Top 5 Philippines Destinations Ranked by Cost
Bohol, Cebu, Siargao, Palawan, Boracay — daily costs, what you actually spend on, and which one fits the trip you're planning.
This isn't a list of the absolute cheapest places in the Philippines — there are hundreds of those and most don't have a single hotel booking page. It's the five popular destinations people actually compare when they're planning a real trip, ranked by what they cost once you've landed. Flights are out (they swing too much). Everything else — room, food, local transport, the activities you'll actually book — is in.
The short version: Bohol and Cebu are the most forgiving. Spend badly and they're still affordable. Siargao sits in the middle thanks to airfare. Palawan and Boracay are paying for the scenery and the convenience respectively, and both climb fast if you stack the wrong choices.
Quick Cost Comparison
| Rank | Destination | Budget / day | Mid-range / day | 7-day budget total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bohol | PHP 1,800-2,800 | PHP 3,500-5,000 | PHP 12,600-19,600 |
| 2 | Cebu | PHP 2,000-3,000 | PHP 3,500-5,500 | PHP 14,000-21,000 |
| 3 | Siargao | PHP 2,000-3,500 | PHP 4,000-6,000 | PHP 14,000-24,500 |
| 4 | Palawan | PHP 2,500-3,800 | PHP 4,500-7,000 | PHP 17,500-26,600 |
| 5 | Boracay | PHP 2,800-4,000 | PHP 5,000-7,500 | PHP 19,600-28,000 |
The Ranking
1. Bohol
The most efficient first trip in the country. Panglao covers the beach, one countryside day covers the Chocolate Hills, tarsiers, and Loboc, and Balicasag is a half-day boat ride from your hotel. Ferry from Cebu keeps the route cheap if you're stringing things together. Best for families, first-timers, and anyone who wants variety without paying for a private boat every day.
Typical spend
PHP 1,800-2,800 / day (budget)
- Suggested days: 3-5
- Best for: first-timers, families, anyone wanting easy variety
- Best months: December to May
- Getting there: fly Tagbilaran (TAG) or ferry from Cebu (2 hrs)
- Read more: see the full Bohol guide
2. Cebu
The best-connected island in the country, and still one of the cheapest. Cebu City has the lechon and the food scene; Moalboal and the south coast have the sardine run, Kawasan canyoneering, and a quieter stretch of sea. The trick is matching your base to what you came for — daily 3-hour transfers from the city eat the savings. Move south once the food stops are done.
Typical spend
PHP 2,000-3,000 / day (budget)
- Suggested days: 3-5
- Best for: adventure travelers, food lovers, mixed city-nature trips
- Best months: January to May
- Getting there: direct flights from Manila, Clark, and most domestic hubs
- Read more: see the full Cebu guide
3. Siargao
On the ground, Siargao is one of the most affordable islands once you have a scooter and a hostel. Off the ground, the flight is what makes or breaks the budget — last-minute Manila or Cebu seats can cost more than the entire week's accommodation. Surf at Cloud 9, the three-island day (Naked, Daku, Guyam), Sugba Lagoon. Best in late season for surf, March to May for calm water.
Typical spend
PHP 2,000-3,500 / day (budget)
- Suggested days: 4-6
- Best for: surfers, slow travelers, anyone tired of busy beaches
- Best months: September-November (surf), March-May (calm)
- Getting there: fly Manila or Cebu to Sayak (IAO)
- Read more: see the full Siargao guide
4. Palawan
Palawan isn't impossible on a budget, but the classic trip comes with more paid movement \u2014 island hopping boats, environmental fees, vans between towns, and ferries between El Nido and Coron. Pick one base and Palawan stays sensible. Try to do all three (El Nido, Coron, Puerto Princesa) in a week and the cost stops being competitive.
Typical spend
PHP 2,500-3,800 / day (budget)
5. Boracay
The simplest beach trip in the country, and that simplicity is what pushes it to fifth. Transfers are short, White Beach really is as good as the photos, and you can fill a week without thinking about logistics. The flip side: beachfront rooms and beachfront meals cost real money. Stay a block inland and Boracay isn't actually expensive — it just rewards specific choices.
Typical spend
PHP 2,800-4,000 / day (budget)
- Suggested days: 3-5
- Best for: beach lovers, nightlife, first trips with minimum logistics
- Best months: November to May
- Getting there: fly Caticlan (MPH), then boat transfer to Boracay
- Read more: see the full Boracay guide
How to Pick Without Overthinking It
Start with the kind of trip you actually want:
- Easiest first holiday, lots to see, low logistics. Bohol.
- You also want a real food scene and a flexible route. Cebu.
- You want slow island days and you're booking flights early. Siargao.
- Scenery is the whole point and budget is flexible. Palawan.
- You want one good beach and a short trip. Boracay.
If you're still stuck between two, the deciding question is usually whether you'd rather optimize for variety (Bohol, Cebu) or for one specific thing (the beach in Boracay, the scenery in Palawan, the surf in Siargao). The variety destinations forgive bad weather days because there's always something else to do. The single-feature destinations are great when conditions cooperate and a bit thin when they don't.
What Your Budget Actually Buys
The daily ranges in the table cover roughly this:
- PHP 1,800-2,500 (budget): Hostel dorm or a basic fan room, mostly local meals at carinderias and small restaurants, tricycles and shared vans, one paid activity every other day. Doable solo or as a couple if you're easy-going about accommodation.
