Casablancavs
ManilaCasablanca vs Manila: cost, size & quality of life compared
Trying to decide between Casablanca and Manila? Here's the honest bottom line first — then the full, sourced breakdown on cost of living, salary, safety and quality of life.
Casablanca comes out ahead overall — by a narrow edge.
But the "winner" depends on what you care about. Here's who takes each dimension:
CasablancaCasablancaCasablancaManilaComposite scores
Overall: Casablanca wins by 0.4 points
Population & size
Is Casablanca bigger than Manila?
Casablanca is the bigger city: about 3.4M people versus Manila's 1.8M — roughly 1.9× larger.
City-proper / metro population estimates. Size is one input — scroll on for cost of living, salary equivalence and quality-of-life scoring.
Distance
How far is Casablanca from Manila?
Casablanca is about 12,380 km (7,690 mi) from Manila in a straight line — roughly 15 h 20 m of nonstop flight time.
Great-circle distance, not a routed itinerary; flight estimate assumes ~850 km/h cruise plus 45 minutes of taxi, climb and descent.
Climate
Is Casablanca warmer than Manila?
Manila is the warmer city: January highs average 30°C vs 17°C, and July 31°C vs 26°C. Casablanca gets noticeably more sun — about 770 more sunshine hours per year.
| Month | Casablanca | Manila |
|---|---|---|
| January (high / low) | 17° / 9°C | 30° / 22°C |
| July (high / low) | 26° / 19°C | 31° / 25°C |
Atlantic-moderated Mediterranean — mild everything. Summers stay in the mid-20s thanks to the ocean; winters are soft with modest rain.
Tropical monsoon — hot all year, typhoon-season rains Jun-Nov can shut the city down. Dec-Feb is the dry, marginally cooler window.
Casablanca edges Manila by 0.2 points, a gap so thin it signals near-parity rather than meaningful superiority between these two dense, infrastructure-stressed metros.
Both cities score below 5.5, placing them among lower-ranked urban centers globally, suggesting systematic challenges around livability that transcend regional geography.
If considering either city, weight neighborhood-level data heavily—these aggregate scores mask vast disparities, and micro-location often matters more than the city-wide figure.
Data signals
What separates Casablanca and Manila
How decisive
Casablanca comes out ahead by 0.4 composite points — a narrow edge.
Biggest difference
The widest gap is healthcare, where Casablanca leads by 1.0 points.
Where they match
They're most evenly matched on affordability — within 0.0 points of each other.
Overall cost gap
Total monthly costs in Manila run about 9% higher than in Casablanca.
Where budgets split most
Utilities is the line item that diverges most: roughly 172% pricier in Manila than Casablanca.
Size difference
Casablanca is the larger metro — about 1.9× the population of the other, which shapes commute times, housing supply and how "big-city" daily life feels.
Safety
Casablanca scores higher on safety (46 vs 35 / 100) — a common deciding factor for families.
Score-by-score, side-by-side
Each axis is scored independently with disclosed weights and a calculation string.
The exact scores and winners:
| Axis | Casablanca | Manila | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability | 8.3 | 8.3 | Casablanca +0.0 |
| Quality of life | 4.9 | 4.3 | Casablanca +0.6 |
| Remote-work friendliness | 5.4 | 5.5 | Manila +0.1 |
| Healthcare | 4.8 | 3.8 | Casablanca +1.0 |
Each axis is a weighted aggregate of underlying indicators normalized to a 0–10 scale. Weights are explicit and disclosed per axis. The composite is the unweighted mean of the four axes — axes are not collapsed further because the underlying trade-offs (e.g. low cost vs poor air quality) are user-dependent.
Affordability
- Cost-of-living index (weight 60%)19
- Rent index (weight 40%)13
How this is calculated
Affordability = ((100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − rentIndex)/100 × 0.4) × 10. For Casablanca: ((100 − 19)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − 13)/100 × 0.4) × 10 = 8.3.
Casablanca sits well below the New York baseline on both cost-of-living and rent. Budgets stretch further here than in benchmark Tier-1 cities.
Quality of life
- Safety index (weight 40%)46
- Healthcare index (weight 35%)52
- Air quality index (weight 25%)48
How this is calculated
QoL = (safety/100 × 0.4 + healthcare/100 × 0.35 + airQuality/100 × 0.25) × 10. For Casablanca: (46/100 × 0.4 + 52/100 × 0.35 + 48/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 4.9.
Casablanca has a mixed quality profile. Safety: fair; healthcare: fair; air: fair. Weigh the weakest axis against your personal priorities.
Remote-work friendliness
- Internet (median Mbps) (weight 45%)50 Mbps
- Effective income tax (lower = better) (weight 30%)12.0%
- Cost-of-living (lower = better) (weight 25%)19
How this is calculated
RemoteWork = (min(Mbps/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − incomeTax) × 0.3 + (100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.25) × 10. For Casablanca: (min(50/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − 0.12) × 0.3 + (100 − 19)/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 5.4.
