2.62/5
136 reviews
Photo by pixmike via Unsplash

Cost of Living in Boracay

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island

nice

beach

good

internet

speed

beaches

constantly

minimum

price

kilos

night

kitesurf

couple

lgbt

famous

wear

Boracay is a top choice for kitesurfing enthusiasts, especially during the season. You can either enjoy the breezier kite spots or relax at White Beach, considered one of the most scenic beaches globally. Being a small island, it's easy to meet people quickly, which some may find creates a social atmosphere. The island is suitable for remote work too, with some accommodations offering reliable high-speed internet and two coworking spaces available.

That said, many reviewers mention that Boracay is heavily tourist-oriented, especially in the main areas. Tourists often get approached by salespeople for massages, taxis, or tours, which can be constant and annoying. Costs are considerably higher than in other Southeast Asian countries, with moderate meals pricing upwards of 8–10 euros and accommodations starting at $35–50 USD per night. Renting a scooter or doing laundry can also feel overpriced, particularly for budget travelers.

While it remains an attractive destination for short stays—particularly if you're into water sports or the dating scene—most feel it's not ideal for long-term budget travelers due to the high costs and tourist-centric setup.

AI-generated summary of reviews
8 months ago

Pretty overrated place imo. I had no issues with Internet. I stayed at Happiness hostel and got 300 mps download speed. Nice beaches but the main area is way too touristic and expect to be hounded constantly by taxis, massage ladies, and tour marketers. I mean CONSTANTLY. Also, forget renting a scooter it's $10 usd per hour. A day is $26 usd. Everything is priced ridiculously high. There's a minimum price for laundry at $5usd per load. Not bad if you have 7 kilos but if you have 1 or 2 kilos it's expensive for Canadian currency. Tours, kite surfing, activities are all 5x the price of anywhere else. Don't skip it as it's a nice destination. Just don't think it's a good long term place for a backpacker.

If you're into dating filipinos it's very good as the beach is full of the best looking girls from around the country. However, a private room is going to run $35 USD per night minimum for a shitty place with no windows. For a nice hotel or guest house expect to pay around $50 usd per night.

Clubs I hear are nice but I don't really party much.

1 year ago

It's a fantastic spot for kitesurfing nomads within the season: you can kitesurf on the windy side of the island or go to the White Beach where the wind doesn't reach and chill on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. It's a small island, so expect to start bumping into people you know after a couple of days, but it's got enough to offer to keep you entertained for a couple of weeks, and if you kitesurf even longer.

There are some apartment with internet speed allowing you to work from there, and two coworking spaces if that's what you prefer.

One thing to keep in mind is that the prices in Boracay are not as low as in other countries in Asia. Good lunch can cost you anywhere from 8-10 euros up.

2 years ago

If this place is Hostile towards LGBT, then non of the rich movie stars in Hollywood would even think of visiting this place. When I say rich,
I mean Billionaires and Millionaires, that even a fraction of their money can probably buy the whole island itself. Now, they say that this beach is world famous? World famous for what! for bashing LGBTs? This narrow mindedness that's going on around this island is nothing but hypocrisy. Women are allowed to wear pasties and dental floss on the beach, while men has to wear a skirt? What kind of a screwed up society do they have there. If for anything, they should turn this island, that is a size of a "Booger", into an all adult nudist island, where everybody is welcome - straight or LGBT alike.

6 years ago

✅ Good for kitesurfing

✅ Fast internet

✅ Beautiful beaches

✅ Pretty safe

✅ Warm now

✅ Warm all year round

✅ Good air quality on average

✅ Many Nomads.com members have been

✅ Spacious and not crowded

✅ Very easy to make friends

✅ Roads are pretty safe

✅ Democratic

✅ People can speak basic English

✅ Safe for women

❌ Very touristy

❌ Expensive

❌ Freedom of speech is weak

❌ Pretty slow internet

❌ Not much to do

❌ Nomads.com members really didn't like going here

❌ Not many Nomads.com members right now

❌ Difficult to do business

❌ Quality of education is low

❌ Hospitals are bad

❌ Not family friendly

❌ Hostile towards LGBTQ+

❌ Many people smoke tobacco

❌ Marijuana is illegal

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Feels (median)

2984°
warm

3290°
hot

3086°
warm

3290°
hot

3391°
hot

3290°
hot

Real (median)

2678°
warm

2781°
warm

2780°
warm

2882°
very warm

2781°
warm

Humidity

nice
88%

sweaty
88%

sweaty
87%

sweaty
84%

sweaty
86%

sweaty
85%

sweaty
88%

sweaty
85%

sweaty
87%

sweaty
86%

Most common

☔️ Rain

Rain

rainy
148mm

rainy
100mm

rainy
125mm

rainy
76mm

rainy
153mm

rainy
279mm

rainy
387mm

rainy
198mm

rainy
326mm

rainy
313mm

rainy
271mm

rainy
273mm

Cloud

cloudy
55%

pockets
47%

pockets
39%

pockets
42%

pockets
41%

cloudy
55%

cloudy
58%

cloudy
54%

cloudy
55%

cloudy
58%

pockets
50%

cloudy
55%

Sun

avoid sun
6 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

avoid sun
9 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

avoid sun
8 UVI

avoid sun
6 UVI

Remote workers

960 people

1,000 people

1,200 people

1,067 people

900 people

800 people

600 people

867 people

1,133 people

1,320 people

Green is good. Red is bad. Values shown are the medians of all daily highs in a month based on past few years, not necessarily current numbers. Remote worker count is estimated based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members.