- PHP 3,500-5,500 (mid-range): A nice aircon room with breakfast included, a mix of local food and restaurant dinners, the occasional private transfer, an activity most days. The level most first-time travelers actually want once they're there.
- PHP 7,500+ (comfort): A boutique hotel or beachfront resort, restaurant meals throughout, private transfers, premium tours (private boats, dive packages). Worth noting but outside the scope of this ranking.
The other big variable is whether you're traveling solo or sharing. Most accommodation in the Philippines is priced per room, not per person, so a couple effectively pays the same room cost as one. That single change drops the per-person daily cost by 30-40%.
Where the Budget Actually Leaks
Each of these gets cheaper or more expensive based on a small number of decisions. The patterns are pretty consistent:
Bohol — stacking private transfers
Bohol stays cheap when it's one Panglao base plus one driver-led countryside day. The minute you start booking private vans for every short hop or premium boat trips on top of the standard Balicasag morning, the daily total jumps 50%.
Note: A shared joiner van for the countryside loop is roughly half what a private van costs for two people.
Cebu — wrong base for your plan
If south Cebu is the real reason you came (Moalboal sardines, Kawasan, Oslob), sleeping in Cebu City and day-tripping out is the most expensive way to do it. Move your base to Moalboal once you're done with the city food stops.
Note: Three nights in the city + four nights in Moalboal beats seven city nights with daily 3-hour transfers each way.
Siargao — late-booked flights
On the ground, Siargao is one of the cheapest islands once you have a scooter. Off the ground, the airfare is what blows the budget — last-minute Manila or Cebu seats can cost more than the entire week's accommodation. Book the flight first, build the trip around it.
Palawan — trying to do too much
El Nido + Coron + Puerto Princesa in a week sounds doable on a map. In practice you spend two days in transit and the cost of every extra van, ferry, and environmental fee piles up. Pick one base. The El Nido tour guide covers which island hopping route to book once you're there.
Note: If you really want both, the fast ferry between El Nido and Coron is the cheapest way to connect them — PHP 1,800-2,500.
Boracay — beachfront everything
The fast way to overspend in Boracay is eating every dinner on the sand and booking an activity every day. Keep one beachfront meal as the splurge, walk a block inland for the others, and the same trip suddenly fits a normal budget.
Combining Two Destinations Without Blowing the Budget
The Visayas combo is the cleanest multi-stop trip in the country:
- Cebu → Bohol → Siquijor. All connected by short ferries. Two flights total (in and out). 10-14 days covers it comfortably without feeling rushed. Daily cost stays in the budget range because nothing here is a premium destination, and Siquijor in particular is one of the cheapest islands in the country.
What doesn't combine well:
- Palawan with anything else usually means flying back through Manila or Cebu, which kills the savings. If you really want Palawan plus a second island, book El Nido and the fast ferry to Coron and call that the multi-stop.
- Boracay with Bohol or Cebu technically works (Caticlan is reachable), but the flight schedules add a full transit day. Better as two separate trips than a rushed combo.
- Siargao with anything that isn't Cebu is a backtrack. Cebu → Siargao → Cebu → home works. Manila → Siargao → Bohol does not.
- Manila as a city stop before flying south is fine and often unavoidable, but don't try to build it into the trip as a destination unless you specifically want a city couple of days. See the Manila guide for whether that fits your trip.
For the full multi-stop logic, the Philippines on a budget guide maps out the routes that actually save money instead of just adding stops.
What These Numbers Don't Cover
A few things sit outside the daily ranges and are worth budgeting separately:
- Domestic flights. Manila-Cebu, Cebu-Siargao, and Manila-Caticlan run PHP 1,500-3,500 booked a few months out, PHP 4,000-7,500 last-minute. Book early or accept the premium.
- Environmental and terminal fees. Every island charges them. PHP 200-500 per destination. Annoying but small.
- Domestic ferries. Cebu-Bohol PHP 800-1,200. Cebu-Siquijor PHP 800-1,500. El Nido-Coron PHP 1,800-2,500. Cheaper than flying when the route works.
- A buffer day. Weather cancels boats, flights get delayed, traffic happens. Build in one slack day per island, not back-to-back tight connections.
Best Time to Go (Across All Five)
Dry season runs roughly November to May. The driest, sunniest, busiest, and most expensive months are March to May. Christmas through Chinese New Year is also peak — book ahead or pay last-minute rates.
June to October is wet season. It's not a write-off — many days are clear and rates drop 20-30% — but boats get cancelled and outdoor plans need backup options. Siargao is the exception: it actually peaks in the wet months because that's when the surf is best.
For destination-specific timing, each of the linked guides has the breakdown, or see the regional guide for the full month-by-month picture.
FAQ
What is the cheapest popular destination in the Philippines?
How much does a week in the Philippines really cost?
Which Philippines destination is best for a first trip?
Is Boracay worth the extra cost over Bohol or Cebu?
Can I combine more than one destination in a single trip?
Why aren't flights included in the costs?
What about Siquijor, El Nido, or the other islands?
If you've picked one and want to start planning the actual days, the linked guides above have the practical details — where to stay, what to eat, what to skip. For cross-country routes and full-trip budgets, the Philippines on a budget and cheapest places in the Philippines guides are the next read.
