Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arklow and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,624 in Arklow, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Arklow
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Arklow Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Arklow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,624

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arklow 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 Arklow and in Cebu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,624 per month in Arklow vs $918 in Cebu, rent included.

Arklow $2,624
Cebu $918

A couple spends around $3,680 per month in Arklow vs $1,409 in Cebu, rent included.

Arklow $3,680
Cebu $1,409

A family of three spends $4,737 per month in Arklow vs $1,900 in Cebu, rent included.

Arklow $4,737
Cebu $1,900

Arklow costs about 186% more than Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Arklow sits 94% above the global median, while Cebu is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.34 €19.84

$3.09 ₱194

622.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 €79.5

$24.22 ₱1,524

269.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 €9.99

$3.92 ₱246

186.99%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.66

$2.51 ₱158

64.14%

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

$2.93 €2.60

$1.59 ₱100

84.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$0.53 ₱33.42

324.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 €4.86

$1.78 ₱112

207.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 €4.58

$2.17 ₱137

137.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.92 ₱121

-11.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.36 ₱85.4

63.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.01 ₱63.5

88.12%

Eggs

$4.64 €4.12

$2.03 ₱128

128.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.19 €12.60

$9.86 ₱621

43.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.17 €11.69

$4.39 ₱276

200.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.67 €14.80

$7.60 ₱478

119.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$3.30 ₱208

-1.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$1.39 ₱87.7

108.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.33 ₱147

46.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 €4.18

$1.50 ₱94.2

213.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 €2.09

$2.36 ₱149

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.90 ₱119

-3.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.19 ₱74.9

21.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.63 ₱39.69

241.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.31 €18.04

$3.00 ₱189

577.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 €12.07

$6.03 ₱379

125.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.08 €3.62

$1.23 ₱77.6

231.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.20

$1.75 ₱110

106.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 €2.14

$0.25 ₱15.85

860.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱795

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 €4.60

$0.77 ₱48.59

572.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.23 ₱14.52

569.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.30 €29.57

$4.46 ₱280

646.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.31 ₱82.8

61.83%

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

$38.8K €34.4K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

82.59%

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

$37.3K €33.1K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

94.83%

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

$240 €213

$120 ₱7,566

99.53%

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

$22.10 €19.62

$14.00 ₱881

57.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.2 €49.00

$27.54 ₱1,733

100.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.5 €51.1

$32.33 ₱2,034

77.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱418

Cinema Ticket

$13.58 €12.06

$5.65 ₱355

140.35%

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

$1,066 €947

$275 ₱17.3K

287.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,404 €4,800

$7,918 ₱498.3K

-31.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.9 €83.4

$49.33 ₱3,105

90.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.32 €38.47

$25.24 ₱1,589

71.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.5

$77.0 ₱4,844

38.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$57.2 ₱3,600

106.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 €1,391

$500 ₱31.4K

213.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 €1,176

$309 ₱19.4K

328.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,857 €2,538

$1,078 ₱67.8K

165.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 €1,616

$615 ₱38.7K

195.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,863 €4,319

$346 ₱21.8K

1305.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

7.2

-42.50%

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

Last update for Arklow: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arklow

$1.3K 50.5%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 76.7% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Arklow

$392 14.9%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 47.5% $186

Eating Out

Arklow

$320 12.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 72.4% $232

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arklow

$317 12.1%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 49% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Arklow

$163 6.2%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 42.3% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Arklow

$85 3.2%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 48.5% $41

Getting Around

Arklow

$23 * 0.9%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 30.9% $7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,566 in Arklow 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 1306% higher in Arklow, 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 $89.0 in Arklow versus $24.00 in Cebu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $206 – making Cebu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Arklow

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

08:49 8:49 AM

15:49 3:49 PM

7 h ahead of Arklow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,399

964,169

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.93 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.86 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arklow Cebu 11,550 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Arklow
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

Arklow vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,624 in Arklow, $918 in Cebu – roughly 186% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,936 per month in Arklow 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Arklow and $24.00 in Cebu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 90% more in Arklow, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cebu, where all-in costs run around $918, than in Arklow at $2,624. In Cebu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arklow 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 $2,624 in Arklow. 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, Arklow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.