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Financial Literacy

Your ₱1,000 from 2018 can only buy ₱750 worth of things today

Sep 22, 2026 · 1 min readBy KasKasan Buddies

Inflation has reduced the purchasing power of ₱1,000 from 2018 to about ₱750 today, making higher savings interest and cashback more valuable to consumers.

  • If it feels like your money does not go as far as it used to, that’s because it literally does not.
  • The government just confirmed it. Your ₱1,000 from 2018 can only buy ₱750 worth of groceries, gas, and other goods today. That is ₱250 gone without spending a single centavo.
  • This is called inflation. And right now, it is at its worst level in almost two years.

Inflation has reduced the purchasing power of ₱1,000 from 2018 to about ₱750 today, making higher savings interest and cashback more valuable to consumers.

  • If it feels like your money does not go as far as it used to, that’s because it literally does not.
  • The government just confirmed it. Your ₱1,000 from 2018 can only buy ₱750 worth of groceries, gas, and other goods today. That is ₱250 gone without spending a single centavo.
  • This is called inflation. And right now, it is at its worst level in almost two years.

If it feels like your money does not go as far as it used to, that’s because it literally does not.

The government just confirmed it. Your ₱1,000 from 2018 can only buy ₱750 worth of groceries, gas, and other goods today. That is ₱250 gone without spending a single centavo.

This is called inflation. And right now, it is at its worst level in almost two years.

Why? Fuel prices went through the roof. Diesel alone jumped nearly 60% compared to last year. And when fuel goes up, groceries, electricity, and transport follow.

The problem gets worse if your savings are just sitting in a regular bank account. Because the interest you earn there is almost nothing. Inflation is eating your money faster than your bank can grow it.

Two things you can do right now:

💰 Move your savings to a digital bank that pays higher interest. Let your money fight back.

💳 Use a cashback credit card for groceries and gas. Getting even 3% to 5% back helps offset the rising prices.

Download the KKB App to find the best options for both. 👇

https://www.kaskasanbuddies.com.ph/download?source=web 

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority, April 7, 2026.