Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $2,552 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $19,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,552

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,552 in Brussels versus $934 in Cebu.

Brussels $2,552
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,875 in Brussels versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Brussels $3,875
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,197 in Brussels versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Brussels $5,197
Cebu $1,896

Living in Brussels is roughly 173% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Brussels is 90% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.61 €20.18

$3.03 ₱190

646.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.2 €81.4

$23.48 ₱1,473

288.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.21 €13.57

$4.09 ₱256

271.88%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.86

$2.52 ₱158

71.43%

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

$3.78 €3.37

$1.54 ₱96.9

145.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 €2.71

$0.49 ₱30.98

520.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.53 €4.94

$1.79 ₱112

208.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €5.11

$2.26 ₱142

153.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.95 ₱122

-32.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 €2.42

$1.43 ₱89.7

89.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$1.02 ₱63.8

174.51%

Eggs

$5.33 €4.76

$2.06 ₱129

158.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.78 €15.87

$9.81 ₱615

81.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.11 €11.70

$4.61 ₱289

184.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.01 €19.64

$7.70 ₱483

185.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.78

$3.31 ₱207

-5.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.11

$1.45 ₱90.9

63.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 €2.45

$2.36 ₱148

16.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 €3.78

$1.54 ₱96.4

175.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$2.36 ₱148

9.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.99 ₱125

12.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.15 ₱72.1

56.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$0.67 ₱42.15

89.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.68 €12.21

$3.00 ₱188

356.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.75 €8.70

$6.35 ₱398

53.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.39

$1.31 ₱81.9

104.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 €2.73

$1.73 ₱108

76.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 €2.57

$0.25 ₱15.78

1052.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.1 €56.3

$12.65 ₱793

398.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 €2.55

$0.74 ₱46.32

286.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 €2.06

$0.21 ₱13.11

1000.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.43 €36.08

$4.33 ₱271

833.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.33 ₱83.5

61.65%

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

$35.1K €31.3K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

61.25%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

70.95%

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

$285 €255

$121 ₱7,563

136.61%

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

$21.90 €19.54

$14.45 ₱907

51.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 €47.26

$28.29 ₱1,774

87.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.51 €29.90

$32.68 ₱2,050

2.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.85 €24.85

$6.39 ₱401

335.84%

Cinema Ticket

$16.62 €14.83

$5.46 ₱342

204.40%

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

$1,590 €1,419

$273 ₱17.1K

481.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.2K €33.2K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

355.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.7

$49.57 ₱3,109

109.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.15 €41.18

$24.87 ₱1,560

85.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.2

$76.6 ₱4,804

45.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 €133

$59.3 ₱3,717

151.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,318 €1,176

$506 ₱31.7K

160.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,166 €1,040

$309 ₱19.4K

276.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,442 €2,179

$1,052 ₱66.0K

132.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 €1,767

$619 ₱38.8K

219.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,082 €4,535

$2,915 ₱182.9K

74.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,941 €3,517

$1,867 ₱117.1K

111.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,280 €2,927

$341 ₱21.4K

861.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

7.2

-48.47%

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

Last update for Brussels: 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

Brussels

$1.2K 44.8%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 73.5% $856

Groceries & Markets

Brussels

$393 15.1%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 46.5% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brussels

$360 13.8%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 54.7% $197

Eating Out

Brussels

$345 13.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 74.4% $256

Clothing & Footwear

Brussels

$185 7.1%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 48.8% $90

Getting Around

Brussels

$89 3.4%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 82.7% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Brussels

$67 2.6%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 34.7% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,318 in Brussels and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brussels pays 862% 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: $91.0 in Brussels vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brussels

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

13:22 1:22 PM

6 h ahead of Brussels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,137 Capital

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

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Between locations

Brussels Cebu 11,080 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Brussels
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

Brussels vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu wins on cost – living expenses run 173% lower than in Brussels. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cebu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 862% higher in Brussels, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,318 in Brussels versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 87% higher in Brussels. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cebu – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $91.0 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $934 in Cebu versus $2,552 in Brussels, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Brussels. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cebu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $934 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cebu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Brussels 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 173% less than in Brussels. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.