Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Adama

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,021 in Adama, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Adama despite lower rent and utilities.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Adama
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Adama Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Adama

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Adama

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 Adama actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $934 per month in Cebu vs $1,021 in Adama, rent included.

Cebu $934
Adama $1,021

A couple spends around $1,415 per month in Cebu vs $1,672 in Adama, rent included.

Cebu $1,415
Adama $1,672

A family of three spends $1,896 per month in Cebu vs $2,323 in Adama, rent included.

Cebu $1,896
Adama $2,323

Cebu is about 9% cheaper than Adama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Cebu and Adama are more affordable than the global median – Cebu 30% lower, Adama 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱190

$2.99 ETB 480

1.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,473

$42.94 ETB 6,900

-45.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱256

$4.91 ETB 789

-16.70%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$0.91 ETB 146

176.92%

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

$1.54 ₱96.9

$0.59 ETB 94.0

161.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.98

$0.31 ETB 50.1

58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

$0.77 ETB 124

132.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$2.27 ETB 364

-0.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$0.81 ETB 131

140.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.7

$1.21 ETB 195

18.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱63.8

$2.15 ETB 345

-52.56%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$1.81 ETB 291

13.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱615

$7.25 ETB 1,165

35.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱289

$10.12 ETB 1,626

-54.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱483

$8.96 ETB 1,440

-14.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱207

$5.33 ETB 857

-37.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱90.9

$0.63 ETB 101

130.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$2.12 ETB 340

11.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.4

$0.65 ETB 105

136.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$0.47 ETB 75.4

402.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$1.04 ETB 167

91.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

$0.66 ETB 106

74.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.15

$0.57 ETB 91.7

17.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

$8.21 ETB 1,320

-63.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

$5.74 ETB 922

10.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

$0.71 ETB 115

84.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

$1.22 ETB 197

41.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

$1.30 ETB 209

-43.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$0.27 ETB 43.11

-22.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

$1.94 ETB 312

123.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$0.89 ETB 143

49.44%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$54.7K ETB 8.8M

-60.23%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$55.4K ETB 8.9M

-64.99%

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

$121 ₱7,563

$204 ETB 32.7K

-40.83%

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

$14.45 ₱907

$7.21 ETB 1,159

100.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,774

$211 ETB 33.8K

-86.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

$3.86 ETB 620

41.45%

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

$273 ₱17.1K

$136 ETB 21.9K

100.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

$30.1K ETB 4.8M

-72.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

$33.62 ETB 5,401

47.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

$70.1 ETB 11.3K

-64.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

$77.6 ETB 12.5K

-1.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,717

$81.9 ETB 13.2K

-27.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.7K

$350 ETB 56.2K

44.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$199 ETB 32.0K

55.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.0K

$985 ETB 158.3K

6.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

$811 ETB 130.3K

-23.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

$101 ETB 16.3K

236.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

18.5

-61.08%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Adama: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Adama

$199 19.5% 35.7% $110

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Adama

$208 20.4% 1.2% $2.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Adama

$422 41.4% 158% $258

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Adama

$118 11.6% 25.2% $24

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Adama

$62 6% 30.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Adama

$7.7 * 0.8% 82.3% $36

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Adama

$2.6 * 0.3% 82.9% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $506 in Cebu versus $350 in Adama. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 236% higher in Cebu, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Cebu versus $43.00 in Adama. Groceries tell a different story – $210 in Cebu vs $208 in Adama – so Adama wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇪🇹 Adama

🕒 Local time

15:01 3:01 PM

10:01 10:01 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

228,623

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.55 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

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).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.55 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Adama 9,260 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Adama

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 Adama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $934 in Cebu, $1,021 in Adama – roughly 9% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,401 per month in Cebu and $1,531 in Adama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cebu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Cebu and $43.00 in Adama. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Adama – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $934 in Cebu and $1,021 in Adama, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Cebu has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $934 in Cebu to $1,021 in Adama. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cebu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Adama makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.