Mid-Range Travel Guide: Palawan
The sweet spot of travel - comfortable accommodations, varied dining, and quality experiences without breaking the bank
Daily Budget: 6,200-14,500 PHP ($108-252) per day
Complete breakdown of costs for mid-range travel in Palawan
Accommodation
2,000-5,000 PHP ($35-87) per night
Mid-range travelers in Palawan hit a comfortable sweet spot. Air-conditioned private rooms in well-maintained guesthouses or boutique inns with tiled floors, hot-water showers, and sometimes small balconies overlooking gardens or water. Expect 2,000-5,000 PHP ($35-87) per night. In El Nido, properties set back from the main beach road run quieter and slightly cheaper than waterfront places. Puerto Princesa spreads this category wider along the main highway. Most include breakfast. The better ones carry that tropical-hotel smell of fresh linen and frangipani. You've stepped up from the backpacker tier.
Browse mid-range accommodation →Food & Dining
1,500-3,000 PHP ($26-52) per day
At this level you mix local restaurants with established tourist-facing spots. Palawan's seafood leads. A sit-down dinner with grilled squid, garlic butter shrimp, and cold San Miguel runs 400-800 PHP ($7-14) per person at seaside restaurants where waves lap the shore pilings. Lunch at nicer carinderias or Filipino-Western fusion cafes runs 250-500 PHP ($4-9). Breakfast usually comes with accommodation. Standalone brunch with coffee and proper egg dishes runs 200-400 PHP ($4-7). Budget 1,500-3,000 PHP ($26-52) daily for three meals, a couple drinks, maybe an afternoon smoothie bowl.
Transportation
700-2,000 PHP ($12-35) per day
Mid-range transport means private tricycle hires rather than shared ones, occasional hired vans for day trips, and comfortable air-conditioned shuttles between towns. Private tricycle for half-day sightseeing around Puerto Princesa or El Nido runs 800-1,500 PHP ($14-26). Private van transfers between Puerto Princesa and El Nido cost 600-1,000 PHP ($10-17) per person on nicer shuttle services. Skip the cramped public vans. Motorbike rentals with better bikes, ones that start on first kick with working brakes, run 500-800 PHP ($9-14) per day. Daily transport sits around 700-2,000 PHP ($12-35).
Activities
2,000-4,500 PHP ($35-78) per day
Mid-range activity budgets open Palawan's premium experiences. Private island-hopping tours, where you set the itinerary, run 3,000-6,000 PHP ($52-104) for the boat depending on group size. Diving dominates here. Two-dive trips for certified divers cost 2,500-4,500 PHP ($44-78). Visibility around Coron's Japanese shipwrecks is extraordinary. Sunlight filters through hull breaches into holds where fish school in green-gold clouds. Kayak rentals to paddle through Big Lagoon cost 500-800 PHP ($9-14). Solid daily average sits around 2,000-4,500 PHP ($35-78). Dive days push higher.
Currency: Currency is ₱ Philippine Peso (PHP). Puerto Princesa ATMs are reasonably reliable. El Nido machines run dry during peak periods. Arrive with cash. Withdraw in Puerto Princesa before heading north. Simple precaution.
Money-Saving Tips
Eat at carinderias and public market stalls. Skip tourist-facing beachfront restaurants. Grilled fish runs 400 PHP at tourist spots. Walk two streets back. Pay 120-180 PHP at market stalls. The fish is often fresher. Local cooks turn stock faster.
Take public vans between Puerto Princesa and El Nido. Skip private transfers. Public vans cost 60-70% less. Same road. Tighter packing. The air conditioning promises more than it delivers.
Visit in June or October. Shoulder months bring lower accommodation prices. Peak-season rates drop noticeably. Weather cooperates mostly. Afternoon showers pass quickly. Beaches empty out.
Join group island-hopping tours. Skip private boats. El Nido's Tour An and Tour C hit the most photogenic lagoons and beaches. Split costs among ten to fifteen passengers. Per-person prices plummet compared to private charters.
Bring your own snorkeling mask and dry bag. Skip rentals. Fees of 150-300 PHP per session compound over a week. Rental quality disappoints. Cracked seals. Foggy lenses. The experience suffers.
Book domestic flights to Puerto Princesa early. Skip last-minute purchases. Manila fares swing widely. Sale fares appear two to three months out. Savings hit 50-60% against week-before prices.
Carry small bills. Many tricycle drivers and small eateries cannot break large denominations. Inconvenience costs you. Travelers overpay or take expensive alternatives for lack of correct change.
Common Budget Mistakes to Avoid
Book island-hopping tours directly at operator registration points near the beach. Skip accommodation front desks. Middlemen mark up 30-50%. The tour remains identical. All boats join the same convoy. Same stops.
Negotiate half-day or full-day tricycle rates. Skip individual rides. Single fares accumulate fast in El Nido. Distances between town and nearby beaches add up. Full-day hire often costs less than five or six separate trips. Flexibility included.
Withdraw from ATMs in Puerto Princesa. Skip airport and beachfront money changers. Puerto Princesa rates are considerably better. Tourist-area spreads quietly consume 5-8% of funds over two weeks.
Skip the tour packages. Some of Palawan's most rewarding moments cost nothing. Nacpan Beach is free. Rent a motorbike. The pale sand stretches for kilometers. Coconut palms lean over the shoreline. It rivals anything on the paid circuit.
Stop buying bottled water. Carry a refillable bottle instead. Filtered stations exist at most hostels and guesthouses across Palawan. The per-bottle cost seems small. It adds up fast. Four to six bottles daily in tropical heat becomes a real expense across a week or two.