1.26 | 1.31× as much |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $2.47 | $2.06 | $0.41 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $0.30 | $0.70 | 2.33× as much |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.25 | $0.43 | 1.72× as much |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $2.05 | $1.68 | $0.37 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $1.15 | $1.17 | $0.02 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $0.93 | $0.93 | same |
| Eggs, 12 | $1.98 | $1.98 | same |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $6.92 | $7.91 | $0.99 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $4.32 | $4.32 | same |
| Apples, 1 kg | $2.74 | $2.70 | $0.04 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $1.13 | $1.30 | $0.17 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $1.21 | $1.30 | $0.09 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $2.15 | $2.20 | $0.05 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $3.29 | $2.35 | 1.40× as much |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $0.71 | $0.66 | $0.05 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $0.41 | $0.34 | $0.07 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $8.24 | $11.34 | 1.38× as much |
| Taxi start | $0.82 | $0.78 | $0.04 |
| Taxi, 1 km | $0.25 | $0.24 | $0.01 |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.13 | $1.12 | $0.01 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $78.25 | $122.35 | 1.56× as much |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $32.39 | $27.57 | $4.82 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $6.59 | $11.18 | 1.70× as much |
Leisure
| Cinema, one seat | $4.94 | $4.94 | same |
|---|
Dating-age sex ratio
General Santos has 104.6 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (city level). That is the 3rd-highest of 12 Philippines cities we track. Philippines's national figure is 101.7, so General Santos runs 3 above the country as a whole.
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How General Santos ranks against every city we track
General Santos sits ahead of 94% of the 553 cities we track on city-centre rent. On cost of living it is ahead of 89% of 542. Its weakest measure is safety, ahead of only 22% of 562.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where General Santos sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
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Photo: Patrickroque01, CC BY-SA 4.0.
