Cost to Move to the Philippines from the USA
The US–Philippines lane is unusually well served for its size, largely because of decades of returning-resident and balikbayan traffic. Freight is reasonable; the variable is which duty exemption you qualify for, and that depends on your status rather than on your shipment.
What it costs
Door-to-door sea and air freight ranges from New York to the Philippines, by home size. Ranges include origin services, freight, destination services and routine clearance. They are planning figures, not quotes — a firm price needs a survey of your home.
| Home size | Sea freight | Air freight |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $3,520 – $5,500 | $7,040 – $15,400 |
| 1 bedroom | $4,950 – $8,250 | $9,900 – $23,100 |
| 2 bedrooms | $7,700 – $13,200 | $15,400 – $36,960 |
| 3 bedrooms | $11,000 – $17,600 | $22,000 – $49,280 |
| 4 bedrooms | $14,850 – $24,200 | $29,700 – $67,760 |
| 5+ bedrooms | $19,800 – $33,000 | $39,600 – $92,400 |
Delivery outside Metro Manila or Cebu is where quotes diverge. An address in a provincial town or on another island adds a domestic leg — sometimes an inter-island ferry — and that leg is priced separately from the ocean freight. Give the exact destination address when you ask for quotes, not just the country.
Price your own move — pick your origin city and home size and the calculator will give you a range in a few seconds, with no contact details required.
How long it takes
5–8 weeks door to door from the West Coast, 7–10 from the East. Bureau of Customs clearance at Manila can add time, and provincial delivery adds a domestic leg on top.
Customs and duty
Returning residents and visa-based exemptions
Which relief applies depends on who is moving. Returning residents — Filipinos who have lived abroad — have duty and tax exemption bands for used personal and household effects, with the allowance scaled to how long you were away. Foreign nationals moving on a qualifying resident or work visa can generally import used household goods free of duty, with the visa itself as the basis. Either way the Bureau of Customs works from a detailed, valued inventory, and this is a route where using a moving company experienced in Philippine clearance genuinely changes the outcome.
Customs requirements change and are applied at the discretion of the authorities at the border. Treat this as orientation, not advice — confirm current requirements with your moving company or the destination’s customs authority before you ship.
What you cannot ship to the Philippines
- Used motor vehicles are effectively prohibited without a specific import authority; do not assume you can ship a car.
- Firearms require Philippine National Police authorisation arranged in advance.
- Commercial quantities of anything — the same item repeated many times — will be treated as imports for sale and taxed.
- Provincial and inter-island delivery is a separate charge from the ocean freight.
Common questions
What is the difference between a balikbayan box and a household shipment?
A balikbayan box is a small consolidated parcel service with its own allowances, suited to sending belongings ahead in modest quantities. A household goods shipment is a container or a share of one, moving the contents of a home. They are different products with different paperwork, and for an actual relocation it is the latter you want.
Can I ship my car to the Philippines?
Realistically, no. Used vehicle imports are restricted and require a specific authority that is not granted routinely. Plan on selling the car before you leave.
How long does Bureau of Customs clearance take?
It varies more than it does in Europe, and a complete valued inventory with the right status documentation is what shortens it. Build some slack into your expectations for arrival at Manila.
What will your move to the Philippines cost?
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