Food in Anilao can cost less than ₱500 a day or more than ₱3,000 a day, and the difference comes down to where you sleep. Anilao is a coastal area in the town of Mabini, Batangas, and many of its resorts sit along a long shoreline road away from the small eateries near the port. That means a guest who has no easy ride out often ends up eating at the resort for every meal. This guide breaks down what a meal costs at each level, using published resort rate sheets and recent travel guides, so you can decide on a daily food budget before you pack.

⚡ Quick Answer

Most travelers should set aside ₱600 per person per day for simple local meals, ₱1,200 if they want restaurant lunches and dinners, or ₱2,500 or more if they will eat every meal at a dive resort.

  • Eatery meals in Anilao are listed at ₱80–₱150 in one guide and ₱150–₱250 in another, so plan for ₱350–₱850 a day with water and snacks.
  • A mix of one eatery breakfast and two mid-range restaurant meals comes to about ₱660–₱1,270 a day with one drink.
  • Buceo Anilao charges USD 40 a day (about ₱2,520) for buffet or set lunch and dinner, and buffet breakfast is already included in its room prices.
  • Blue Ribbon Divers and Buceo Anilao both include breakfast in the room rate, which removes one meal from your daily budget.
  • Local beer is listed at ₱80–₱120 and shakes or cocktails at ₱200–₱350, so drinks can cost more than an eatery meal.

How Much to Budget per Day: Three Simple Levels

Start by choosing one of the three levels below. Each figure is per person, per day, for three meals unless stated otherwise.

  • Local eateries only: ₱350–₱850. This is three eatery meals plus a ₱100 allowance for water and snacks. The ₱100 is our own planning figure, not a published price.
  • Mixed eatery and restaurant: ₱660–₱1,270. This is an eatery breakfast, a mid-range lunch, a mid-range dinner, and one beer or similar drink.
  • Resort dining: ₱1,500–₱3,600. This is three resort meals at ₱500–₱1,200 each. It drops to ₱1,000–₱2,400 if breakfast comes with your room.

If you want one safe number, use ₱600 a day for the local level and ₱1,200 a day for the mixed level. Both sit inside the ranges above and leave a little room for a price increase, which matters because prices in guides are often a year or more old by the time you travel.

What a Meal Costs at Eateries and Carinderias Near the Port

A carinderia is a small, casual eatery where cooked dishes are displayed and you point at what you want with rice. These are the cheapest places to eat in Anilao, and the ones near Anilao Port are the easiest for visitors to find.

Published prices do not fully agree, so it helps to see all of them:

The lower ₱80–₱150 range is closest to what a plain rice-and-one-dish plate costs elsewhere in the country in 2026, where recent guides for Manila and Davao list about ₱50–₱80. Expect the higher end if you add a second dish, seafood, or a soft drink. A fried fish or grilled seafood order will usually cost more than a simple meat stew, so ask the price before you order anything sold by weight.

What Mid-Range Restaurants Charge

The Lakbay Pinas guide lists mid-range restaurants at ₱250–₱500 per person. That level fits a sit-down meal with table service, usually with a main dish, rice, and a drink.

The same guide names Casa Italia, Resto Veranda, Eagle Point Resort Restaurant, and Celina's Lomi House among the places to eat around Anilao. It does not list menu prices for any of them, so check a current menu before you go. Lomi is a thick egg-noodle soup that Batangas is known for, and a bowl is a filling choice if you are watching your budget.

Plan your route before choosing a restaurant. A place that looks close on a map may need a tricycle ride along the coastal road, and that fare is not part of your food budget. Ask your resort how much a round trip costs, because paying for a ride can erase the savings from eating outside.

Published Resort Meal Rates, and What Breakfast Saves You

Resort food is where the budget climbs fastest. The Philippines Travel page lists resort buffet or set meals at ₱500–₱1,200 per meal, while Lakbay Pinas lists resort dining at ₱500 and up.

Here is what three Anilao resorts actually publish:

  • Buceo Anilao Beach and Dive Resort: Its October 2026 to June 2027 rate sheet lists buffet or set-menu lunch and dinner at USD 40 per person per day, or USD 20 per meal. That is about ₱2,520 a day or ₱1,260 per meal at roughly ₱63 to the US dollar. Buffet breakfast is included in all room prices, and an a la carte menu is also available.
  • Blue Ribbon Divers: Its 2026 price list says rooms include breakfast for two, and the cafe and restaurant open from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM. That list was marked valid through August 2026, so confirm the current terms.
  • Solitude Acacia Resort: Its 2026 full-board packages include a standard meal plan, but alcohol and food outside the plan cost extra.

A resort breakfast is worth counting. If a mid-range breakfast would have cost you ₱250, an included breakfast saves about ₱500 for a couple on each morning of the trip.

Full-Board Packages: When Paying Upfront Makes Sense

Full board means your room rate already includes your meals. Many dive resorts sell it because guests spend most of the day on boats and have little time to go out for food.

Read the meal count closely, because a package is not always three meals on every calendar day. Solitude Acacia's inclusions say dinner is only on the check-in day and breakfast is only on the check-out day. So on a one-night stay, you could receive just two meals. Its policy section also describes one breakfast, one lunch, and one dinner per person per night, so ask the resort to confirm in writing exactly which meals you get.

To compare a package with paying separately, list every meal your stay would really include. Then multiply those meals by ₱500–₱1,200, the resort meal range above. If the package adds less than that amount over a room-only rate, full board is the better deal. Full board also makes sense for divers, since a meal that is already waiting for you between boat trips saves time as well as money.

