How much does a Philippines trip cost? Real budget
The Philippines has a reputation as a budget destination, and it generally is — but the gap between a backpacker trip and a comfortable one is wider than it looks. Here's how the real budget breaks down.
"The Philippines is cheap" was the phrase I heard most before planning the trip, almost like a mantra. And it's generally true — but the gap between traveling with the bare minimum and traveling comfortably is wider than it looks, especially in a country where moving between islands eats up a good chunk of the budget without you quite noticing.
The big spending blocks
A two-week trip around the Philippines breaks down into five categories: international flights, lodging, internal transport (domestic flights and inter-island ferries, the item that surprises anyone who hasn't planned it before), food, and activities like island-hopping tours.
Of those five, internal transport is the one that varies most depending on how you build the route: chaining together flights and ferries between Manila, El Nido, Coron and Siargao well can save you hundreds of euros compared to improvising on the fly, something we discovered by comparing options.
Three ways to do the same trip
Low-cost / backpacker: simple hostels and guesthouses, standard island-hopping tours, local food almost always. Here the budget, excluding international flights, runs around €900-1,300, and you enjoy it just as much.
Comfortable, the one I'd recommend: mid-range resorts, the occasional premium tour (the Super Ultimate in Coron, for example), a mix of local food and the odd nicer restaurant. This rises to €1,500-2,200 excluding international flights, and it's where we landed.
Premium: resorts in the best areas of each island, private tours, high-end restaurants in Manila. This can reach €2,800-4,500 excluding international flights, with everything taken care of and nothing to think about.
The normal thing is to mix: sleep simply for most of the trip and treat yourself to a resort splurge in Siargao for the last few days. That's exactly what we did and it worked beautifully.
What you shouldn't forget to budget for
An eSIM so you're not dependent on hotel wifi, enough cash for the islands (a lot of places don't take cards, as I've already said more than once), and a 10-15% margin for last-minute tours — in the Philippines there's always one you hadn't planned for that turns out to be worth joining.
Your eSIM, with a discount
An eSIM gives you data as soon as you land, with no hunting for wifi or swapping SIM cards, and our guides recommend setting it up before you leave. Airalo offers eSIMs for more than 200 destinations and, according to its own website, more than 30 million people use it, its apps are rated 4.7 on iOS and 4.6 on Android, and it offers 24/7 support in several languages. Here are Airalo's eSIMs for the Philippines (affiliate link).
With code NEWTOAIRALO15 you get 15% off your first eSIM, until December 31, 2026.
Before buying one, check that your phone supports eSIM and is carrier-unlocked.
Our favorite activities in Philippines
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