Living Income Report (with Living Wage Annex): Rural Ilocos Sur Province, the Philippines (November 2022)

This report provides an in-depth analysis of the income required by a typical family to afford a basic but decent living standard in rural Ilocos Sur Province in the Philippines. The Anker Methodology was used to set normative standards for a model diet and decent housing. Primary data on local foods prices, housing costs, healthcare costs and school costs were collected to cost this living standard through visits to local markets, building constructors, healthcare facilities, and schools. Information on demographic characteristics, diet, housing conditions, healthcare, and education were also collected during focused group discussions and key informant interviews. Secondary data from the Family Income and Expenditures Survey, Labor Force Survey, and the National Health Demographic Survey were also used. The living standard used in this report allows for a typical size family in rural Ilocos Sur to afford a low-cost yet palatable and nutritious diet; live in a small wellbuilt house with access to amenities such as water, electricity, and sanitation, and other essential needs that pertain to adequate healthcare, children’s education through secondary school, transportation, personal care, entertainment, etc. Based on our computations, living income in rural Ilocos Sur Province is Php 24,742 ($450) per month. The living wage for rural Ilocos Sur Province is Php 16,643 ($302).