If you'd like to filter destinations based on their climate, try Nomads.com's Climate Finder

Based on Boracay's cost of living, here's selected remote jobs that would cover your costs:

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31pts

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3pts

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1pts

50pts

23pts

11pts

8pts

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31pts

22pts

10pts

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7pts

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4pts

3pts

2pts

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Cebu

Philippines

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 32° 90° 28° 82°

✈️22min

$1,325 / mo

8 Mbps

Makati

Philippines

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 32° 90° 29° 84°

✈️24min

$1,691 / mo

9 Mbps

Manila

Philippines

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 32° 90° 29° 84°

✈️25min

$1,530 / mo

8 Mbps

Palawan

Philippines

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 33° 91° 29° 85°

✈️34min

$1,448 / mo

8 Mbps

Baguio

Philippines

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 20° 68° 20° 68°

✈️41min

$1,640 / mo

8 Mbps

Siargao

Philippines

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 31° 88° 27° 80° 🥵

✈️42min

$1,819 / mo

9 Mbps

La Union

Philippines

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 30° 86° 27° 80°

✈️43min

$1,601 / mo

9 Mbps

Davao

Philippines

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 32° 90° 28° 82° 🥵

✈️52min

$1,289 / mo

8 Mbps

General Santos

Philippines

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 25° 77° 25° 77°

✈️58min

$1,160 / mo

9 Mbps

Kota Kinabalu

Malaysia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 35° 95° 29° 83° 🥵

✈️1h

$1,467 / mo

17 Mbps

Bandar Seri Begawan

Brunei

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 36° 97° 29° 84° 🥵 AQI 35

✈️1h

$1,541 / mo

5 Mbps

Kaohsiung

Taiwan

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety great

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 21° 70° 20° 67°

✈️2h

$1,517 / mo

28 Mbps

Bangkok

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 39° 102° 33° 91° 🥵 AQI 96 😷

✈️3h

$1,604 / mo

24 Mbps

Canggu, Bali

Indonesia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 34° 93° 29° 84° 🥵 AQI 177 😷

✈️3h

$1,893 / mo

24 Mbps

Chiang Mai

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 34° 93° 30° 86° 🥵 AQI 104 😷

✈️3h

$1,271 / mo

20 Mbps

Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 43° 109° 33° 91° 🥵

✈️3h

$1,613 / mo

19 Mbps

Dubai

United Arab Emirates

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 27° 81° 26° 80° AQI 155 😷

✈️9h

$3,878 / mo

11 Mbps

Singapore

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety great

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 38° 100° 31° 88° 🥵

✈️3h

$4,298 / mo

147 Mbps

Manila

Philippines

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 32° 90° 29° 84°

✈️25min

$1,530 / mo

8 Mbps

Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 38° 100° 31° 87° 🥵 AQI 36

✈️2h

$1,041 / mo

12 Mbps

Los Angeles, CA

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 21° 70° 20° 69° AQI 46

✈️16h

$5,072 / mo

77 Mbps

London

United Kingdom

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 12° 54° 12° 53° AQI 127 😷

✈️15h

$5,732 / mo

23 Mbps

Barcelona

Spain

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌫 Feels 14° 57° 14° 57° AQI 46

✈️15h

$4,670 / mo

34 Mbps

Paris

France

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 13° 55° 14° 57° AQI 43

✈️15h

$5,394 / mo

30 Mbps

Cebu

Philippines

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 32° 90° 28° 82°

✈️22min

$1,325 / mo

🌇 Also went here53 people

Manila

Philippines

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 32° 90° 29° 84°

✈️25min

$1,530 / mo

🌇 Also went here76 people

Hong Kong

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🙂 Okay

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 18° 64° 18° 64°

✈️2h

$2,772 / mo

🌇 Also went here60 people

Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 38° 100° 31° 87° 🥵 AQI 36

✈️2h

$1,041 / mo

🌇 Also went here64 people

Singapore

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety great

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 38° 100° 31° 88° 🥵

✈️3h

$4,298 / mo

🌇 Also went here77 people

Bangkok

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 39° 102° 33° 91° 🥵 AQI 96 😷

✈️3h

$1,604 / mo

🌇 Also went here94 people

Canggu, Bali

Indonesia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 34° 93° 29° 84° 🥵 AQI 177 😷

✈️3h

$1,893 / mo

🌇 Also went here57 people

Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 43° 109° 33° 91° 🥵

✈️3h

$1,613 / mo

🌇 Also went here75 people

Chiang Mai

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 34° 93° 30° 86° 🥵 AQI 104 😷

