How much does two weeks in the Philippines really cost?

Everything below is land only, per person, based on two people sharing a room. It excludes international flights, because those depend on where you fly from. It includes accommodation, food, ground transport, private boats, entries and the guiding we would normally build in. Internal flights sit outside these figures and are handled separately, because they behave differently.

The four anchors we price against

These are the same numbers used in our complete Philippines guide, because the guide and the magazine should not contradict each other.

Over fourteen days that is roughly $1,820, $2,940, $5,040 and $9,100 per person.

Two notes. The top of the Philippine market sits well above that luxury line: the private-island resorts with their own airstrips start at around $1,200 per person per day and go up steeply, and they are a category rather than a tier.

And the Philippines is more expensive than Thailand for the same standard of trip. Rooms and boats cost more, and the flights are a line Thailand largely does not have. Food and guiding are cheaper.

The line everyone forgets: internal flights

Nearly every good Philippines itinerary needs internal flights, because the gaps between the islands are filled with water rather than roads.

Budget $250 to $500 per person for domestic flights across a two-week trip. A one-hour hop costs $60 to $140 depending on the route, the season and how far ahead it is booked. Two or three of them is normal.

Two things push that upwards. AirSWIFT into the small strip at Lio next to El Nido saves a five to six hour road transfer from Puerto Princesa and costs considerably more, with few seats: we price both and say which we would choose. And hold baggage is charged separately on the low-cost carriers, with allowances that are smaller again on the light aircraft. We quote the fare you can actually use.

The real cost of a flight here is not the fare, it is the day. Each island change consumes five to seven hours of daylight, which is set out in the internal flight problem.

Accommodation, night by night

Rates are per room per night for two sharing, as planning guidance rather than quotes. Philippine resort pricing swings hard between the February to April peak and the wet months, so we confirm live rates for your dates.

The line that catches people is the small design resorts. They have twelve to thirty rooms, they fill six to nine months ahead for February to April, and there is no substitute two streets away, because on most of these islands there are no two streets.

Boats, which are the good news and the real cost

Boats are the Philippines. A private bangka, the outrigger boat that reaches almost everything, is the single upgrade that changes a day the most, because you control the order of the stops and arrive at each one before or after the flotilla.

Note the shape of those numbers. A private boat for two costs roughly what three joined seats cost. For four it is cheaper than the joined tour and still better.

Food, which is cheaper than people expect

• Local carinderia lunch, rice and two dishes: $2 to $4
• Excellent local meal at a proper restaurant: $4 to $8
• Lechon by the kilo in Cebu, enough for four: $12 to $20
• Dinner for two at a good island restaurant with drinks: $25 to $45
• Resort dinner, which is where the money goes: $30 to $60 per person
• Beer, anywhere: $1 to $2

A realistic daily food budget is $25 to $40 for someone eating widely. It rises sharply on the small islands, where the resort is often the only kitchen within reach, and that is a genuine cost of choosing the quiet bay.

Three complete two-week budgets

Each is fourteen days, per person, two sharing, land only, plus internal flights on top.

The careful trip, about $1,820 plus flights

Good guesthouses, shared island-hopping boats, public ferries where they exist, no private guiding, and eating where Filipinos eat.

The comfortable trip, about $2,940 plus flights

Solid three to four star resorts, private bangkas rather than joined boats, private road transfers, two guided days, and a mix of local restaurants and resort dinners.

This is the most common shape of trip we build and the one we would choose ourselves for a first visit. It maps onto classic Philippines in 14 days.

The boutique trip, about $5,040 plus flights

Small design resorts, private boats every day you want one, private transfers throughout, and the rooms that actually have the view.

See boutique islands, 12 days for what this looks like day by day.

What actually moves the number

1. The fortnight. Late December to early January is a domestic peak, and El Nido, Boracay and Coron run at two to three times shoulder rates. June and July are genuinely good value.
2. How many islands. Each change adds a flight, a transfer and usually a hub night. Three bases in fourteen days, not five.
3. Private boats versus joined ones. The largest single quality difference in a Philippines trip.
4. Which resort tier. The jump from a good mid-range resort to a small design one is $150 to $300 a night, and on an island where you eat every dinner in the hotel it changes the trip rather than the room.

Plan this trip

Tell us your dates, your rough budget and how many islands you have in mind, and a Philippines specialist will build you a first outline with real resorts, real flight numbers and real costs. Free, and with no obligation.

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Keep reading

• The Philippines: the complete guide to planning your trip
• The internal flight problem nobody warns you about
• The Philippines month by month
• What we would skip in the Philippines
• Classic Philippines in 14 days
• All our Philippines trips

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