Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Best and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $2,217 in Best, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Best
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Best Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Best

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,217

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,217 per month in Best vs $934 in Cebu, rent included.

Best $2,217
Cebu $934

A couple spends around $3,095 per month in Best vs $1,415 in Cebu, rent included.

Best $3,095
Cebu $1,415

A family of three spends $3,973 per month in Best vs $1,896 in Cebu, rent included.

Best $3,973
Cebu $1,896

Best costs about 137% more than Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Best sits 65% above the global median, while Cebu is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.31 €19.91

$3.03 ₱190

636.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.5 €77.2

$23.48 ₱1,473

268.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.25 €10.94

$4.09 ₱256

199.51%

Cappuccino

$3.65 €3.26

$2.52 ₱158

44.84%

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

$3.26 €2.91

$1.54 ₱96.9

111.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 €2.21

$0.49 ₱30.98

406.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.77 €5.15

$1.79 ₱112

222.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 €4.37

$2.26 ₱142

116.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.95 ₱122

-42.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.43 ₱89.7

32.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.02 ₱63.8

117.65%

Eggs

$3.12 €2.79

$2.06 ₱129

51.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 €10.07

$9.81 ₱615

14.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.49 €10.26

$4.61 ₱289

149.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 €13.24

$7.70 ₱483

92.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 €1.80

$3.31 ₱207

-39.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.45 ₱90.9

10.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.36 ₱148

-26.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.95 €4.41

$1.54 ₱96.4

221.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.36 ₱148

-50.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.99 ₱125

-40.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.15 ₱72.1

-3.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.67 ₱42.15

5.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.21 €10.01

$3.00 ₱188

273.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 €4.95

$6.35 ₱398

-12.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.31 ₱81.9

15.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 €2.23

$1.73 ₱108

44.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 €2.22

$0.25 ₱15.78

892.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.9 €63.3

$12.65 ₱793

460.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 €3.52

$0.74 ₱46.32

432.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.89 €2.57

$0.21 ₱13.11

1276.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 €26.52

$4.33 ₱271

586.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.33 ₱83.5

76.69%

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

$25.6K €22.9K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

17.81%

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

$34.0K €30.3K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

75.18%

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

$185 €165

$121 ₱7,563

53.50%

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

$14.56 €12.99

$14.45 ₱907

0.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.61 €33.56

$28.29 ₱1,774

32.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 €35.98

$32.68 ₱2,050

23.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 €22.60

$6.39 ₱401

296.40%

Cinema Ticket

$13.97 €12.47

$5.46 ₱342

155.86%

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

$1,298 €1,158

$273 ₱17.1K

374.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,115 €4,564

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-37.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 €46.13

$49.57 ₱3,109

4.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.89 €29.35

$24.87 ₱1,560

32.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 €66.5

$76.6 ₱4,804

-2.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.9 €51.7

$59.3 ₱3,717

-2.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,544 €1,378

$506 ₱31.7K

205.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 €982

$309 ₱19.4K

255.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,763

$1,052 ₱66.0K

87.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,352 €1,206

$619 ₱38.8K

118.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,221 €4,659

$2,915 ₱182.9K

79.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,354 €3,886

$1,867 ₱117.1K

133.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,077 €3,639

$341 ₱21.4K

1095.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

7.2

-50.83%

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

Last update for Best: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Best

$1.1K 49.9%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 71.9% $791

Eating Out

Best

$321 14.6%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 72.4% $232

Groceries & Markets

Best

$281 12.8%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 25.2% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Best

$237 10.8%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 31.2% $74

Getting Around

Best

$99 4.5%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 84.4% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Best

$98 4.4%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 3.1% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Best

$68 3.1%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 36.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,544 in Best 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 1095% higher in Best, 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 $86.0 in Best versus $23.00 in Cebu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $281 vs $210 – making Cebu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Best

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

13:45 1:45 PM

19:45 7:45 PM

6 h ahead of Best

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,988

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 = 70.28 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Best Cebu 10,980 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Best
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

Best vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Best is pricier by about 137%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,325 per month in Best 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,217 in Best and $934 in Cebu. That's a gap of about 137%.

Public transport costs about 460% less in Cebu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cebu, where all-in costs run around $934, than in Best at $2,217. In Cebu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Best it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cebu – 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 Cebu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Best makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.