Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arrest and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,692 in Arrest, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Arrest
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Arrest Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Arrest

🇫🇷 France

$1,692

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Arrest versus $918 in Cebu.

Arrest $1,692
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,690 in Arrest versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Arrest $2,690
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,687 in Arrest versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Arrest $3,687
Cebu $1,900

Living in Arrest is roughly 84% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Arrest is 25% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.07 €15.18

$3.09 ₱194

452.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.5 €49.39

$24.22 ₱1,525

129.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.59 €12.09

$3.92 ₱247

246.68%

Cappuccino

$2.92 €2.60

$2.51 ₱158

16.33%

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

$3.06 €2.72

$1.59 ₱100

92.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$0.53 ₱33.43

290.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.32 €7.40

$1.78 ₱112

367.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.43 €4.83

$2.17 ₱137

150.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.14

$1.92 ₱121

-32.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.36 ₱85.4

24.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.01 ₱63.5

153.47%

Eggs

$3.97 €3.53

$2.03 ₱128

95.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 €9.02

$9.86 ₱621

2.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.97 €10.65

$4.39 ₱277

172.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.82 €14.07

$7.60 ₱479

108.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 €2.68

$3.30 ₱208

-8.48%

Banana (1kg)

$3.00 €2.67

$1.39 ₱87.8

115.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 €1.27

$2.33 ₱147

-38.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 €3.70

$1.50 ₱94.3

177.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.58

$2.36 ₱149

-24.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.90 ₱119

5.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 €1.42

$1.19 ₱74.9

34.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.16 €0.14

$0.63 ₱39.71

-74.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.68 €11.28

$3.00 ₱189

322.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.46 €4.86

$6.03 ₱379

-9.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.23 ₱77.7

18.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.75 ₱110

-6.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 €1.68

$0.25 ₱15.86

652.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.07 €36.53

$12.64 ₱796

224.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 €2.04

$0.77 ₱48.62

197.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.23 ₱14.53

395.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.24

$4.46 ₱281

637.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.31 ₱82.8

66.41%

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

$34.3K €30.5K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

61.62%

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

$36.3K €32.3K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

89.38%

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

$207 €184

$120 ₱7,569

72.15%

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

$32.86 €29.23

$14.00 ₱882

134.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.63 €28.13

$27.54 ₱1,734

14.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.48 €33.34

$32.33 ₱2,035

15.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$15.53 €13.82

$5.65 ₱356

174.87%

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

$899 €799

$275 ₱17.3K

226.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,786 €8,705

$7,918 ₱498.5K

23.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$129 €114

$49.33 ₱3,106

160.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.89 €41.71

$25.24 ₱1,589

85.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.1

$77.0 ₱4,846

33.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 €141

$57.2 ₱3,601

176.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$806 €717

$500 ₱31.5K

61.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 €464

$309 ₱19.4K

68.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,433 €1,275

$1,078 ₱67.9K

32.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 €1,023

$615 ₱38.7K

87.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,381 €3,897

$2,886 ₱181.7K

51.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,174 €2,823

$1,917 ₱120.7K

65.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.9

7.2

-45.83%

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

Last update for Arrest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arrest

$522 30.8%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 40.8% $213

Groceries & Markets

Arrest

$292 17.3%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 29.6% $87

Eating Out

Arrest

$285 16.9%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 69.1% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arrest

$271 16%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 40.4% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Arrest

$196 11.6%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 52.1% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Arrest

$69 4.1%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 36.4% $25

Getting Around

Arrest

$57 3.4%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 72.5% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $806 in Arrest and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56.0 in Arrest vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Arrest

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

18:22 6:22 PM

00:22 12:22 AM

6 h ahead of Arrest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

900

964,169

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 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 = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arrest Cebu 11,290 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Arrest
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

Arrest vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 84% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,539 in Arrest and $1,377 in Cebu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $806 in Arrest versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $899 in Arrest versus $275 in Cebu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Arrest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,692 in Arrest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Arrest. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Arrest, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Arrest and Cebu are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 84% less than in Arrest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.