Last updated: May 2026

Palawan is on every “best islands in the world” list, and for good reason. But before booking your flight, the first question that pops up is always the same: what is a realistic Palawan budget for the kind of trip you want?

The short answer is: it depends… a lot. A backpacker exploring on a scooter and sleeping in dorms can easily get by on PHP 2,500 (around $45 USD) per day, while a couple booking a beachfront resort with private tours can easily spend ten times as much. So, to save you the hassle of digging through travel forums, here’s everything we’ve learned after years of welcoming visitors in our El Nido paradise.

Quick Answer: Daily Budget by Travel Style

Travel style Per person per day Sample day
Backpacker PHP 2,200–3,200
~$40–$58 USD		 Hostel dorm, local meals, shared tour
Mid-range PHP 4,000–6,500
~$70–$120 USD		 Mid-range hotel, mix of restaurants, 1 tour
Comfort / honeymoon PHP 11,000+
~$200+ USD		 Resort, fine dining, private tour

These figures are of course excluding international flights, which usually are the single biggest expense of your trip. Your actual Palawan budget will swing the most based on accommodation tier, how many tours you join and if you prefer to join public tour or avail private ones.

Cash, Cards & ATMs: How Money Works in Palawan

The local currency is the Philippine peso (PHP, written ₱). At the time of writing, one US dollar is worth roughly 55 to 58 pesos, which gives you a handy mental shortcut: PHP 1,000 is around $18 USD. When traveling in Palawan, you will need cash for most things outside hotels and a few tourist restaurants. For example, tricycles, local eateries, market shops, and even some tour operators won’t accept cards. This is even more true once you leave Puerto Princesa, the capital of Palawan to explore the more remote area of the region.

What to Bring and Where to Withdraw

Here are a few practical points about handling money during your stay:

  • ATMs are scarce in El Nido. There are a handful (BPI, BDO, RCBC) but they run out of cash on weekends and during peak season. Withdraw what you need while you are in Puerto Princesa, before heading up to El Nido. The city has plenty of working ATMs, and you’ll save yourself a lot of stress if the El Nido machines happen to be empty when you arrive.
  • Withdrawal fees are usually PHP 250 per transaction for foreign cards, with a PHP 10,000 limit per withdrawal. That adds up quickly if you need to top up several times.
  • USD or EUR cash can be changed in Puerto Princesa or El Nido, but rates are better at the airport money changers in Manila.
  • Credit cards work in mid-range hotels and bigger restaurants, but it’s common to be charged a 3–5% fee on top.
  • Wise is great for travel: the conversion is close to mid-market rate and ATM fees are usually reimbursed up to a monthly limit.

As a general rule, and just to make sure you don’t end up stranded with empty pockets, plan to carry around PHP 5,000 to 10,000 in cash at any time. Carry more if you are heading deep into El Nido area or off to Linapacan, where ATMs are essentially nonexistent.

International Flights to Palawan

International flights are usually the single biggest line on your budget. Here’s what to expect for a round-trip ticket, depending on where you fly from:

  • From Europe: 700€–1,100€, and noticeably cheaper if you book 3 to 5 months in advance.
  • From Asia (Thailand, Singapore, Japan, etc.): $150–$450 USD.
  • From North America: $1,000–$1,400 USD.
  • From Australia: $1,000–$1,800 AUD.

Direct international flights to Palawan are still rare, but they do exist. Taipei and Seoul both have direct routes into Puerto Princesa on seasonal schedules, with a few flights per week. A Hong Kong-Puerto Princesa line briefly opened in 2019, but it was cut during the pandemic and has not been reinstated since. For everyone else, the standard route is through Manila or, less commonly, Cebu.

Traditional bangka outrigger on a secluded Palawan beach

Domestic Flights: Puerto Princesa or El Nido?

Once you’re in Manila or Cebu, two airports in Palawan can welcome you:

Puerto Princesa (PPS) is the main airport with the most options. Flights from Manila to Puerto Princesa typically run PHP 2,200 to 5,500 ($40 to $100 USD), with around ten daily departures across the three main carriers, so you can almost always find a slot that works. From the airport, you can hop on a van straight to El Nido. The drive takes around five to six hours depending on traffic and rest stops, but the road is scenic and most travelers find it a pleasant introduction to the countryside. If you have the budget, consider upgrading to a private van. Shared services usually wait until they fill up before leaving, sometimes an hour or more. Furthermore, the ride itself can be cramped.

El Nido Airport (ENI) is much smaller and served almost exclusively by AirSWIFT, a small carrier flying turboprop planes that seat around 70 passengers each. Schedules are limited, with usually one or two flights per direction per day. Tickets are pricier too, typically PHP 5,500 to 8,500 ($100 to $155 USD), and seats sell out fast in peak season. It’s worth it if you are short on time, but for most travelers the price savings make Puerto Princesa their preferred choice.

