This guide explains the gold price in Philippines: how it is calculated, why it is quoted in Philippine pesos (PHP), which karats Filipinos buy, and where to buy gold in Manila, San Juan and Cebu City. First, the most important fact: there is no separate Philippine gold price. Gold trades at one global price per troy ounce, converted into pesos at the live USD/PHP exchange rate. When it moves, it is because the spot price moved, the peso moved against the dollar, or both.
How the gold price in Philippines is calculated
First, the global spot price: gold trades worldwide at one price per troy ounce in US dollars. One troy ounce is 31.1034768 grams, so divide the spot price by 31.1034768 to get one gram of pure (24K) gold in dollars.
Second, the exchange rate: that dollar price per gram is converted into pesos at the live USD/PHP rate. The result is the gold price per gram in the Philippines, and the karat fraction gives lower karats — 18K is 18/24 pure, so its price per gram is three quarters of the 24K price.
That is exactly how the Gold Price in Philippines page on ToolZana works: it takes the live USD spot price from AlyawmGold, converts it at the live PHP rate, and shows the price per gram, per troy ounce and per kilogram in PHP — the raw spot rate before dealer charges.
The peso and how gold is quoted
The currency is the Philippine peso, PHP, symbol ₱. Gold is quoted per gram, by karat — always confirm which karat a quoted rate applies to before comparing shops, since an 18K rate and a 21K rate price different amounts of pure gold.
Because the Philippine price is a conversion, the exchange rate matters as much as the gold market: if the peso weakens, the gold price in Philippines rises in pesos even while the global price is flat; if the peso strengthens, the price falls. Check the live rate on the day you buy — the Gold Price in Philippines page does the conversion for you.
Retail jewellery is discussed per gram; the spot price is quoted per troy ounce (31.1034768 grams). The tola (11.6638 grams) is not a unit Philippine shops use.
Karats in the Philippines
In the Philippines, 18K is the standard for most shop-bought fine jewellery — rings, chains, earrings and bangles in 18K gold, 75% pure (hallmark 750), hard enough for everyday wear.
21K “Saudi gold” is also very common, especially among OFW families: 87.5% pure (hallmark 875), so it holds more pure gold per gram than 18K and costs more per gram. The name comes from gold brought home by overseas Filipino workers from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf.
24K gold is mainly bullion and investment — bars and coins bought to hold value rather than to wear. As pure gold, 24K is the reference purity, and the price for 18K or 21K follows from the karat fraction. A 10-gram piece of 18K gold holds 7.5 grams of pure gold; a 10-gram piece of 21K holds 8.75 grams — check any piece with the Gold Weight and Purity Calculator.
Where to buy gold in the Philippines
The Philippines has no single national gold souq. Gold buying concentrates in a few places: a historic gold street in Manila, a gold-centre building near it, a mall complex in San Juan, and a downtown cluster in Cebu City.
Ongpin Street, Binondo, Manila
Ongpin Street, Binondo, Manila — in the world’s oldest Chinatown — is the Philippines’ best-known gold market. Rows of goldsmiths and jewellers sell necklaces, earrings, rings, bangles, coins and custom work by weight and purity (24K, 21K, 18K). Ask the day’s per-gram rate for your karat, and get an official receipt stating weight and karat. Named shops include Ty Po Huat Goldsmith, 811 Ongpin Street (Monday to Saturday, 11:00 AM–5:00 PM); China Goldsmith, 932 Ongpin Street; and Gold Gallery, 1008–1019 Ongpin Street (Monday to Saturday, 10:00 AM–6:30 PM). Street hours vary by shop. Google Maps.
Chinatown Gold Center, Manila
Near Ongpin Street, the Chinatown Gold Center is a building of many small stalls selling gold and diamond jewellery, repairs and custom work, including Amorene Jewelry (Stall G20) and Yovs Jewelry (Stall M21). It is at 509–11 Ronquillo Street, Sta. Cruz, Manila, fronting Sta. Cruz Church. Listing hours are Sunday to Saturday, 9:00 AM–6:00 PM (indicative only). Google Maps.
Greenhills Shopping Center, San Juan
Greenhills Shopping Center, 1502 Ortigas Avenue, Greenhills, San Juan City, Metro Manila, is a large mall complex known for pearls and jewellery stalls, with the jewellery section on the 2nd Floor of Shoppesville. Note: Greenhills is in San Juan, not Manila city. Small jewellers here sell 14K and 18K fine jewellery, South Sea pearls, diamonds and 18K “Saudi gold” pieces, including A. Bernardo’s Jewelry on the 2nd Floor of Shoppesville. Mall hours are Monday to Thursday 10:00 AM–9:00 PM and Friday to Sunday 10:00 AM–10:00 PM; individual stalls may differ. Google Maps.
