Yet a recent study by e-commerce platform iPrice showed that entry-level jobs related to digital and technology fields earn incomes relatively higher than minimum wage levels in the Philippines. Using data available from Payscale, the iPrice study found junior IT technicians averaging at PHP 15,000 per month. However, iPrice noted that the average monthly rent for one bedroom apartment in five major central business districts (CBDs) in Metro Manila would be around PHP 32,500, higher than any of the digital-related entry-level jobs earlier mentioned, and nearly triple the minimum wage. "If Filipino entry-level workers aspire to live independently at an early age like some of their Asian peers in Singapore or Malaysia, then it may be very difficult or even uncomfortable," stated iPrice, citing that they used data available from Numbeo to ascertain the average rent costs in Makati, Pasig, Taguig, Quezon City, and Manila. iPrice has released a series of studies that reveal notable changes in online consumer behavior for 2021. iPrice Group is a meta-search website operating in seven countries across Southeast Asia, specifically in the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Hong Kong. According to the iPrice group, laptops and smartphones have been the most popular items in online shopping in Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Read more in our articles including "High-paying entry-level IT Jobs in demand; still NOT enough" and "iPrice: Laptops, smartphones are the most browsed items in online shopping in PH (2021)".
