Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Canary Islands and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,650 in the Canary Islands, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in the Canary Islands
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Canary Islands Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Canary Islands

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,650

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,650 in the Canary Islands versus $918 in Cebu.

Canary Islands $1,650
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,373 in the Canary Islands versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Canary Islands $2,373
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,095 in the Canary Islands versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Canary Islands $3,095
Cebu $1,900

Living in the Canary Islands is roughly 80% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Canary Islands is 22% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.32 €18.07

$3.09 ₱194

557.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.1 €54.3

$24.22 ₱1,525

152.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.42 €8.38

$3.92 ₱247

140.31%

Cappuccino

$2.05 €1.83

$2.51 ₱158

-18.33%

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

$1.86 €1.65

$1.59 ₱100

16.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.53 ₱33.43

107.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.85 €2.53

$1.78 ₱112

60.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.17 ₱137

57.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.92 ₱121

-29.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.36 ₱85.4

75.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 €1.40

$1.01 ₱63.5

56.44%

Eggs

$2.18 €1.94

$2.03 ₱128

7.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.31 €17.18

$9.86 ₱621

95.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.93 €8.83

$4.39 ₱277

126.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.23 €15.33

$7.60 ₱479

126.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.30 ₱208

-17.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.39 ₱87.8

61.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.33 ₱147

-7.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$1.50 ₱94.3

67.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.36 ₱149

-9.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.90 ₱119

6.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.19 ₱74.9

42.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.63 ₱39.71

47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.66 €4.14

$3.00 ₱189

55.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.86 €6.99

$6.03 ₱379

30.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.23 ₱77.7

38.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.75 ₱110

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 €0.76

$0.25 ₱15.86

244.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.24 €3.78

$0.77 ₱48.62

450.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 €1.50

$0.23 ₱14.53

634.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 €14.75

$4.46 ₱281

271.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.31 ₱82.8

29.77%

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

$24.9K €22.2K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

17.31%

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

$29.0K €25.8K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

51.29%

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

$126 €112

$120 ₱7,569

4.87%

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

$20.91 €18.60

$14.00 ₱882

49.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.49 €31.57

$27.54 ₱1,734

28.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.49 €42.25

$32.33 ₱2,035

46.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.07 €21.41

$6.65 ₱419

261.95%

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 €8.76

$5.65 ₱356

74.34%

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

$400 €355

$275 ₱17.3K

45.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,096 €4,533

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-35.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.3 €60.7

$49.33 ₱3,106

38.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.65 €34.38

$25.24 ₱1,589

53.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.6 €79.7

$77.0 ₱4,846

16.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €101

$57.2 ₱3,601

98.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,111 €988

$500 ₱31.5K

122.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$680 €605

$309 ₱19.4K

120.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$825 €734

$615 ₱38.7K

34.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,369 €1,218

$346 ₱21.8K

295.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.33

7.2

-53.75%

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

Last update for the Canary Islands: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Canary Islands

$680 41.2%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 54.6% $371

Groceries & Markets

Canary Islands

$316 19.2%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 34.9% $110

Eating Out

Canary Islands

$248 15.1%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 64.5% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canary Islands

$182 11.1%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 11.4% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Canary Islands

$140 8.5%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 32.7% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Canary Islands

$67 4.1%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 35.1% $24

Getting Around

Canary Islands

$16 * 1%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 3.4% $0.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,111 in the Canary Islands and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Canary Islands pays 296% 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: $61.0 in the Canary Islands vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Canary Islands

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

19:14 7:14 PM

02:14 2:14 AM

7 h ahead of the Canary Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,050

964,169

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Canary Islands Cebu 13,990 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Canary Islands
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

Canary Islands vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu wins on cost – living expenses run 80% lower than in the Canary Islands. 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 296% higher in the Canary Islands, 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: $1,111 in the Canary Islands versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in the Canary Islands. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,650 per month in the Canary Islands versus $918 in Cebu – a 80% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,650 in the Canary Islands, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in the Canary Islands. 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 $918 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cebu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Canary Islands 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 80% less than in the Canary Islands. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.