Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boracay and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Boracay: $772 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Boracay
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Boracay Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Boracay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$772

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $772 in Boracay versus $918 in Cebu.

Boracay $772
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,313 in Boracay versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Boracay $1,313
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,854 in Boracay versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Boracay $1,854
Cebu $1,900

Living in Boracay costs roughly 16% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Boracay 43% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.73 ₱361

$3.09 ₱194

85.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.15 ₱1,205

$24.22 ₱1,524

-20.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.94 ₱374

$3.92 ₱246

51.53%

Cappuccino

$2.37 ₱149

$2.51 ₱158

-5.58%

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

$0.70 ₱43.76

$1.59 ₱100

-55.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ₱14.43

$0.53 ₱33.42

-56.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$1.78 ₱112

-34.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₱121

$2.17 ₱137

-11.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.95 ₱186

$1.92 ₱121

53.65%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 ₱61.8

$1.36 ₱85.4

-27.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ₱56.3

$1.01 ₱63.5

-11.88%

Eggs

$1.93 ₱122

$2.03 ₱128

-4.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.13 ₱323

$9.86 ₱621

-47.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.78 ₱301

$4.39 ₱276

8.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.28 ₱458

$7.60 ₱478

-4.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 ₱158

$3.30 ₱208

-23.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₱100

$1.39 ₱87.7

14.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 ₱139

$2.33 ₱147

-5.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 ₱67.9

$1.50 ₱94.2

-28.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 ₱133

$2.36 ₱149

-10.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 ₱127

$1.90 ₱119

6.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ₱62.5

$1.19 ₱74.9

-16.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₱35.82

$0.63 ₱39.69

-9.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 ₱144

$3.00 ₱189

-24.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.76 ₱489

$6.03 ₱379

28.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱60.5

$1.23 ₱77.6

-21.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.09

$0.25 ₱15.85

-4.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.23 ₱707

$12.64 ₱795

-11.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 ₱41.50

$0.77 ₱48.59

-14.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.17

$0.23 ₱14.52

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱122

$4.46 ₱280

-56.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₱69.7

$1.31 ₱82.8

-15.27%

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

$23.7K ₱1.5M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

11.39%

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

$22.0K ₱1.4M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

15.06%

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

$111 ₱6,976

$120 ₱7,566

-7.81%

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

$14.23 ₱895

$14.00 ₱881

1.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.84 ₱2,130

$27.54 ₱1,733

22.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.95 ₱1,885

$32.33 ₱2,034

-7.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.12 ₱322

$6.65 ₱418

-23.01%

Cinema Ticket

$5.26 ₱331

$5.65 ₱355

-6.90%

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

$136 ₱8,587

$275 ₱17.3K

-50.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,041 ₱506.0K

$7,918 ₱498.3K

1.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.09 ₱2,271

$49.33 ₱3,105

-26.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.21 ₱1,209

$25.24 ₱1,589

-23.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 ₱4,771

$77.0 ₱4,844

-1.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.1 ₱3,721

$57.2 ₱3,600

3.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$268 ₱16.9K

$500 ₱31.4K

-46.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$174 ₱10.9K

$309 ₱19.4K

-43.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$523 ₱32.9K

$1,078 ₱67.8K

-51.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$614 ₱38.6K

$615 ₱38.7K

-0.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,441 ₱153.6K

$2,886 ₱181.6K

-15.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$979 ₱61.6K

$1,917 ₱120.6K

-48.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$229 ₱14.4K

$346 ₱21.8K

-33.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

7.2

-5.69%

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

Last update for Boracay: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Boracay

$193 25%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 6.5% $13

Accommodation & Living

Boracay

$174 22.5%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 77.6% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boracay

$159 20.6%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 1.8% $2.9

Eating Out

Boracay

$105 13.7%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 16.3% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Boracay

$86 11.1%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 9.7% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Boracay

$40 5.3%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 7.8% $3.1

Getting Around

Boracay

$14 1.8%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 11.5% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $268 in Boracay and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 51% 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: $19.00 in Boracay vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $206 per month, with Boracay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Boracay

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

15:10 3:10 PM

Same time as Boracay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,296

964,169

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Boracay Cebu 290 km

From you

Boracay
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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

Boracay vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Boracay and Cebu differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($772 vs $918 including rent). Boracay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 51% 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: $268 in Boracay versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Boracay – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $24.00 in Cebu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Boracay gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Boracay 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 Boracay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.