Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asahikawa and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,159 in Asahikawa, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. The total is higher in Asahikawa despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in Asahikawa
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Asahikawa Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Asahikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,159

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,159 per month in Asahikawa vs $918 in Cebu, rent included.

Asahikawa $1,159
Cebu $918

A couple spends around $1,832 per month in Asahikawa vs $1,409 in Cebu, rent included.

Asahikawa $1,832
Cebu $1,409

A family of three spends $2,506 per month in Asahikawa vs $1,900 in Cebu, rent included.

Asahikawa $2,506
Cebu $1,900

Asahikawa costs about 26% more than Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Asahikawa and Cebu are more affordable than the global median – Asahikawa 14% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.40 ¥853

$3.09 ₱194

74.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.56 ¥5,618

$24.22 ₱1,525

46.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 ¥873

$3.92 ₱247

41.07%

Cappuccino

$2.94 ¥465

$2.51 ₱158

17.13%

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

$1.16 ¥184

$1.59 ₱100

-27.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥120

$0.53 ₱33.43

43.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 ¥451

$1.78 ₱112

60.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 ¥544

$2.17 ₱137

58.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ¥255

$1.92 ₱121

-16.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ¥240

$1.36 ₱85.4

11.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.77 ¥595

$1.01 ₱63.5

273.27%

Eggs

$2.06 ¥326

$2.03 ₱128

1.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.07 ¥1,749

$9.86 ₱621

12.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 ¥944

$4.39 ₱277

36.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.60 ¥2,938

$7.60 ₱479

144.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 ¥545

$3.30 ₱208

4.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 ¥372

$1.39 ₱87.8

69.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 ¥448

$2.33 ₱147

21.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 ¥747

$1.50 ₱94.3

215.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 ¥360

$2.36 ₱149

-3.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 ¥413

$1.90 ₱119

37.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ¥181

$1.19 ₱74.9

-3.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥138

$0.63 ₱39.71

38.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 ¥705

$3.00 ₱189

48.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.16 ¥1,130

$6.03 ₱379

18.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥277

$1.23 ₱77.7

43.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥358

$1.75 ₱110

29.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ¥204

$0.25 ₱15.86

416.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.6 ¥9,570

$12.64 ₱796

379.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 ¥531

$0.77 ₱48.62

336.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.74 ¥433

$0.23 ₱14.53

1091.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.41 ¥2,751

$4.46 ₱281

290.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.31 ₱82.8

-19.08%

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

$21.9K ¥3.5M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

3.28%

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

$13.5K ¥2.1M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

-29.53%

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

$117 ¥18.5K

$120 ₱7,569

-2.63%

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

$25.69 ¥4,059

$14.00 ₱882

83.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.71 ¥4,378

$27.54 ₱1,734

0.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.78 ¥7,864

$32.33 ₱2,035

53.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$13.53 ¥2,138

$5.65 ₱356

139.47%

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

$500 ¥79.0K

$275 ₱17.3K

81.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K ¥1.9M

$7,918 ₱498.5K

53.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.15 ¥7,607

$49.33 ₱3,106

-2.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.48 ¥5,290

$25.24 ₱1,589

32.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.1 ¥10.4K

$77.0 ₱4,846

-14.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.5 ¥13.5K

$57.2 ₱3,601

49.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥71.6K

$500 ₱31.5K

-9.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$306 ¥48.3K

$309 ₱19.4K

-1.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 ¥174.4K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

2.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 ¥101.1K

$615 ₱38.7K

4.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,448 ¥702.8K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

54.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,801 ¥284.5K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-6.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

7.2

-69.31%

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

Last update for Asahikawa: 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

Asahikawa

$306 26.4%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 1% $3.1

Groceries & Markets

Asahikawa

$295 25.4%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 30.1% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asahikawa

$170 14.7%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 5.1% $8.7

Eating Out

Asahikawa

$124 10.7%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 28.8% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Asahikawa

$105 9.1%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 10.5% $11

Getting Around

Asahikawa

$83 7.1%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 81.2% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Asahikawa

$77 6.6%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 43.2% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $453 in Asahikawa 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36.00 in Asahikawa versus $24.00 in Cebu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $206 – making Cebu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Asahikawa

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

09:47 9:47 AM

08:47 8:47 AM

1 h behind Asahikawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

329,306

964,169

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Asahikawa Cebu 4,130 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Asahikawa
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

Asahikawa vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,159 in Asahikawa, $918 in Cebu – roughly 26% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,739 per month in Asahikawa 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.

Public transport costs about 379% less in Cebu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $500 per month in Asahikawa and $275 in Cebu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cebu, where all-in costs run around $918, than in Asahikawa at $1,159. In Cebu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Asahikawa 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 $1,159 in Asahikawa. 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, Asahikawa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.