Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Aalst

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,067 in Aalst, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Aalst
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Aalst Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Aalst

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Aalst

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cebu and in Aalst actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $2,067 in Aalst.

Cebu $918
Aalst $2,067

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $3,086 in Aalst.

Cebu $1,409
Aalst $3,086

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $4,105 in Aalst.

Cebu $1,900
Aalst $4,105

Living in Cebu costs roughly 56% less than in Aalst, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 32% below, Aalst is 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$22.53 €20.10

-86.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,520

$106 €94.3

-77.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱246

$13.43 €11.99

-70.81%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱157

$4.43 €3.95

-43.34%

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

$1.59 ₱99.9

$3.63 €3.24

-56.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.33

$3.17 €2.83

-83.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$5.55 €4.96

-67.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$5.53 €4.93

-60.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱120

$1.31 €1.17

46.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.2

$2.81 €2.51

-51.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.3

$2.13 €1.90

-52.58%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱127

$3.83 €3.42

-47.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱619

$17.39 €15.52

-43.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱276

$11.87 €10.59

-63.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱477

$22.29 €19.90

-65.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱207

$2.99 €2.67

10.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.5

$2.43 €2.17

-42.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱146

$2.67 €2.38

-12.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.0

$3.23 €2.88

-53.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$2.47 €2.21

-4.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.95 €1.74

-2.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.7

$1.54 €1.37

-22.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.59

$1.05 €0.94

-40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$12.93 €11.54

-76.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱378

$8.74 €7.80

-31.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.4

$1.72 €1.54

-28.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.08 €1.85

-15.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.81

$3.09 €2.76

-91.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱793

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.47

$2.86 €2.55

-73.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.49

$2.35 €2.09

-90.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱280

$40.40 €36.05

-88.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.5

$2.12 €1.89

-38.21%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$34.7K €30.9K

-38.72%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$32.8K €29.3K

-41.65%

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

$120 ₱7,547

$203 €181

-40.71%

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

$14.00 ₱879

$21.94 €19.58

-36.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,729

$50.8 €45.37

-45.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,029

$36.21 €32.32

-10.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱417

$21.03 €18.77

-68.38%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱355

$15.18 €13.55

-62.78%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$1,605 €1,433

-82.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱497.0K

$33.7K €30.1K

-76.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,097

$113 €101

-56.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,585

$46.17 €41.21

-45.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,831

$102 €90.9

-24.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,590

$163 €146

-64.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.4K

$911 €813

-45.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$808 €721

-61.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.7K

$1,384 €1,236

-22.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.6K

$1,104 €985

-44.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.2K

$4,162 €3,714

-30.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.3K

$2,890 €2,580

-33.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.7K

$2,782 €2,483

-87.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

3.46

108.09%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Aalst: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Aalst

$807 39.1% 162% $499

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Aalst

$360 17.4% 74.9% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Aalst

$276 13.3% 70.3% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Aalst

$191 9.2% 103% $97

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Aalst

$340 16.4% 285% $251

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Aalst

$67 3.2% 52.6% $23

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Aalst

$27 * 1.3% 73% $11

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 $500 in Cebu and $911 in Aalst. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aalst pays 704% 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: $24.00 in Cebu vs $106 in Aalst for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $360 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇧🇪 Aalst

🕒 Local time

14:27 2:27 PM

08:27 8:27 AM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

78,271

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 62.77 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.25 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Aalst 11,100 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Aalst

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

Cebu vs Aalst: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu and Aalst differ by about 125% in total monthly costs ($918 vs $2,067 including rent). Cebu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 704% lower in Aalst. 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: $500 in Cebu versus $911 in Aalst. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 75% higher in Aalst. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $2,067 in Aalst – a 125% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $2,067 in Aalst, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Aalst. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Cebu and Aalst 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 125% less than in Aalst. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.