If your dates are flexible, Cebu Pacific usually has the cheapest fares. However, they are also the least reliable, with frequent delays and the occasional last-minute cancellation. Philippine Airlines is noticeably more dependable, only slightly more expensive, and worth the extra peso if you have tight connections. AirAsia sits somewhere in between.

Accommodation Costs in Palawan

Prices for hotels, resorts and guesthouses vary widely depending on where you stay and what kind of place you book. Here is a tier-by-tier breakdown, per night for a double room:

Tier El Nido Puerto Princesa Coron
Hostel dorm PHP 600–1,200
(~$11–$22)		 PHP 500–1,000
(~$9–$18)		 PHP 600–1,100
(~$11–$20)
Private budget room PHP 1,300–2,500
(~$24–$46)		 PHP 1,100–2,200
(~$20–$40)		 PHP 1,300–2,400
(~$24–$44)
Mid-range hotel PHP 2,800–5,500
(~$51–$100)		 PHP 2,300–4,500
(~$42–$82)		 PHP 3,000–5,500
(~$55–$100)
Resort or beachfront villa PHP 8,000–25,000
(~$145–$455)		 PHP 5,000–15,000
(~$91–$273)		 PHP 7,000–20,000
(~$127–$365)

When it comes to where to book, Booking.com, Agoda and Trip.com generally have the best deals. Agoda tends to come out slightly cheaper for South-East Asia properties, simply because their inventory is stronger in this part of the world. If you’re looking at smaller guesthouses, sending them an email directly can save you another 10 to 15% compared to the platforms.

Bamboo beach hut under coconut palms in El Nido

Food & Drinks Budget

Food in Palawan can be one of the most pleasant surprises of your trip. If you eat where the locals eat, you’ll barely spend anything while discovering grilled fish straight off the boat, slow-cooked adobo, and rice that somehow tastes better here than anywhere else.

  • Carinderia (local eateries): a plate of rice with grilled chicken, fish, or pork adobo runs PHP 100–180 ($2–$3 USD). Portions are generous. We won’t pretend this is gourmet cooking, but it is honest food at great prices, and a carinderia lunch is one of the easier ways to get a feel for the local life.
  • Mid-range restaurants in El Nido or Puerto Princesa typically charge between PHP 300 and 800 per main course ($6 to $15 USD). A bottle of San Miguel beer runs PHP 60 to 100, and cocktails sit somewhere between PHP 150 and 300.
  • Tourist restaurants and beachfront resorts are a different story. Plan for PHP 600 to 1,500 per main course ($11 to $28 USD), with cocktails starting around PHP 250. You are paying for the view as much as the food, and both are usually very good.

For instance, a typical local breakfast (silog: rice, egg, meat) is around PHP 150–250. Coffee at a coffee shop is PHP 80–150. A liter of bottled water costs PHP 25 to 40 and can be found in every sari-sari store, the small neighborhood shops you’ll see on every corner.

If you want to keep your food bill down, stick to local eateries for lunch when you are back from tours, and splurge on dinner. A daily food budget of PHP 600–1,200 ($11–$22) is very reasonable.

Filipino feast — pork BBQ skewers, adobo, lumpia and rice

Transportation in Palawan

Getting around Palawan is generally affordable, but distances can be deceptive on a map. Going from Puerto Princesa to El Nido alone is a six-hour drive, and Coron sits a full day’s boat ride away. Within El Nido itself, you’ll mostly rely on tricycles or scooters if you prefer to self-drive. We have covered the practical side of moving around the island in our guide on getting to El Nido. Here is what each option will cost you.

Costs by Type of Transport

  • Tricycles handle most short trips in town and run PHP 100 to 300 per ride. Always agree on the fare before climbing in: tourist surcharges are common, and arguing over the price once you have arrived at your destination rarely ends well.
  • Jeepneys connect the villages and are the cheapest way to move around at PHP 50 to 150 per trip. They are also, by a wide margin, the slowest mode of transport on the island.
  • Scooter rental in El Nido or Coron runs PHP 400 to 700 per day ($7 to $13 USD), plus gasoline. You do not need an international license for a 50–125cc scooter, but you must wear a helmet.
  • Van transfers between Puerto Princesa and El Nido cost PHP 600 to 900 per person, with the ride taking five to six hours.
  • Buses connect Puerto Princesa and El Nido for PHP 400 to 600 per person, with Cherry Bus and Roro Bus as the main operators. The ride takes around seven to nine hours — much slower than the vans, but it’s easily the cheapest way to make the trip.
  • The ferries between Coron and El Nido cost PHP 1,800 to 2,500, and the crossing takes around 4 hours.
  • Private vans for any route cost PHP 5,000 to 9,000 for the whole vehicle, which seats up to ten people. You can make a booking here for a private van transfer in every major destination in Palawan.

