Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Castelo Branco and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,100 in Castelo Branco, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Castelo Branco
🇵🇹 Portugal
$1,100
/mo nomad
Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,100 in Castelo Branco versus $918 in Cebu.

  • Castelo Branco $1,100
  • Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,666 in Castelo Branco versus $1,409 in Cebu.

  • Castelo Branco $1,666
  • Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,233 in Castelo Branco versus $1,900 in Cebu.

  • Castelo Branco $2,233
  • Cebu $1,900

Living in Castelo Branco is roughly 20% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Castelo Branco 19% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Castelo Branco
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.29 €10.05
$3.09 ₱194
265.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.12 €34.80
$24.22 ₱1,525
61.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.62 €8.56
$3.92 ₱247
145.41%
Cappuccino
$1.25 €1.11
$2.51 ₱158
-50.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 €1.25
$1.59 ₱100
-11.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.26 €1.12
$0.53 ₱33.43
137.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.09 €0.97
$1.78 ₱112
-38.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 €1.96
$2.17 ₱137
1.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Castelo Branco
Cebu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.17 €1.04
$1.92 ₱121
-39.06%
White Bread (500g)
$1.30 €1.16
$1.36 ₱85.4
-4.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.45 €1.29
$1.01 ₱63.5
43.56%
Eggs
$3.87 €3.44
$2.03 ₱128
90.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.76 €7.79
$9.86 ₱621
-11.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.80 €5.16
$4.39 ₱277
32.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.58 €7.63
$7.60 ₱479
12.89%
Apples (1kg)
$2.11 €1.88
$3.30 ₱208
-36.06%
Banana (1kg)
$1.31 €1.17
$1.39 ₱87.8
-5.76%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.75 €1.56
$2.33 ₱147
-24.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.30 €2.05
$1.50 ₱94.3
53.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.65 €1.47
$2.36 ₱149
-30.08%
Onion (1kg)
$1.45 €1.29
$1.90 ₱119
-23.68%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 €1.02
$1.19 ₱74.9
-4.20%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.81 €0.72
$0.63 ₱39.71
28.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.97 €5.31
$3.00 ₱189
99.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.39 €3.01
$6.03 ₱379
-43.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.17 €1.04
$1.23 ₱77.7
-4.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.95 €1.73
$1.75 ₱110
11.43%
🚌 Getting Around
Castelo Branco
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.25 €1.11
$0.25 ₱15.86
400.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.20 €19.75
$12.64 ₱796
75.63%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.25 €2.00
$0.77 ₱48.62
192.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.74 €0.66
$0.23 ₱14.53
221.74%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.67 €14.83
$4.46 ₱281
273.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.04 €1.82
$1.31 ₱82.8
55.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.5K €29.8K
$21.2K ₱1.3M
57.74%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.5K €36.0K
$19.1K ₱1.2M
111.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Castelo Branco
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 €106
$120 ₱7,569
-0.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.03 €16.92
$14.00 ₱882
35.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.99 €28.45
$27.54 ₱1,734
16.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Castelo Branco
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.32 €34.97
$32.33 ₱2,035
21.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$6.65 ₱419
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.70 €5.96
$5.65 ₱356
18.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Castelo Branco
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$678 €603
$275 ₱17.3K
146.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.9K €15.1K
$7,918 ₱498.5K
113.88%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Castelo Branco
Cebu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$78.7 €70.0
$49.33 ₱3,106
59.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.71 €39.77
$25.24 ₱1,589
77.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.1 €73.0
$77.0 ₱4,846
6.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$67.6 €60.2
$57.2 ₱3,601
18.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Castelo Branco
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$458 €407
$500 ₱31.5K
-8.33%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$363 €323
$309 ₱19.4K
17.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$796 €708
$1,078 ₱67.9K
-26.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$605 €538
$615 ₱38.7K
-1.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,574 €1,400
$2,886 ₱181.7K
-45.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,322 €1,176
$1,917 ₱120.7K
-31.02%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Castelo Branco
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,617 €1,438
$346 ₱21.8K
367.27%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
7.2
-46.53%

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

Last update for Castelo Branco: 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
Castelo Branco
$363
Cebu
$309 14.9% $54
Groceries & Markets
Castelo Branco
$203
Cebu
$206 1.6% $3.2
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Castelo Branco
$171
Cebu
$162 5.2% $8.9
Eating Out
Castelo Branco
$155
Cebu
$88 42.9% $66
Clothing & Footwear
Castelo Branco
$123
Cebu
$94 23.6% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Castelo Branco
$53
Cebu
$44 17.3% $9.1
Getting Around
Castelo Branco
$33
Cebu
$16 53.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $458 in Castelo Branco and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Castelo Branco pays 367% 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: $39.00 in Castelo Branco vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $203 vs $206, with Castelo Branco cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Castelo Branco
🇵🇭 Cebu
🕒 Local time
14:20 2:20 PM
21:20 9:20 PM
7 h ahead of Castelo Branco
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
52,291
964,169
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Castelo Branco Cebu 12,530 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Castelo Branco
  • 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
Castelo Branco vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cebu cheaper than Castelo Branco?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Castelo Branco or Cebu?
Average pay runs 367% higher in Castelo Branco, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Castelo Branco and Cebu?
Rent for a central apartment: $458 in Castelo Branco versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Castelo Branco and in Cebu?
All in, you'll spend $1,100 per month in Castelo Branco versus $918 in Cebu – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 76% less than in Castelo Branco. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Castelo Branco or in Cebu?
At $918 in Cebu versus $1,100 in Castelo Branco, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Castelo Branco. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Castelo Branco or Cebu more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Castelo Branco, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Castelo Branco or Cebu?
Safety-wise, Castelo Branco 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Castelo Branco. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Castelo Branco vs other spots: cost of living compared

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