Downtown Cebu — Colon Street and Osmeña Boulevard
In Cebu City, gold buying concentrates downtown, around Colon Street and Osmeña Boulevard — scattered gold, jewellery and pawn shops, not a named gold souq; no source calls Colon Street a dedicated gold street. The anchor is Oro China Jewelry, Colon branch, 170 S. Osmeña Boulevard, Kalubihan, Cebu City — established in 1967, selling handmade 18K gold, diamonds and repairs (Monday to Saturday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM). Nearby: Nelson Jewelry on Colon Street, Ginros Gems and Jewels in Colonnade Mall on Colon Street, and Gold Palace Jewelry, 168 Osmeña Boulevard. Google Maps.
Two more buying routes: Karat World, one of the largest jewellery chains in the Philippines (nearly 30 stores, 35+ years), has its flagship on Level 3, One Ayala, Makati City, and a store on the 2nd Floor of Glorietta 3. Cebuana Lhuillier Jewelry sells pre-loved, appraised, pawnable gold jewellery (14K, 18K, 21K) and certified gold bars, in branches nationwide and online — a pre-loved sale of unredeemed pawned jewellery, not a public auction. Palawan Pawnshop also sells gold jewellery on select branches.
What you will actually pay in a Philippine shop
The price on the Gold Price in Philippines page is the raw spot rate. The price you pay in a shop is usually higher: shops add making charges, labour and margin — the part you can negotiate, since the spot price is the same for everyone.
Before you buy, work out the metal value with the Gold Value Calculator and compare it with the shop’s total price; the difference is what you pay for craftsmanship and the shop itself. If quotes use different units, use the Gold Price per Gram, Tola and Ounce Converter to put both on the same unit first. On tax: VAT-registered jewellers generally charge 12% VAT, usually already included in the displayed price; small non-VAT sellers and private sales may differ — ask whether a quote includes VAT before comparing shops.
Buying tips for the Philippines
- Check the live price on the day you buy, and value the piece first with the Gold Value Calculator.
- Ask the day’s per-gram rate for your karat — and confirm whether the quote already includes VAT.
- Check the hallmark — 18K is usually stamped 18K or 750, 21K “Saudi gold” 21K or 875. If a piece is unmarked, have it tested first.
- Weigh the piece and check the pure-gold content with the Gold Weight and Purity Calculator — stones add weight without adding gold.
- Compare two or three shops before you buy — on Ongpin Street the shops are side by side.
- Get an official receipt stating weight and karat — you will need it to resell the piece.
- Match the place to the purchase: Ongpin Street for goldsmiths, the Chinatown Gold Center for comparing stalls, Greenhills for pearls and “Saudi gold”, Cebu for the Colon Street shops.
For the live price, start at the ToolZana home page or the gold price in Philippines — and compare the per-gram rate in two or three shops first.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the gold price in Philippines today?
The live gold price in Philippines is shown in PHP on the Gold Price in Philippines page, per gram, troy ounce and kilogram, with the last-updated time.
How is the gold price in Philippines calculated?
From one global spot price per troy ounce in US dollars, converted into pesos at the live USD/PHP rate. The Gold Price in Philippines page does it automatically.
Why does the gold price in Philippines change when the dollar moves?
Because the Philippine price is the dollar spot price converted into pesos. If the peso weakens, the gold price in Philippines rises in pesos even when the global price is flat.
Which karat of gold is best to buy in the Philippines?
For jewellery, 18K is the standard — 75% pure gold, hard enough for everyday wear. 21K “Saudi gold” is also common. For bars and coins, 24K is usual.
What is the 24K gold price per gram in the Philippines?
The live 24K gold price per gram is shown in PHP on the Gold Price in Philippines page — check the last-updated time, not a figure from an article.
Where is the best place to buy gold in the Philippines?
Ongpin Street in Binondo, Manila, is the best-known gold market. Greenhills in San Juan is known for jewellery stalls, pearls and “Saudi gold”; downtown Cebu has jewellers around Colon Street and Osmeña Boulevard.
Is gold quoted per gram or per troy ounce in the Philippines?
Retail jewellery is usually quoted per gram, by karat; the spot price is quoted per troy ounce (31.1034768 grams). The tola is not used in Philippine shops.
What is the difference between the spot price and the shop price in the Philippines?
The spot price is the raw market rate; shops add making charges, labour and margin, so the shop price is usually higher. Work out the metal value with the Gold Value Calculator first.
Does the gold price in Philippines differ by city?
No. One national derivation — the global spot price converted at the live USD/PHP rate — covers the whole country. Shop prices differ by making charges and margins, not by city.
How do I calculate the value of my gold in the Philippines?
Enter the weight and karat in the Gold Value Calculator for the metal value before dealer charges; the Gold Weight and Purity Calculator gives the pure-gold weight alone.