Tours & Activities: The Best Part

For most travelers, this is where the budget really opens up, and rightly so. The tours are the reason you flew here in the first place. The lagoons tucked behind sheer karst walls, the sandbars only reachable by bangka, the multi-day boat expeditions sleeping on uninhabited islands: these are not optional extras. They are the whole point of the trip! So here is what to expect to spend.

El Nido Day Tours (A, B, C, D)

PHP 1,400–2,200 ($25–$40 USD) per person, including boat, lunch, guide, and the basic snorkeling gear. Each tour has its own character, but Tours A and C are by far the most popular, and for good reason. They cover the iconic lagoons and beaches that made El Nido famous in the first place, and the reputation is no exaggeration. This is, without exaggeration, one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and even seasoned travelers come back from a day on the bangka quietly stunned. See full details on our El Nido tours page.

Private Tours

PHP 9,000–15,000 ($165–$275 USD) for the whole boat, which comfortably can fit your group, whether you’re only 2 or traveling with 20 people or more. You pick the route, you set the pace, and you skip the crowds at the most popular spots. In addition, the captain can detour to quieter coves and beaches that the standard day tours never bother with, which often turns out to be the highlight of the trip. Have a look at our private tour options to compare what is available.

Multi-day Boat Expeditions (Coron ↔ El Nido)

This is our specialty: expeditions between El Nido and Coron, sleeping on remote islands in the tropical paradise of Linapacan and Culion! Our 3 days and 2 nights tour is currently on promo at only PHP 18,900 all-in. If there is ever a moment to splurge on memories that stay with you for life, this is it! See full details on our Ultimate Adventure Tour and our Explore Linapacan Tour pages. Private expedition tours are possible.

Scuba Diving

PHP 2,500–4,500 per fun dive (2 dives is the standard half-day). Open Water PADI certification courses run PHP 22,000–28,000 over 3–4 days. We have a full breakdown on our El Nido diving page.

Inland Tours

Inland tours cover Nacpan Beach, Taraw Cliff, Makinit Hot Springs, and the Nagkalit-Kalit Waterfalls. Prices range from PHP 1,500 to 3,500 depending on the destination. All of them are listed on our El Nido inland tours page.

Other Activities

Snorkeling-only excursions cost PHP 1,000 to 1,800, kayak rentals at hidden beaches are PHP 300 to 500, and stand-up paddle boards go for PHP 500 to 800. These are easy add-ons if you have a spare half-day after the main tours and feel like exploring on your own.

Kayakers paddling the turquoise water of Big Lagoon, El Nido

Hidden Costs Most People Forget

A few line items get glossed over in most Palawan budget guides. But none of them are optional, and together they can add up to a few thousand pesos by the end of your trip. Here are the ones we see travelers forget the most.

The Eco-Tourism Development Fee (ETDF) is mandatory for any tourist activity in El Nido. It costs PHP 400 per person and is valid for ten days. Tours do not include it, so budget it separately. We wrote a full explanation of the ETDF if you want the details. There are also equivalent eco-taxes if your travel in Linapacan, Culion and Coron.

Travel insurance is one expense we strongly recommend keeping in. Boat tours, scooter rides, and remote locations all carry some level of risk, and a single medical evacuation could wipe out your entire trip budget. Plans from SafetyWing run around $40 to $60 USD for one to two weeks of cover.

Tips are not as common in the Philippines as they are in the US. Still, they are always appreciated. PHP 50 to 100 per tour guide is a fair amount, and PHP 20 to 50 is standard at restaurants where the service is good.

A SIM card or data plan is something you will want, because WiFi in Palawan ranges from decent to unusable. A Globe or Smart prepaid SIM with 10 to 15 GB of data costs PHP 500 to 800. More tips in our El Nido internet guide.

Best Time to Visit Palawan on a Budget

Palawan has two seasons: the dry season (from November to May) and the wet season (from June to October).

  • December to April is the peak of the high season. Flights and hotels often run 30–50% more expensive, and you should also expect both the best weather of the year and the biggest crowds.
  • May and November are the sweet spot: the weather is still mostly good, prices have dropped 20–30%, and there are noticeably fewer travelers around.
  • Finally, June through October is the cheapest period of the year. You will get some rain, more often in August and September. It rarely ruins a day though: most showers pass in an hour or two, and you can plan your beach time around the mornings. Tours still run on most days, and accommodation rates drop 40–50% compared to peak season.

