Average salary in the Philippines 2026: PHP 21,544 a month

Who the PHP 21,544 average covers

The Occupational Wages Survey samples establishments, not households. It counts full-time, time-rated workers in formal businesses and leaves out most informal work and the self-employed, so it runs above an economy-wide average and is closer to the "regular salary" of an office or factory employee. It is a mean and it is gross: SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG and withholding tax come out of it.

The PSA page we read named only the top three and the bottom industry. Information and communication paid the most at PHP 43,676 a month, then professional, scientific and technical activities at PHP 36,096 and electricity and gas supply at PHP 35,188. Agriculture, forestry and fishing paid the least at PHP 14,615. Regional figures were not on that page, so we quote no Manila average, and household income is a different measure that this survey does not cover.

Average salary in Philippines by industry

From monthly wage to annual pay

Twelve months at PHP 21,544 is PHP 258,528. Rank-and-file employees also get a 13th month pay of at least one twelfth of the basic salary earned in the year, due by December 24 (PD 851). On PHP 20,309 basic, that adds PHP 20,309, so total annual pay is PHP 278,837. Overtime, premium pay and cost-of-living allowances generally do not count toward it.

What a PHP 21,544 worker costs an employer

Employer contributions in the Philippines are small in percentage terms but come with the 13th month on top. Per month, on PHP 21,544:

• SSS employer share, 10% of the monthly salary credit (capped at PHP 35,000): about PHP 2,154.40, using the full wage as the credit; the real figure follows the SSS bracket table
• Employees' Compensation: PHP 30
• PhilHealth employer share, 2.5% under the 2025 schedule (we found no 2026 advisory, so we assume it carries over): PHP 538.60
• Pag-IBIG employer share, 2% of a fund salary capped at PHP 10,000: PHP 200
• 13th month accrual, PHP 20,309 / 12: PHP 1,692.42

Total: about PHP 26,159.42 a month, roughly 21.4% above the wage. The Philippines employer of record page runs the same math on a professional salary, where the caps shrink the percentage.

A foreign company without a Philippine entity usually hires through an employer of record (EOR). List prices checked October 16, 2026 run from $99 a month (Native Teams, whose help center says EUR 99) to $699 (Oyster), and Deel lists $599. On a wage this size the fee is a large share of the total; compare EOR rankings and the country cost index.

Average pay against the Metro Manila minimum

Minimum wages are set by region and by day. In Metro Manila, Wage Order NCR-28 sets PHP 755 a day for non-agriculture workers from September 26, 2026. Monthly pay depends on the days paid: on a five-day week (261 days a year), PHP 755 x 261 / 12 = PHP 16,421.25; on a six-day week (313 days), PHP 19,692.92. These day counts are illustrations, since we did not read DOLE's official factor table. On them, the 2024 survey average is only 1.09 to 1.31 times the 2026 Manila minimum. Our Philippines minimum wage page has the details, and average pay in Vietnam or in Indonesia gives a regional benchmark.