Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Banda Aceh and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Banda Aceh: $320 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Banda Aceh
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Banda Aceh Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Banda Aceh

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$320

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $320 per month in Banda Aceh vs $915 in Cebu, rent included.

Banda Aceh $320
Cebu $915

A couple spends around $511 per month in Banda Aceh vs $1,418 in Cebu, rent included.

Banda Aceh $511
Cebu $1,418

A family of three spends $702 per month in Banda Aceh vs $1,921 in Cebu, rent included.

Banda Aceh $702
Cebu $1,921

Banda Aceh is about 65% cheaper than Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Banda Aceh and Cebu are more affordable than the global median – Banda Aceh 76% lower, Cebu 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

$3.05 ₱192

-29.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$6.74 Rp 121.3K

$24.00 ₱1,511

-71.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.34 Rp 60.1K

$3.99 ₱251

-16.29%

Cappuccino

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$2.50 ₱157

-52.80%

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

$0.38 Rp 6,778

$1.54 ₱97.1

-75.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 Rp 3,774

$0.50 ₱31.37

-58.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 Rp 44.5K

$1.78 ₱112

38.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 Rp 70.9K

$2.17 ₱136

81.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 Rp 29.6K

$2.00 ₱126

-18.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 Rp 15.5K

$1.37 ₱86.2

-37.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 Rp 14.5K

$1.03 ₱64.9

-22.33%

Eggs

$1.65 Rp 29.7K

$2.03 ₱128

-18.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.49 Rp 152.9K

$10.20 ₱642

-16.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.6K

$4.45 ₱280

-45.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.59 Rp 118.7K

$7.67 ₱483

-14.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

$3.31 ₱208

-33.84%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 Rp 15.4K

$1.46 ₱91.8

-41.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

$2.32 ₱146

-65.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.85 Rp 15.3K

$1.49 ₱94.0

-42.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 Rp 14.2K

$2.34 ₱147

-66.24%

Onion (1kg)

$3.42 Rp 61.5K

$1.94 ₱122

76.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 Rp 14.7K

$1.16 ₱73.0

-29.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 Rp 7,281

$0.68 ₱42.89

-41.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 Rp 54.4K

$2.99 ₱188

1.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$1.32 ₱82.9

-37.12%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

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

$33.38 Rp 600.8K

$119 ₱7,464

-71.84%

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

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

$14.22 ₱896

-83.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.39 Rp 421.0K

$27.47 ₱1,730

-14.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.66 Rp 173.8K

$32.31 ₱2,034

-70.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.06 Rp 235.2K

$6.50 ₱409

100.92%

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

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

$276 ₱17.4K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,931 Rp 34.8M

$7,866 ₱495.3K

-75.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.16 Rp 488.9K

$49.37 ₱3,108

-44.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.04 Rp 396.8K

$24.58 ₱1,548

-10.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$43.60 Rp 784.8K

$76.6 ₱4,825

-43.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$27.35 Rp 492.3K

$58.9 ₱3,706

-53.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

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

Last update for Banda Aceh: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Banda Aceh

$133 * 41.6%

Cebu

$210 22.9% 57.5% $76

Eating Out

Banda Aceh

$64 20%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 37.1% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Banda Aceh

$59 18.5%

Cebu

$160 17.5% 171% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Banda Aceh

$54 16.9%

Cebu

$94 10.3% 74.3% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Banda Aceh

$9.7 * 3%

Cebu

$43 4.7% 346% $33

Getting Around

Banda Aceh

- * 0%

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Accommodation & Living

Banda Aceh

- * 0%

Cebu

$305 33.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $7.00 in Banda Aceh versus $24.00 in Cebu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $133 vs $210 – making Banda Aceh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Banda Aceh

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

09:39 9:39 AM

10:39 10:39 AM

1 h ahead of Banda Aceh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

223,446

964,169

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Banda Aceh Cebu 3,190 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Banda Aceh
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

Banda Aceh vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cebu is pricier by about 186%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $480 per month in Banda Aceh and $1,372 in Cebu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 57% more in Cebu, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $7.00 in Banda Aceh and $24.00 in Cebu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $320 in Banda Aceh and $915 in Cebu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Banda Aceh – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Banda Aceh. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cebu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.