Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashkelon and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,394 in Ashkelon, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Ashkelon
🇮🇱 Israel
$2,394
/mo nomad
Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,394 in Ashkelon versus $918 in Cebu.

  • Ashkelon $2,394
  • Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,551 in Ashkelon versus $1,409 in Cebu.

  • Ashkelon $3,551
  • Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,708 in Ashkelon versus $1,900 in Cebu.

  • Ashkelon $4,708
  • Cebu $1,900

Living in Ashkelon is roughly 161% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ashkelon is 77% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ashkelon
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$23.07 ₪71.8
$3.09 ₱195
646.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$81.0 ₪252
$24.22 ₱1,525
234.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$17.60 ₪54.8
$3.92 ₱247
348.98%
Cappuccino
$4.58 ₪14.25
$2.51 ₱158
82.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.26 ₪10.15
$1.59 ₱100
105.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.80 ₪8.71
$0.53 ₱33.45
428.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$12.10 ₪37.63
$1.78 ₱112
579.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.69 ₪23.93
$2.17 ₱137
254.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ashkelon
Cebu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.35 ₪7.32
$1.92 ₱121
22.40%
White Bread (500g)
$2.68 ₪8.34
$1.36 ₱85.5
97.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.01 ₪9.35
$1.01 ₱63.6
198.02%
Eggs
$4.57 ₪14.21
$2.03 ₱128
125.12%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$21.56 ₪67.1
$9.86 ₱621
118.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.94 ₪40.26
$4.39 ₱277
194.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$25.38 ₪79.0
$7.60 ₱479
233.95%
Apples (1kg)
$4.13 ₪12.86
$3.30 ₱208
25.15%
Banana (1kg)
$3.18 ₪9.91
$1.39 ₱87.8
128.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.27 ₪7.05
$2.33 ₱147
-2.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.22 ₪10.03
$1.50 ₱94.3
114.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.60 ₪4.99
$2.36 ₱149
-32.20%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 ₪6.20
$1.90 ₱119
4.74%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.66 ₪8.27
$1.19 ₱74.9
123.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 ₪2.93
$0.63 ₱39.73
49.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.77 ₪42.84
$3.00 ₱189
359.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.65 ₪36.23
$6.03 ₱380
93.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.58 ₪8.02
$1.23 ₱77.7
109.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 ₪6.12
$1.75 ₱110
12.57%
🚌 Getting Around
Ashkelon
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.53 ₪7.88
$0.25 ₱15.87
912.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.33 ₪138
$12.64 ₱796
250.71%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$11.17 ₪34.76
$0.77 ₱48.64
1350.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.67 ₪5.20
$0.23 ₱14.54
626.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.23 ₪122
$4.46 ₱281
779.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.64 ₪8.20
$1.31 ₱82.8
101.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$57.8K ₪179.8K
$21.2K ₱1.3M
172.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$56.8K ₪176.7K
$19.1K ₱1.2M
196.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ashkelon
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$214 ₪667
$120 ₱7,573
78.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.73 ₪36.49
$14.00 ₱882
-16.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.41 ₪129
$27.54 ₱1,735
50.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ashkelon
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.93 ₪143
$32.33 ₱2,036
42.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$32.25 ₪100
$6.65 ₱419
384.96%
Cinema Ticket
$16.56 ₪51.5
$5.65 ₱356
193.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ashkelon
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,220 ₪3,797
$275 ₱17.3K
343.24%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$7,918 ₱498.8K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ashkelon
Cebu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$107 ₪334
$49.33 ₱3,107
117.33%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$75.6 ₪235
$25.24 ₱1,590
199.41%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 ₪352
$77.0 ₱4,848
46.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$146 ₪453
$57.2 ₱3,603
154.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ashkelon
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,144 ₪3,560
$500 ₱31.5K
129.05%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$961 ₪2,989
$309 ₱19.5K
211.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,798 ₪5,595
$1,078 ₱67.9K
66.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,470 ₪4,575
$615 ₱38.8K
139.01%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,741 ₪17.9K
$2,886 ₱181.8K
98.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,602 ₪17.4K
$1,917 ₱120.7K
192.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ashkelon
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,977 ₪9,263
$346 ₱21.8K
760.60%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.98
7.2
-30.83%

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

Last update for Ashkelon: 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
Ashkelon
$961
Cebu
$309 67.9% $652
Groceries & Markets
Ashkelon
$422
Cebu
$206 51.2% $216
Eating Out
Ashkelon
$392
Cebu
$88 77.5% $304
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ashkelon
$267
Cebu
$162 39.5% $106
Clothing & Footwear
Ashkelon
$199
Cebu
$94 52.7% $105
Sport & Entertainment
Ashkelon
$79
Cebu
$44 44.8% $35
Getting Around
Ashkelon
$74
Cebu
$16 79% $58

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,144 in Ashkelon and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashkelon pays 761% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $81.0 in Ashkelon vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $422 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇱 Ashkelon
🇵🇭 Cebu
🕒 Local time
12:31 12:31 PM
17:31 5:31 PM
5 h ahead of Ashkelon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
152,439
964,169
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to ILS – Israeli New Shekel Converter

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ashkelon Cebu 9,350 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ashkelon
  • 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
Ashkelon vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ashkelon or Cebu?
Cebu wins on cost – living expenses run 161% lower than in Ashkelon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cebu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Ashkelon or in Cebu?
Average pay runs 761% higher in Ashkelon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Ashkelon compared to Cebu?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,144 in Ashkelon versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Ashkelon and in Cebu?
Dining out is cheaper in Cebu – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $81.0 in Ashkelon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Ashkelon compared to Cebu?
All in, you'll spend $2,394 per month in Ashkelon versus $918 in Cebu – a 161% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Ashkelon or in Cebu?
At $918 in Cebu versus $2,394 in Ashkelon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Ashkelon. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Ashkelon or Cebu?
Both work as nomad bases, but Cebu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $918 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cebu hard to pass up.
How safe is Ashkelon compared to Cebu?
Safety-wise, Ashkelon 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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 161% less than in Ashkelon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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