Londonvs
ManilaLondon vs Manila: cost, size & quality of life compared
London (composite 4.9) vs Manila (composite 5.2). Side-by-side on cost of living, population & size, affordability, quality of life, remote-work friendliness and healthcare — with the calculation behind each score.
Composite scores
Overall: Manila wins by 0.3 points
Population & size
Is London bigger than Manila?
London is the bigger city: about 9.0M people versus Manila's 1.8M — roughly 5.0× larger.
City-proper / metro population estimates. Size is one input — scroll on for cost of living, salary equivalence and quality-of-life scoring.
Manila edges out London on the Mundevo composite, 5.2 to 4.9 out of 10 — a narrow 0.3-point margin across safety, healthcare, air quality and cost.
The composite gap is small enough that one weighted axis can flip the result. Use the per-axis breakdown below to see which city wins your specific priorities — someone optimizing for healthcare can land on a different answer than someone optimizing for affordability.
Run the salary calculator for both cities at your target lifestyle before deciding — Manila winning on quality doesn't mean the gross-salary requirement also lands in your favor. If you're on a balanced tier, the cost-of-living pages for each city carry the full monthly basket and the gross-salary figure.
Data signals
What separates London and Manila
How decisive
Manila comes out ahead by 0.3 composite points — a narrow edge.
Biggest difference
The widest gap is affordability, where Manila leads by 7.4 points.
Where they match
They're most evenly matched on remote-work friendliness — within 0.2 points of each other.
Overall cost gap
Total monthly costs in Manila run about 79% lower than in London.
Where budgets split most
Transport is the line item that diverges most: roughly 91% cheaper in Manila than London.
Score-by-score, side-by-side
Each axis is scored independently with disclosed weights and a calculation string.
| Axis | London | Manila | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability | 0.0 | 7.4 | Manila +7.4 |
| Quality of life | 6.4 | 4.3 | London +2.1 |
| Remote-work friendliness | 5.0 | 5.2 | Manila +0.2 |
| Healthcare | 8.3 | 3.8 | London +4.5 |
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%)113
- Rent index (weight 40%)107
How this is calculated
Affordability = ((100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − rentIndex)/100 × 0.4) × 10. For London: ((100 − 113)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − 107)/100 × 0.4) × 10 = 0.
London is among the more expensive cities tracked. Salary expectations should be calibrated to the high cost base before relocating.
Quality of life
- Safety index (weight 40%)60
- Healthcare index (weight 35%)75
- Air quality index (weight 25%)55
How this is calculated
QoL = (safety/100 × 0.4 + healthcare/100 × 0.35 + airQuality/100 × 0.25) × 10. For London: (60/100 × 0.4 + 75/100 × 0.35 + 55/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 6.4.
London has a mixed quality profile. Safety: good; healthcare: good; air: good. Weigh the weakest axis against your personal priorities.
Remote-work friendliness
- Internet (median Mbps) (weight 45%)170 Mbps
- Effective income tax (lower = better) (weight 30%)18.0%
- Cost-of-living (lower = better) (weight 25%)113
How this is calculated
RemoteWork = (min(Mbps/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − incomeTax) × 0.3 + (100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.25) × 10. For London: (min(170/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − 0.18) × 0.3 + (100 − 113)/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 5.
London works for remote work but isn't optimized for it: internet 170 Mbps, income tax 18%, cost index 113.
Healthcare
- Healthcare quality index (weight 70%)75
- Healthcare out-of-pocket / month (lower = better) (weight 30%)0
How this is calculated
Healthcare = (qualityIndex/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − OOP/500) × 0.3) × 10. For London: (75/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − 0/500) × 0.3) × 10 = 8.3.
London combines good system quality with a manageable out-of-pocket cost (~0 GBP/month). Travel insurance still recommended for non-residents.
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%)34
- Rent index (weight 40%)15
How this is calculated
Affordability = ((100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − rentIndex)/100 × 0.4) × 10. For Manila: ((100 − 34)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − 15)/100 × 0.4) × 10 = 7.4.
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%)34
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 − 34)/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 5.2.
Manila works for remote work but isn't optimized for it: internet 60 Mbps, income tax 12%, cost index 34.
Healthcare
- Healthcare quality index (weight 70%)54
- Healthcare out-of-pocket / month (lower = better) (weight 30%)1500
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 − 1500/500) × 0.3) × 10 = 3.8.
Manila has trade-offs in healthcare: quality is fair, typical out-of-pocket cost is ~1500 PHP/month. Cross-border insurance closes the gap.
Monthly cost delta: London vs Manila
Normalized to GBP at 1 PHP = 0.0137 GBP.
| Category | London | Manila | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| housing | £2,200 | ₱22,000 | -86% |
| food | £450 | ₱11,000 | -66% |
| transport | £180 | ₱1,200 | -91% |
| utilities | £220 | ₱5,500 | -66% |
| leisure | £500 | ₱12,000 | -67% |
| healthcare | £0 | ₱1,500 | +0% |
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 housing: London spends 20.6 percentage points more of its budget on it (62% vs. 41%). If you're sensitive to that category, weight the per-axis scores accordingly.
Salary equivalence: London ↔ Manila
What earning the same purchasing power costs in each city. Cost-adjusted using the local cost-of-living index (London = 113, Manila = 34); currency-converted at 1 PHP = 0.0137 GBP. Tax differences are not modeled.
| London gross | Manila equivalent |
|---|---|
| £40,000 | ₱877,876 |
| £75,000 | ₱1,646,018 |
| £120,000 | ₱2,633,628 |
| Manila gross | London equivalent |
|---|---|
| ₱40,000 | £1,823 |
| ₱75,000 | £3,417 |
| ₱120,000 | £5,468 |
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 London
- Wins on quality of life (+2.1 points vs Manila).
- Wins on healthcare (+4.5 points vs Manila).
Why pick Manila
- Wins on affordability (+7.4 points vs London).
London trade-offs
- Trails Manila on affordability by 7.4 points.
Manila trade-offs
- Trails London on quality of life by 2.1 points.
- Trails London on healthcare by 4.5 points.
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.
Going deeper
Visa landscape for both countries — and case studies that touch this corridor.
Tools that work for either choice
Some links below are affiliate links — if you sign up we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
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: 2026-05-23 (London) and 2026-06-10 (Manila).
- FX rate. 1 PHP = 0.0137 GBP, 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 London 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
London vs Manila: which is cheaper?
Manila is roughly 79% cheaper than London on the monthly cost basket (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare). London has cost index 113 vs Manila at 34 (both with New York = 100).
Which city has better quality of life?
London scores 4.9/10 on the Mundevo composite versus Manila at 5.2/10. The composite weights safety (40%), healthcare (35%) and air quality (25%). Manila wins overall by 0.3 points.
Is London or Manila better for remote work?
London has 170 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.