Casablanca works for remote work but isn't optimized for it: internet 50 Mbps, income tax 12%, cost index 19.
Healthcare
- Healthcare quality index (weight 70%)52
- Healthcare out-of-pocket / month (lower = better) (weight 30%)311
How this is calculated
Healthcare = (qualityIndex/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − OOP/500) × 0.3) × 10. For Casablanca: (52/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − 311/500) × 0.3) × 10 = 4.8.
Casablanca has trade-offs in healthcare: quality is fair, typical out-of-pocket cost is ~311 MAD/month. Cross-border insurance closes the gap.
Each axis is a weighted aggregate of underlying indicators normalized to a 0–10 scale. Weights are explicit and disclosed per axis. The composite is the unweighted mean of the four axes — axes are not collapsed further because the underlying trade-offs (e.g. low cost vs poor air quality) are user-dependent.
Affordability
- Cost-of-living index (weight 60%)20
- Rent index (weight 40%)13
How this is calculated
Affordability = ((100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − rentIndex)/100 × 0.4) × 10. For Manila: ((100 − 20)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − 13)/100 × 0.4) × 10 = 8.3.
Manila sits well below the New York baseline on both cost-of-living and rent. Budgets stretch further here than in benchmark Tier-1 cities.
Quality of life
- Safety index (weight 40%)35
- Healthcare index (weight 35%)54
- Air quality index (weight 25%)40
How this is calculated
QoL = (safety/100 × 0.4 + healthcare/100 × 0.35 + airQuality/100 × 0.25) × 10. For Manila: (35/100 × 0.4 + 54/100 × 0.35 + 40/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 4.3.
Manila has a mixed quality profile. Safety: fair; healthcare: fair; air: fair. Weigh the weakest axis against your personal priorities.
Remote-work friendliness
- Internet (median Mbps) (weight 45%)60 Mbps
- Effective income tax (lower = better) (weight 30%)12.0%
- Cost-of-living (lower = better) (weight 25%)20
How this is calculated
RemoteWork = (min(Mbps/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − incomeTax) × 0.3 + (100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.25) × 10. For Manila: (min(60/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − 0.12) × 0.3 + (100 − 20)/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 5.5.
Manila works for remote work but isn't optimized for it: internet 60 Mbps, income tax 12%, cost index 20.
Healthcare
- Healthcare quality index (weight 70%)54
- Healthcare out-of-pocket / month (lower = better) (weight 30%)1728
How this is calculated
Healthcare = (qualityIndex/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − OOP/500) × 0.3) × 10. For Manila: (54/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − 1728/500) × 0.3) × 10 = 3.8.
Manila has trade-offs in healthcare: quality is fair, typical out-of-pocket cost is ~1728 PHP/month. Cross-border insurance closes the gap.
Monthly cost delta: Casablanca vs Manila
Normalized to MAD at 1 PHP = 0.1742 MAD.
| Category | Casablanca | Manila | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| housing | MAD 5,856 | ₱33,243 | -1% |
| food | MAD 1,945 | ₱12,669 | +13% |
| transport | MAD 250 | ₱800 | -44% |
| utilities | MAD 484 | ₱7,544 | +172% |
| leisure | MAD 2,333 | ₱13,821 | +3% |
| healthcare | MAD 311 | ₱1,728 | -3% |
Where each city's money goes
Two cities can have the same monthly total but very different shapes — one might burn 50% on housing while the other splits more evenly. The composition matters as much as the headline.
The biggest shape difference is utilities: Manila spends 6.5 percentage points more of its budget on it (11% vs. 4%). If you're sensitive to that category, weight the per-axis scores accordingly.
Buying property
Apartment prices: Casablanca vs Manila
Approximate asking prices in EUR per square meter (as of 2025-01), central vs mid-distance neighborhoods.
Buying in central Casablanca runs about 53% cheaper per square meter (€2,000/m² vs €4,300/m²).
Midpoints of public listing ranges — a scoping number for rent-vs-buy thinking, not a valuation. Renting comparisons live in the cost table above.
Getting around
Public transport: Casablanca vs Manila
Monthly pass and casual-ride pricing in EUR (as of 2025-01) plus the modes each network runs.
Casatramway's four lines are the reliable spine (MAD 8 flat); the MAD 250 monthly covers tram-only. Grand taxis handle what the network doesn't.
Single ride: €0.74 · Modes: Tram, Bus
LRT-1/2 + MRT-3 elevated lines beat EDSA traffic when not at crush load; jeepneys and buses fill the grid. Beep card taps across rail lines.
Single ride: €0.48 · Modes: Light rail, Bus
Salary equivalence: Casablanca ↔ Manila
What earning the same purchasing power costs in each city. Cost-adjusted using the local cost-of-living index (Casablanca = 19, Manila = 20); currency-converted at 1 PHP = 0.1742 MAD. Tax differences are not modeled.
| Casablanca gross | Manila equivalent |
|---|---|
| MAD 40,000 | ₱241,715 |
| MAD 75,000 | ₱453,216 |
| MAD 120,000 | ₱725,146 |
| Manila gross | Casablanca equivalent |
|---|---|
| ₱40,000 | MAD 6,619 |
| ₱75,000 | MAD 12,411 |
| ₱120,000 | MAD 19,858 |
Equivalence here means same cost-of-living purchasing power, not same net take-home. Effective tax rates differ between countries; a salary equivalent on cost can still net more or less depending on the destination's tax regime. Use the calculator for tax-adjusted figures at a specific lifestyle tier.