✈️3h

$1,271 / mo

🌇 Also went here52 people

Phuket

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 41° 106° 33° 91° 🥵

✈️3h

$1,642 / mo

🌇 Also went here57 people

Tokyo

Japan

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety great

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 7° 45° 8° 46° AQI 34

✈️4h

$3,262 / mo

🌇 Also went here56 people

Amsterdam

Netherlands

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 9° 48° 10° 49° AQI 96 😷

✈️14h

$7,054 / mo

🌇 Also went here55 people

London

United Kingdom

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 12° 54° 12° 53° AQI 127 😷

✈️15h

$5,732 / mo

🌇 Also went here55 people

Paris

France

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 13° 55° 14° 57° AQI 43

✈️15h

$5,394 / mo

🌇 Also went here52 people

Barcelona

Spain

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌫 Feels 14° 57° 14° 57° AQI 46

✈️15h

$4,670 / mo

🌇 Also went here52 people

Members who will be here soon

Members who have been here

Values shown are estimated visits by traveling remote workers based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Visits to a place are only counted once per year per user, even if they visit more in that year. Visits are also normalized by overall trips added per month on the site, so if site usage goes up or down it does not affect trends. Not all digital nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

The chart below shows visitors by nationality normalized for population size. This means we take all trips logged on Nomads.com, check which country of origin the user is from, then divide that total visit count by the country of origin's population. If we didn't, it'd just show the big countries like US, Brazil and India always on top. Instead, this shows which nationalities worldwide proportionally visit more or less, which is more useful.

🎒 Nomad Score™	2.62/5 (Rank #1243) 136 reviews
❤️ Liked by members	👍1 liked it 👎3 disliked it
👍 Quality of life score	Okay
👶 Family score	Okay
🎒 Community score	Okay
🤯 Overcrowding score	0% is nomad here
💵 Cost	😙 Affordable: $2,171 / mo
📡 Internet	😡 Slow: 9 Mbps (avg)
😝 Fun	Bad
⛅️ Temperature (now)	🥵 Hot: 25°C78°F (feels 25°C77°F)
💦 Humidity (now)	😊 Comfy: 84%
❄️ % of buildings with AC	🥵 Very low: 14%
👌 Safety	Good
👩 Safe for women	Okay
🌈 Safe for LGBTQ+	Bad
🤮 Food safety*	Good
👮‍♀️ Lack of crime*	Good
🤝 Lack of racism*	Okay
🎓 Education level*	Mediocre
⚡️ Power grid	Great
🌊 Vulnerability to climate change	Okay
💰 Income level*	Very low: $246 / mo
🙊 English speaking*	Okay
🚶 Walkability	Okay
🚦 Traffic safety*	Okay
✈️ Airline scores*	Good
🧳 Lost luggage*	Great
😄 Happiness*	Bad
🍸 Nightlife	Okay
📶 Free WiFi in city	Bad
🖥 Places to work from	Great
❄️ A/C or heating	Okay
😁 Friendly to foreigners	Good
🗯 Freedom of speech*	Okay
🎅 Startup Score	Bad

🌍 Continent	Asia
🚩 Country	Philippines
🗓️ Average trip length	6 days
📡 Internet speed (avg)	9 Mbps
⛅️ Weather (now)	🌦 25°C 78°F + 😊 Comfy (84%) = feels 25°C 77°F
🔌 Power	230V 60Hz
🚕 Best taxi app*	Grab
🚑 Travel medical insurance	Safetywing
💸 100 PHP in USD	USD 1.70
🏧 Suggested ATM take out:	PHP 10,000 = USD 170
💸 Tipping	No
💳 Cashless	💳 Yes, cards OK almost everywhere
☕️ Best coffee place	Real Coffee & Tea Cafe
☕️ Best alt. coffee place	Smoke Resto
🏪 Best 24/7 coffee place	Fat Jimmy's Resort
🚰 Tap water	🚫 No, not drinkable
♻️ Return rate	👎5% of visitors return
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Population	33,000 people
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 GDP per capita*	$2,951 / year
👫 Gender ratio (nomads)	👨 81% 👱‍♀️ 19%
⛪️ Religious government	Ambiguous
💻 Online electronics shop	Lazada
🏠 Apartment listings	La Mudi
✈️ Best int'l air carrier	Cebu Pacific
🏥 Best hospital	Ciriaco S. Tirol Hospital - BORACAY

💵 Cost of living for nomad	$2,171 / month
💵 Cost of living for expat	$1,520 / month
💵 Cost of living for family	$3,238 / month
💵 Cost of living for local	$925 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$876 / month
🏡 Airbnb (median price)	$2,296 / month
🏠 1br studio rent in center	$778 / month
🏠 Median home price	$253,555
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$41 / night
🏠 Airbnb (median price)	$75 / night
🏢 Coworking hot desk	$362 / month
🍛 Dinner	$5
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L)	$1
🍺 Beer in cafe (0.5L)	$1
☕️ Coffee in cafe	$3
👩‍🏫 International school	$8,910 / year
📱 Mobile data (~10GB)	$10 / month