For many Filipinos, every trip to the grocery store can feel like their wallet is shrinking. Food and transportation, which take up the bulk of daily expenses for the average person, can eat into one’s budget day in and day out, with no end in sight.

Take the daily wage worker in Metro Manila. That P695 earned in a day of likely backbreaking work can probably put two full meals on the table for a family of four.

A kilo of rice now goes for an average of P56, compared to last January when it ranged around P45 per kilo. A whole chicken can set you back P200, and it would likely be a small one, perhaps good for one and a half meals if cooked with plenty of vegetables or made into soup.

That’s just for food. Factor in pamasahe (transport fare), allowances for the kids, or perhaps gamot (medicine) for an elderly family member. The impossible task of stretching the peso can make the average “resilient Pinoy” a master of creativity.

For these Filipinos, the ones who do not make plans for even a once-in-a-lifetime Europe jaunt, let alone a seasonal Paris shopping haul, a typical break from the grind could mean just a good, uninterrupted sleep, if not a trip to the mall for some cool air to escape the summer heat.

The galunggong (round scad fish) test only proves the notion that, for Filipinos today, living in the Philippines has become more expensive than ever.

A kilogram of galunggong in the country, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported, “had an average retail price of P239.18 during the first phase of June 2026.” This was higher than the average retail prices in May this year and in June 2025.

What does it now cost to live with dignity in the Philippines?

Of course, it is hard to pinpoint one common average for the so-called “ordinary Filipino” because incomes vary widely by region, industry and whether someone works in the formal or informal economy.

The most reliable national figure comes from the PSA, whose latest Occupational Wages Survey found that “full-time workers in formal establishments with at least 10 employees earned an average monthly wage of P21,544” in 2024, the latest official data released. That includes basic pay and regular cash allowances, the agency added.

Figures also reveal that a large portion of the economy is supported by micro, small and medium enterprises, which include the informal sector, small family businesses and firms with fewer than 10 employees.

Minimum wage workers earn somewhere between P10,000 and P18,000. Many entry-level employees receive between P15,000 and P25,000. Young professionals in major cities can earn about P25,000 to P40,000 as a basic salary.

Imagine someone in those salary brackets and think of the living costs: rent, food, transportation, utilities, internet, phone bills, health care and other essentials.

With all these expenses, the budget leaves little room for savings, emergencies, vacations or helping family members. A single unexpected expense — a medical bill, appliance repair or tuition payment — can quickly consume what remains.

The cost of living today versus the average income of millions of Filipinos simply does not match. As Gen Z says, “the math is not mathing.”

The Philippines is not becoming expensive only because prices are rising; it is becoming expensive because the income of an ordinary worker no longer stretches far enough to provide a stable, dignified life.