Makati or BGC for a business trip? The facts side by side

Visitors often treat "Makati" and "BGC" as one area, but they are two business districts in two different cities. This page sets out the published facts on each, so you can choose by where your meetings are. It doesn't rank them.

Where each one is

• Makati Central Business District is in Makati City. The Makati Commercial Estate Association (MaCEA), a civic association of property owners founded in 1963, describes the district as Paseo de Roxas, Ayala Avenue, Makati Avenue and the cross streets around them, including Legazpi and Salcedo villages.
• Bonifacio Global City (BGC) is in Taguig City. BGC's own FAQ states this, and the Supreme Court settled the old boundary dispute. In a December 2021 decision, which it has since affirmed, the Court ruled that the Fort Bonifacio Military Reservation, where BGC stands, "was part of the territory of Taguig City". So a BGC address is a Taguig address, not a Makati one.

Who develops and runs them

• BGC was developed on former Fort Bonifacio land by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) with private partners. BCDA describes it as a 240-hectare development, built in partnership with Ayala Land and the Campos group. Its developer, Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation, owns properties there that include Bonifacio High Street and the Philippine Stock Exchange Tower. BGC says about 30% of its land is green space.
• Makati CBD has MaCEA as its estate association. MaCEA runs a "tri-level pedestrianization program" of overpasses, underpasses and walkways. The 1,110 m elevated walkway along De la Rosa Street in Legazpi Village is part of that network.

Getting there and between them

	Makati CBD	BGC
Rail	Ayala station (Ayala Avenue and EDSA) sits at the district's edge. Makati City has four MRT-3 stations in all: Guadalupe, Buendia, Ayala and Magallanes	Not on an MRT-3 line. BGC's FAQ lists car, taxi, ride-hailing and the BGC Bus as the ways in.
Buses	One Ayala, at the corner of Ayala Avenue and EDSA, is the Ayala stop of the EDSA Busway	BGC Bus routes inside the district, from its main terminal at EDSA Ayala and from Market! Market!
From NAIA	Taxis and Grab. As of 8 October 2026, UBE Express's route list has no Makati route.	Taxis and Grab. As of 8 October 2026, UBE Express's route list has no BGC route.
On foot	Elevated walkway, covered sidewalks and underpasses in Legazpi and Salcedo villages	BGC says most places are 5 to 15 minutes' walk apart

The BGC Bus links the two districts. Its main terminal is at EDSA Ayala, on the Telus side, and you pay with a Beep card or a QR ticket.

What we don't compare

We don't compare hotel prices, office rents, travel times or "which is better". These change all the time, and none of them has a single official figure. For travel times between your hotel and your meetings, check a live map app on the day.