Pros and cons
Why pick Casablanca
- Wins on quality of life (+0.6 points vs Manila).
- Wins on healthcare (+1.0 points vs Manila).
Why pick Manila
Manila doesn't have any standout advantages of ≥0.3 points on the scoring model.
Casablanca trade-offs
No material trade-offs versus Manila on the scored axes.
Manila trade-offs
- Trails Casablanca on quality of life by 0.6 points.
- Trails Casablanca on healthcare by 1.0 points.
Remote work logistics
Time zones and language: Casablanca vs Manila
Casablanca (Africa/Casablanca) and Manila (Asia/Manila) sit 7 hours apart in standard time. A 9-to-5 in one overlaps the other's for 1 hour a day.
Official: Arabic, Amazigh · English: Limited · Local language: Recommended
Business runs in French; the street mixes Darija (Moroccan Arabic) and French. English is growing among younger professionals but French is the practical expat language.
Official: Filipino, English · English: Native-equivalent · Local language: Not needed
English is co-official, the language of business, law and education — the Philippines' core BPO advantage. Taglish is the street blend; English alone is fully functional.
Who should choose which
The composite winner doesn't always match what matters to you. These four reader profiles weigh the axes differently — find the closest fit.
Single, salaried remote worker, 25-40, optimizing for runway + bandwidth.
Axes scored: affordability, remoteWork
Couple with school-age children, prioritizing safety, healthcare, and air quality.
Axes scored: qualityOfLife, healthcare
Fixed income, healthcare-sensitive, prefers low cost and stable infrastructure.
Axes scored: healthcare, qualityOfLife, affordability
Salary stretch matters most. Cuts everything else if it lowers the burn rate.
Axes scored: affordability
Profiles use simple axis averaging — for a deeper read with your own weights, use the per-axis breakdown above.
Tools that work for either choice
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How this page is calculated
Data sources
- Mundevo per-city dataset. Cost basket, rent index, safety, healthcare, air quality and median internet for both cities. Reference date: 2026-06-10 (Casablanca) and 2026-06-10 (Manila).
- FX rate. 1 PHP = 0.1742 MAD, used to normalize cost baskets.
- CityScoreCalculator. Four axes (Affordability, Quality of life, Remote work, Healthcare) computed with explicit weights and explanations. See per-axis calculation strings rendered on this page.
- ComparisonService. Per-category cost deltas (housing, food, transport, utilities, leisure, healthcare) normalized to the origin currency.
Update cadence
Data as of . Last reviewed .
Calculation
For each of the four axes we compute an independent 0–10 score using the formulas printed beside each axis. The composite is the unweighted mean of the four axes. The overall winner is the city with the higher composite, unless the margin is under 0.05 points — in which case Casablanca is shown first as a tiebreaker to keep results stable.
Limitations
- Climate is not scored — we don't yet hold a maintained climate dataset, so weather-driven preferences are not modeled.
- Tax differences between cities in the same country are not modeled (Spain and Germany don't have material regional differences for this dataset).
- Indices are population-level. Personal cost varies with neighborhood, employer benefits and family status.
- Quality-of-life axis weights (safety 0.4 / healthcare 0.35 / air 0.25) are editorial defaults — readers with strong preferences should re-weight manually.
Frequently asked questions
Casablanca vs Manila: which is cheaper?
Casablanca is roughly 9% cheaper than Manila on the monthly cost basket (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare). Casablanca has cost index 19 vs Manila at 20 (both with New York = 100).
Which city has better quality of life?
Casablanca scores 5.9/10 on the Mundevo composite versus Manila at 5.5/10. The composite weights safety (40%), healthcare (35%) and air quality (25%). Casablanca wins overall by 0.4 points.
Is Casablanca or Manila better for remote work?
Casablanca has 50 Mbps median internet vs Manila at 60 Mbps. The four-axis decision rubric on this page (affordability, quality of life, remote work, healthcare) gives a per-dimension breakdown rather than a single answer.
Is Casablanca bigger than Manila?
Casablanca is larger — about 3.4M people versus Manila's 1.8M, roughly 1.9× the size.
Is Casablanca safer than Manila?
Casablanca scores higher on safety — 46 vs 35 / 100 on the Mundevo safety index (crime and personal-security signals).
Should I move to Casablanca or Manila?
It depends on what you weight. Casablanca wins the overall Mundevo composite by 0.4 points, but Casablanca is cheaper, and the two split differently across affordability, quality of life, remote work and healthcare. Use the per-axis table and the reader-profile section above to match the verdict to your own priorities.