Overall, if your dates are flexible, June and September are the absolute best for budget travelers. Just keep one buffer day in your itinerary in case a tour gets cancelled because of the weather.

Sample Budgets by Trip Length

Here’s how it all adds up for a typical El Nido / Palawan trip, per person, excluding international flights:

Length Backpacker Mid-range Comfort
5 days PHP 12,500–16,000
~$230–$290		 PHP 22,000–32,000
~$400–$580		 PHP 60,000+
~$1,100+
7 days PHP 17,500–22,500
~$320–$410		 PHP 30,000–45,000
~$550–$820		 PHP 85,000+
~$1,550+
10 days PHP 25,000–32,000
~$455–$580		 PHP 45,000–65,000
~$820–$1,180		 PHP 120,000+
~$2,180+
2 weeks PHP 35,000–45,000
~$640–$820		 PHP 65,000–90,000
~$1,180–$1,640		 PHP 170,000+
~$3,090+

Indeed, a 7-day trip is the bare minimum if you want to see El Nido properly: you really want three to four full days of tours, with rest days in between. The sweet spot, in our experience, is 10 to 12 days that pair El Nido with Coron. The two destinations complement each other beautifully, and the boat expedition between them is one of the best activities you can have. If you spend 15-20 days in Palawan, add Puerto Princesa or Port Barton for the full island loop.

Money-Saving Tips That Actually Work

Here are the tips that actually save money on a Palawan trip. Some are obvious, others less so, but all of them work.

  1. Book your tours in advance, online. Hotels routinely mark up tour prices significantly, sometimes by 30 to 50%, and you have no visibility into the quality of the operator they send you to. Horror stories are common: travelers paying double for a tour, then getting a boat in poor condition, a guide who barely speaks English, and a lunch that does not match what was promised. Booking online keeps you in control of both the price and the operator.
  2. Consider a private tour if you can. Shared boats are cheaper, sure. But if you flew halfway across the world, the experience is part of the budget too. Private tours are noticeably more enjoyable, you skip the crowds at the popular spots, and you set your own pace. For many travelers, the extra cost pays off many times over.
  3. Eat where locals eat. The carinderia next to the market serves the same fish as the beachfront restaurant, for a third of the price.
  4. Avoid peak season if you can. Even 2 weeks earlier or later than Christmas / Holy Week can save you 30% on accommodation.
  5. Rent a scooter for inland exploration. Nacpan Beach, Las Cabanas, and the smaller villages cost a fraction in scooter rental and gasoline vs joining a tour.
  6. Use Wise for card payments. Conversion rates beat your home bank by 2–5%, and ATM fees are reimbursed.
  7. Book Coron / El Nido boat ferry early in low season. Tickets are PHP 1,800 if booked ahead, PHP 2,500+ at the dock.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the questions we hear most often, along with a few things worth knowing before you book.

Not really. Palawan is one of the most affordable tropical island destinations in the world, comparable to Indonesia or Vietnam. A budget trip is doable from $40–$50 USD per day, and even comfortable mid-range stays come in well under European or US travel costs.

Plan to have PHP 5,000–10,000 in cash at any time. ATMs exist in Coron and El Nido but they run out, especially on weekends. Withdraw enough to cover a couple of days of expenses before heading to El Nido.

In mid-range hotels and bigger restaurants, yes. But tricycles, stores, restaurants, and many tour operators are cash only. Expect a 3–5% surcharge on most card payments.

Five days minimum for El Nido alone. Seven to ten days lets you cover El Nido + Coron, which is the classic itinerary. Two weeks for the full Palawan loop including Puerto Princesa and Port Barton.

June, July, August and September. Accommodation is up to 50% cheaper than December–April, and tours still run most days. Just budget for some rain.

Yes, usually. Hotels in Boracay are around 20–30% more expensive, and food and drinks at the beachfront cost notably more. Palawan also has cheaper boat tours, a wider variety of activities, and stunning limestone islands and landscapes.

For peak season (December–April) and weekends, absolutely. For low season, 24–48h ahead is usually enough.

Ready to Plan Your Palawan Budget Trip?

You now have a clear picture of what to plan for as a Palawan budget. The next step is locking in your tours, especially if you are traveling between December and April. High season can fill our calendar weeks ahead, and the daily visitor cap on Big Lagoon and Secret Lagoon means the best morning slots disappear first. Even in shoulder months like May and November, the most popular tours sell out in advance.

Browse our El Nido island hopping tours or book directly online. As Palawan specialists, we will be glad to welcome you to our booking offices in El Nido, Puerto Princesa or Coron once you arrive. In the meantime, get in touch if you have any question about your itinerary, your budget, or anything you are unsure about. We are always happy to help you plan the best vacations in the “best island in the world”!