Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arbon and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $3,464 in Arbon, rent and utilities included – about $30,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

167

Cost of Living Index in Arbon
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Arbon Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Arbon

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,464

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arbon and in Cebu

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Arbon and in Cebu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,464 per month in Arbon vs $918 in Cebu, rent included.

Arbon $3,464
Cebu $918

A couple spends around $5,192 per month in Arbon vs $1,409 in Cebu, rent included.

Arbon $5,192
Cebu $1,409

A family of three spends $6,920 per month in Arbon vs $1,900 in Cebu, rent included.

Arbon $6,920
Cebu $1,900

Arbon costs about 277% more than Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Arbon sits 157% above the global median, while Cebu is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.53 CHF 24.33

$3.09 ₱194

855.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$144 CHF 118

$24.22 ₱1,525

492.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.95 CHF 15.61

$3.92 ₱247

383.42%

Cappuccino

$6.11 CHF 5.03

$2.51 ₱158

143.43%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 CHF 4.73

$1.59 ₱100

261.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 CHF 4.19

$0.53 ₱33.43

860.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.00 CHF 7.42

$1.78 ₱112

405.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 CHF 5.08

$2.17 ₱137

184.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$1.92 ₱121

12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 CHF 2.60

$1.36 ₱85.4

131.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.79 CHF 3.12

$1.01 ₱63.5

275.25%

Eggs

$7.88 CHF 6.49

$2.03 ₱128

288.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.14 CHF 20.71

$9.86 ₱621

154.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.42 CHF 23.41

$4.39 ₱277

547.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.09 CHF 33.84

$7.60 ₱479

440.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 CHF 2.82

$3.30 ₱208

3.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 CHF 1.65

$1.39 ₱87.8

43.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 CHF 1.97

$2.33 ₱147

2.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.28 CHF 4.35

$1.50 ₱94.3

252.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$2.36 ₱149

-13.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$1.90 ₱119

15.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 CHF 1.88

$1.19 ₱74.9

91.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 CHF 1.01

$0.63 ₱39.71

93.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.64 CHF 8.77

$3.00 ₱189

254.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.47 CHF 13.57

$6.03 ₱379

173.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 CHF 1.75

$1.23 ₱77.7

72.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 CHF 1.85

$1.75 ₱110

28.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.81 CHF 3.96

$0.25 ₱15.86

1824.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.0 CHF 79.1

$12.64 ₱796

659.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.50 CHF 5.35

$0.77 ₱48.62

744.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.73 CHF 3.89

$0.23 ₱14.53

1956.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.17 CHF 29.79

$4.46 ₱281

710.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$1.31 ₱82.8

74.81%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.5K CHF 28.4K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

62.18%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

105.19%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$275 CHF 227

$120 ₱7,569

129.05%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$38.11 CHF 31.39

$14.00 ₱882

172.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 CHF 44.78

$27.54 ₱1,734

97.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.0 CHF 74.1

$32.33 ₱2,035

178.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.06 CHF 32.17

$6.65 ₱419

487.37%

Cinema Ticket

$23.43 CHF 19.29

$5.65 ₱356

314.69%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,250 CHF 1,853

$275 ₱17.3K

717.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K CHF 25.8K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

295.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 118

$49.33 ₱3,106

190.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 CHF 53.6

$25.24 ₱1,589

157.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 CHF 118

$77.0 ₱4,846

86.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$177 CHF 146

$57.2 ₱3,601

210.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 CHF 1,286

$500 ₱31.5K

212.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 CHF 1,253

$309 ₱19.4K

392.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,904 CHF 2,392

$1,078 ₱67.9K

169.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,322 CHF 1,912

$615 ₱38.7K

277.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K CHF 11.5K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

382.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

612.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$11.1K CHF 9,124

$346 ₱21.8K

3102.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.9

7.2

-73.61%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Arbon: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Arbon

$1.5K 43.9%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 79.7% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Arbon

$588 17%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 65% $382

Eating Out

Arbon

$467 13.5%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 81.1% $379

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arbon

$368 10.6%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 56% $206

Clothing & Footwear

Arbon

$238 6.9%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 60.5% $144

Getting Around

Arbon

$145 4.2%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 89.3% $130

Sport & Entertainment

Arbon

$137 4%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 68.1% $93

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,561 in Arbon versus $500 in Cebu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 3102% higher in Arbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $144 in Arbon versus $24.00 in Cebu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $588 vs $206 – making Cebu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Arbon

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

12:41 12:41 PM

18:41 6:41 PM

6 h ahead of Arbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,853

964,169

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arbon Cebu 10,920 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Arbon
Cebu

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Arbon vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,464 in Arbon, $918 in Cebu – roughly 277% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,197 per month in Arbon and $1,377 in Cebu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cebu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,464 in Arbon and $918 in Cebu. That's a gap of about 277%.

Public transport costs about 660% less in Cebu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cebu, where all-in costs run around $918, than in Arbon at $3,464. In Cebu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cebu has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $918 in Cebu to $3,464 in Arbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cebu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.