Philippines on $18/Day: 14-Day Shoestring Manila to Siargao

A 2 weeks philippines itinerary budget covering Manila, El Nido, Coron, Cebu, Bohol, and Siargao fits 6 cities within Philippines into two weeks. That works out to roughly 2.3 days per stop, enough time to settle into each city without rushing to the next bus station. At the brokepackr level, daily costs average $18/day, covering the cheapest hostel dorm beds (averaging $8/night), street food and self-catering ($5/day), and local transport ($2/day). The price gap between the cheapest city (Siargao at $15.47/day) and the priciest (Manila at $20.21/day) is worth planning around. All prices on this page are in USD.

The cheapest dorm beds vary across the 6 stops. The cheapest beds are in Siargao ($6.96/night) and Bohol ($7.88/night), while Manila ($9.09/night) and Cebu ($8.70/night) sit at the top. Street food and market meals average $5/day for the route. Siargao is the cheapest place to eat at $4.25/day, while Manila runs $5.56/day for street food and self-catering. Inter-city ground transport for the full route comes to $207 to $281, sticking to the cheapest bus options and booking in advance. Adding it up: 14 days of dorm beds, street food, local transport, and inter-city travel comes to roughly $254 to $535 before international flights, stretching every dollar.

Staying within Philippines keeps visa logistics simple, but each stop on the route feels distinct. The character shift from Manila to Siargao covers everything from urban density to laid-back coastal or rural vibes. The Cebu to Bohol connection takes just 2 hours by ferry, and the cheapest leg (El Nido to Coron) starts at $10 by ferry. The route trends cheaper as it goes, starting at $20.21/day in Manila and dropping to $15.47/day by Siargao. Weather across all stops aligns during February through April, sitting outside the monsoon season and making overland travel smoother.

The ideal window is narrow: February through April offers the best balance of weather, crowd levels, and hostel pricing. Skip January, July, August, September, October, November, and December to avoid monsoon season and waterlogged transit routes. The cost table below breaks down exactly what each city costs per day, sorted so the cheapest stop (Siargao) stands out immediately. Below that, the transport section shows pricing and duration for every city-to-city connection on the route. Toggle between the brokepackr, backpackr, and flashpackr tiers to see how costs shift at each spending level.