Drinks and Small Extras That Quietly Raise the Daily Total

Food budgets often break because of drinks. The Philippines Travel page lists local beer at ₱80–₱120 and cocktails or fruit shakes at ₱200–₱350. Two shakes in an afternoon can cost as much as four budget eatery meals.

Small charges add up at resorts, too. One TripAdvisor reviewer of Casa Escondida reported paying ₱50 for a bowl of cereal that was not part of the buffet, and a reviewer of Anilao Awari Bay said using its grill facility carried a ₱2,000 fee. These are guest reports, not official price lists, but they show why you should ask what is excluded.

Before arriving, ask your resort three questions: Is bottled water free in the room? Can we bring our own food and drinks? Is there a corkage fee, which is a charge for opening drinks you brought yourself? Rules differ from one resort to the next, so do not assume outside food is allowed.

Saving Money With the Public Market and Packed Island Lunches

The Mabini Public Market on F. Castillo Boulevard in the town center is the best-known place to buy fresh food in the area, and Lakbay Pinas points to it for grilled seafood. An older guide from The Poor Traveler suggests buying ingredients at the market and preparing your own food for an island trip, which still makes sense for a group renting a boat.

Boat trips are where a packed lunch helps most, since there may be no shop where you land. For comparison, Lakbay Pinas lists a Sepoc Beach day tour at about ₱2,500 per person with lunch and the boat ride. Before you buy your own food, check whether your tour already includes a meal so you do not pay twice.

Other simple ways to save are to bring a refillable bottle and snacks from your starting point, share large seafood orders, and eat your main meal at an eatery in town when you already have a ride there. Bring your trash back with you, since the coastal areas here depend on clean water.

Sample Food Budget for an Overnight Trip and for a Family

Here are three worked examples for a one-night trip, covering four meals: lunch and dinner on day one, then breakfast and lunch on day two.

  • Eatery traveler: 4 meals at ₱80–₱150 is ₱320–₱600. Add ₱200 for water and snacks over two days. Total: ₱520–₱800 per person.
  • Mixed traveler: 1 eatery breakfast at ₱80–₱150, plus 3 mid-range meals at ₱250–₱500 each, is ₱830–₱1,650. Add 2 beers at ₱80–₱120 each. Total: ₱990–₱1,890 per person.
  • Resort guest at Buceo rates: Lunch, dinner, and the next day's lunch at USD 20 each comes to USD 60, or about ₱3,780, with breakfast included in the room. Total: about ₱3,780 per person.

For a family of four, multiply the daily figure by four as a starting point: about ₱2,400 a day at ₱600 each, or ₱4,800 a day at ₱1,200 each. Young children often share plates, so the real bill may be lower.

Food is only one part of the trip. To add transport, rooms, and dive fees, see our complete Anilao trip cost breakdown or our 3-day Anilao travel budget.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much money should I bring for food in Anilao per day?

Bring about ₱600 per person per day if you plan to eat at local eateries, or about ₱1,200 if you want restaurant lunches and dinners. Budget ₱2,500 or more if every lunch and dinner will be at a dive resort, and carry some cash for small eateries near the port.

How much is a carinderia meal in Anilao?

Recent guides list carinderia or budget eatery meals in Anilao at ₱80–₱150 in one source and ₱150–₱250 in another. A plain rice meal with one dish should be near the low end, while seafood, extra dishes, or a soft drink will move your bill toward the higher figure.

Are meals included at Anilao dive resorts?

It depends on the resort and the package. Buceo Anilao includes buffet breakfast in its room prices but charges separately for lunch and dinner, while Blue Ribbon Divers includes breakfast for two. Solitude Acacia sells full-board packages, so check exactly which meals your dates cover before you pay for a booking.

How much does lunch and dinner cost at an Anilao resort?

Published resort meals generally run ₱500–₱1,200 each. Buceo Anilao's October 2026 to June 2027 rate sheet lists buffet or set lunch and dinner at USD 40 per person per day, about ₱2,520, or USD 20 for a single meal, which is about ₱1,260 at roughly ₱63 per US dollar.

Can I bring my own food to an Anilao resort?

Each resort sets its own rule, so ask before you pack a cooler. Some may allow outside food, while others may charge for it or for using a grill. One guest reported a ₱2,000 grill fee at an Anilao resort, so get the current policy and any corkage charge confirmed when booking.

Is it cheaper to eat outside the resort in Anilao?

The meal itself is usually much cheaper, since an eatery plate may cost ₱80–₱250 compared with ₱500 or more at a resort. However, some resorts are far from town along the coastal road, so add the round-trip tricycle fare before deciding whether going out actually saves you money that day.

How much are drinks in Anilao?

The Philippines Travel page lists local beer at ₱80–₱120 and cocktails or fruit shakes at ₱200–₱350. Resort prices can differ from these ranges, so check the drinks menu when you arrive. Bringing a refillable water bottle is an easy way to avoid paying repeatedly for water during a long beach day.

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Conclusion

A realistic Anilao food budget is about ₱600 a day for simple local meals, ₱1,200 a day with restaurant meals, and ₱2,500 or more at a resort. Before you settle on a number, ask your resort which meals are included, whether outside food is allowed, and how far the nearest eatery is. Because menu prices change often, treat the figures here as planning ranges, keep a small cash buffer, and confirm rates directly with your resort, such as through Buceo Anilao's published rate sheet if you are staying there.