Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balzan and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,963 in Balzan, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Balzan
Learn more

Balzan Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Balzan

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,963

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,963 per month in Balzan vs $934 in Cebu, rent included.

Balzan $1,963
Cebu $934

A couple spends around $2,917 per month in Balzan vs $1,415 in Cebu, rent included.

Balzan $2,917
Cebu $1,415

A family of three spends $3,871 per month in Balzan vs $1,896 in Cebu, rent included.

Balzan $3,871
Cebu $1,896

Balzan costs about 110% more than Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Balzan sits 46% above the global median, while Cebu is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.07 €17.02

$3.03 ₱190

529.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 €81.7

$23.48 ₱1,473

289.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 €11.09

$4.09 ₱256

203.91%

Cappuccino

$3.22 €2.87

$2.52 ₱158

27.78%

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

$2.02 €1.80

$1.54 ₱96.9

31.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$0.49 ₱30.98

106.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 €3.02

$1.79 ₱112

88.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.24

$2.26 ₱142

11.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.95 ₱122

-34.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 €0.89

$1.43 ₱89.7

-30.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.63 €3.24

$1.02 ₱63.8

255.88%

Eggs

$4.26 €3.81

$2.06 ₱129

106.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.45 €9.33

$9.81 ₱615

6.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.05 €8.08

$4.61 ₱289

96.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.43 €11.09

$7.70 ₱483

61.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 €2.39

$3.31 ₱207

-19.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.45 ₱90.9

36.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.36 ₱148

-23.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.54 ₱96.4

-24.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 €0.79

$2.36 ₱148

-62.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 €0.77

$1.99 ₱125

-56.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.15 ₱72.1

-27.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$0.67 ₱42.15

52.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.23 €5.56

$3.00 ₱188

107.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.90 €5.27

$6.35 ₱398

-7.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.94

$1.31 ₱81.9

-19.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.73 ₱108

-12.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.19 €2.84

$0.25 ₱15.78

1176.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 €2.05

$0.74 ₱46.32

210.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 €1.59

$0.21 ₱13.11

747.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.65 €29.14

$4.33 ₱271

654.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.33 ₱83.5

12.78%

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

$28.7K €25.6K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

31.86%

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

$32.8K €29.3K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

68.97%

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

$158 €141

$121 ₱7,563

30.85%

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

$20.27 €18.09

$14.45 ₱907

40.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.53 €26.36

$28.29 ₱1,774

4.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.4 €55.7

$32.68 ₱2,050

90.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

Cinema Ticket

$11.75 €10.49

$5.46 ₱342

115.20%

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

$279 €249

$273 ₱17.1K

2.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K €11.1K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

52.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.4 €68.2

$49.57 ₱3,109

54.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.3 €56.4

$24.87 ₱1,560

154.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €101

$76.6 ₱4,804

47.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

$59.3 ₱3,717

125.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 €1,044

$506 ₱31.7K

131.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$949 €847

$309 ₱19.4K

206.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,804 €1,610

$1,052 ₱66.0K

71.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,504 €1,342

$619 ₱38.8K

142.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,953 €3,527

$2,915 ₱182.9K

35.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,826 €2,522

$1,867 ₱117.1K

51.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,019 €909

$341 ₱21.4K

198.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

7.2

-43.75%

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

Last update for Balzan: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Balzan

$949 48.7%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 67.4% $639

Eating Out

Balzan

$263 13.5%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 66.3% $174

Groceries & Markets

Balzan

$247 12.7%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 14.7% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balzan

$208 10.7%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 21.3% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Balzan

$174 8.9%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 45.6% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Balzan

$86 4.4%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 49.2% $42

Getting Around

Balzan

$24 * 1.2%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 35.5% $8.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,170 in Balzan versus $506 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 199% higher in Balzan, 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 $92.0 in Balzan versus $23.00 in Cebu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $247 vs $210 – making Cebu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Balzan

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

10:14 10:14 AM

16:14 4:14 PM

6 h ahead of Balzan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,700

964,169

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Balzan Cebu 11,040 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Balzan
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

Balzan vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,963 in Balzan, $934 in Cebu – roughly 110% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,944 per month in Balzan and $1,401 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 $92.0 in Balzan and $23.00 in Cebu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Balzan, 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 $934, than in Balzan at $1,963. In Cebu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Balzan 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 $934 in Cebu to $1,963 in Balzan. 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, Balzan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.