Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Badulla and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Badulla: $543 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Badulla
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Badulla Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Badulla

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$543

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $543 in Badulla versus $918 in Cebu.

Badulla $543
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $877 in Badulla versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Badulla $877
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,211 in Badulla versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Badulla $1,211
Cebu $1,900

Living in Badulla costs roughly 41% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Badulla 60% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 LKR 1,287

$3.09 ₱194

25.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.05 LKR 8,298

$24.22 ₱1,525

3.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.37 LKR 2,442

$3.92 ₱247

88.01%

Cappuccino

$2.55 LKR 844

$2.51 ₱158

1.59%

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

$0.71 LKR 236

$1.59 ₱100

-55.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.5

$0.53 ₱33.43

-49.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 LKR 735

$1.78 ₱112

24.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 LKR 1,015

$2.17 ₱137

41.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 LKR 514

$1.92 ₱121

-19.27%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 174

$1.36 ₱85.4

-61.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.60 LKR 199

$1.01 ₱63.5

-40.59%

Eggs

$1.66 LKR 551

$2.03 ₱128

-18.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.97 LKR 4,627

$9.86 ₱621

41.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.56 LKR 1,178

$4.39 ₱277

-18.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.62 LKR 2,522

$7.60 ₱479

0.26%

Apples (1kg)

$6.65 LKR 2,202

$3.30 ₱208

101.52%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 LKR 288

$1.39 ₱87.8

-37.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.35 LKR 1,440

$2.33 ₱147

86.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 LKR 439

$1.50 ₱94.3

-11.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 LKR 329

$2.36 ₱149

-58.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 255

$1.90 ₱119

-59.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 LKR 287

$1.19 ₱74.9

-26.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 151

$0.63 ₱39.71

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.13 LKR 3,354

$3.00 ₱189

237.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.74 LKR 4,221

$6.03 ₱379

111.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 LKR 628

$1.23 ₱77.7

54.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 LKR 971

$1.75 ₱110

67.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$0.77 ₱48.62

-50.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 LKR 123

$0.23 ₱14.53

60.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 LKR 293

$4.46 ₱281

-80.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 LKR 456

$1.31 ₱82.8

5.34%

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

$36.5K LKR 12.1M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

71.90%

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

$40.7K LKR 13.5M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

112.67%

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

$57.9 LKR 19.2K

$120 ₱7,569

-51.88%

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

$4.31 LKR 1,429

$14.00 ₱882

-69.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.13 LKR 6,998

$27.54 ₱1,734

-23.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$4.49 LKR 1,488

$5.65 ₱356

-20.53%

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

$38.34 LKR 12.7K

$275 ₱17.3K

-86.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,205 LKR 399.2K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-84.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.44 LKR 6,108

$49.33 ₱3,106

-62.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.32 LKR 5,405

$25.24 ₱1,589

-35.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.2 LKR 26.6K

$77.0 ₱4,846

4.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.30 LKR 13.7K

$57.2 ₱3,601

-27.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$76.1 LKR 25.2K

$500 ₱31.5K

-84.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$44.45 LKR 14.7K

$309 ₱19.4K

-85.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.9 LKR 29.8K

$615 ₱38.7K

-85.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,542 LKR 1.5M

$2,886 ₱181.7K

57.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$742 LKR 245.8K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-61.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$224 LKR 74.3K

$346 ₱21.8K

-35.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

7.2

76.25%

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

Last update for Badulla: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Badulla

$229 42.2%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 10.2% $23

Eating Out

Badulla

$105 19.3%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 15.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Badulla

$83 15.3%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 94.2% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Badulla

$70 12.9%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 33.6% $24

Accommodation & Living

Badulla

$44 8.2%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 595% $264

Sport & Entertainment

Badulla

$9 * 1.7%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 386% $35

Getting Around

Badulla

$2.2 * 0.4%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 595% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $76.1 in Badulla and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 54% 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: $25.00 in Badulla vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $229 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Badulla

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

15:22 3:22 PM

17:52 5:52 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Badulla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,000

964,169

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 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 LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Badulla Cebu 4,720 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Badulla
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

Badulla vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Badulla is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, utilities, and leisure. The 69% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 54% lower in Cebu. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $76.1 in Badulla versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $38.34 in Badulla versus $275 in Cebu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Badulla – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $24.00 in Cebu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Badulla gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

Safety-wise, Badulla 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 Badulla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.