Short answer: a bare-finish boarding house with shared toilets costs roughly ₱18,000–₱24,000 per square meter to build in the Philippines in 2026. A standard apartment building with self-contained units (own kitchen and toilet per unit) runs ₱25,000–₱35,000 per square meter, and a higher-end apartment with better finishes and amenities can reach ₱35,000–₱48,000 per square meter. Because rental buildings are made of many small units rather than one open floor plan, cost per door matters as much as cost per sqm — that's covered below too.
Boarding house (bare, shared CR): ₱18,000–24,000/m² · Standard apartment (self-contained): ₱25,000–35,000/m² · Mid-high apartment: ₱35,000–48,000/m²
Rental property owners often price their project the same way they'd price a house — by floor area alone. That undercounts the real driver of cost in a multi-unit building: how many kitchens and toilets you're building, not how many square meters. A 200-sqm house has one kitchen and two or three toilets. A 200-sqm apartment building with eight self-contained studio units has eight kitchens and eight toilets. Plumbing, waterproofing, and fixtures are the most labor- and material-intensive line items in any building, and multiplying them across small units is why self-contained apartment construction lands close to full house-tier pricing per square meter, despite each individual unit being small.
Boarding houses (bedspacer-style, shared bathroom down the hall) avoid this multiplication — one shared CR block serves many rooms — which is why they price meaningfully lower per square meter than self-contained apartments.
| Type | Configuration | Cost per sqm (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Boarding house | Shared CR, bare finish, painted CHB | ₱18,000–24,000/m² |
| Apartment (standard) | Self-contained unit, standard finish (tiles, painted walls, basic fixtures) | ₱25,000–35,000/m² |
| Apartment (mid-high) | Self-contained unit, upgraded finish, may include lift or amenity deck | ₱35,000–48,000/m² |
These ranges are consistent with AEDO's published house construction cost and commercial building cost models, adjusted for rental-grade specification and unit density — bare-finish boarding houses track toward warehouse/economy-tier rates, while self-contained apartments track toward standard house-tier rates.
If you're building to rent out, cost per sqm alone won't tell you your breakeven. Cost per door (per unit or per room) is the number that maps directly to rental income. Here's what typical unit sizes cost to build, using the per-sqm rates above:
| Unit type | Typical size | Cost per door (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Bedspacer / boarding room | 12–16 sqm | ₱220,000–₱380,000 |
| Studio apartment (self-contained) | 22–26 sqm | ₱550,000–₱910,000 |
| 1-bedroom apartment | 28–35 sqm | ₱700,000–₱1,225,000 |
Want the exact material quantities and cost for your specific floor plan instead of a per-door estimate? AEDO's Unit Cost Analysis app computes a full bill of quantities — CHB, concrete, roofing, plumbing rough-in, and finishes — for multi-unit layouts.
Shared vs. Self-Contained Facilities
The single biggest lever. Every self-contained toilet and kitchenette adds plumbing runs, waterproofing, and fixtures that a shared-CR boarding house layout avoids entirely. Mixing both — some shared-CR rooms, some self-contained units — is a common way to control cost while still offering a range of rental price points.
Storey Count
A 2-storey walk-up is the cheapest configuration per sqm. Adding a 3rd or 4th storey increases structural steel (columns must carry more cumulative load per NSCP 2015) and adds stair runs, and beyond 4 storeys most owners need to budget for an elevator, which is a significant added cost not reflected in the per-sqm figures above.
Water and Septic Capacity
Multi-unit buildings need a water system (overhead tank, booster pump) and septic/treatment capacity sized for many simultaneous users, not a single household — this is often underestimated in a first-pass budget and should be scoped explicitly in your structural and plumbing design.
Location
Material prices in Metro Manila run close to official reference prices; provincial and island-province projects can see 10–20% swings either way depending on freight and local supplier competition — the same pattern that applies across all AEDO's published cost guides.
These ranges are derived from AEDO's own unit-cost model, built on the same rate basis as our published house and commercial building cost guides and adjusted for rental-grade unit density. Actual cost depends on your specific unit mix, storey count, and finish spec — always get a written, itemized quote before committing to a project budget.
How much does it cost to build an apartment building in the Philippines?
A standard self-contained apartment building runs ₱25,000–₱35,000 per square meter in 2026. Bare-finish boarding houses cost less (₱18,000–₱24,000/m²), and mid-to-high-end apartments with better finishes cost more (₱35,000–₱48,000/m²).
How much does a boarding house or bedspacer unit cost?
A single bare-finish room (12–16 sqm, shared CR) typically costs ₱220,000–₱380,000. A self-contained studio apartment (22–26 sqm) typically costs ₱550,000–₱910,000.
Is a boarding house cheaper per sqm than a house?
Yes — shared-facility boarding houses are generally cheaper per square meter than a standard house. Self-contained apartments, however, land close to standard house-tier pricing because each unit needs its own kitchen and toilet.
What drives the cost up or down?
Mainly unit configuration (shared vs. self-contained facilities), storey count, water/septic capacity for multiple units, finish level, and location.
AEDO's design-build service covers structural design, unit layout, and construction under one contract, for projects located in Negros Oriental. For projects elsewhere in the Philippines, AEDO provides complete structural, architectural, and MEP design with remote engineering oversight, and can refer you to a vetted local contractor for the actual construction.