Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Aktau

For one person, living is cheaper in Aktau: $798 a month against $943 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Aktau
Learn more

Aktau Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$943

/mo nomad

Aktau

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$798

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Aktau

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

A single person spends $943 per month in Cebu vs $798 in Aktau, rent included.

Cebu $943
Aktau $798

A couple spends around $1,437 per month in Cebu vs $1,321 in Aktau, rent included.

Cebu $1,437
Aktau $1,321

A family of three spends $1,930 per month in Cebu vs $1,844 in Aktau, rent included.

Cebu $1,930
Aktau $1,844

Cebu costs about 18% more than Aktau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Cebu and Aktau are more affordable than the global median – Cebu 30% lower, Aktau 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 ₱244

$11.26 ₸5,075

-65.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.22 ₱1,462

$43.53 ₸19.6K

-46.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.90 ₱246

$10.11 ₸4,556

-61.42%

Cappuccino

$2.56 ₱161

$2.56 ₸1,154

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

$1.60 ₱101

$0.75 ₸339

113.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.03

$0.45 ₸205

13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 ₱111

$1.29 ₸582

36.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ₱136

$1.53 ₸692

40.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 ₱125

$1.45 ₸655

37.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.3

$0.57 ₸256

140.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ₱59.9

$1.82 ₸822

-47.80%

Eggs

$2.02 ₱127

$1.73 ₸780

16.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 ₱606

$9.77 ₸4,406

-1.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 ₱274

$4.21 ₸1,900

3.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱485

$8.55 ₸3,855

-9.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱207

$1.51 ₸681

118.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 ₱79.7

$2.23 ₸1,004

-43.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱148

$2.40 ₸1,083

-2.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 ₱95.4

$2.86 ₸1,290

-47.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 ₱141

$0.66 ₸297

237.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 ₱122

$0.52 ₸236

271.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ₱74.4

$1.46 ₸660

-19.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ₱40.93

$0.95 ₸430

-31.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 ₱182

$2.60 ₸1,170

11.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱400

$9.49 ₸4,279

-33.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱80.1

$0.76 ₸341

67.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₱103

$0.90 ₸407

82.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.42

$0.16 ₸72.1

43.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.24 ₱771

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 ₱51.5

$1.13 ₸508

-27.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.56

$0.64 ₸289

-68.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.32 ₱272

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ₱86.7

$0.67 ₸300

105.97%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

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

$19.3K ₱1.2M

$31.2K ₸14.1M

-38.26%

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

$124 ₱7,816

$46.54 ₸21.0K

166.74%

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

$15.93 ₱1,003

$8.14 ₸3,668

95.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 ₱1,768

$10.99 ₸4,956

155.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.41 ₱2,104

$36.51 ₸16.5K

-8.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.40 ₱403

Cinema Ticket

$5.85 ₱368

$3.12 ₸1,407

87.50%

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

$271 ₱17.0K

$146 ₸65.7K

85.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,060 ₱507.5K

$2,643 ₸1.2M

205.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.31 ₱3,042

$67.5 ₸30.4K

-28.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.56 ₱1,546

$39.11 ₸17.6K

-37.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 ₱4,856

$71.7 ₸32.3K

7.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.5 ₱3,558

$88.0 ₸39.7K

-35.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 ₱31.2K

$325 ₸146.6K

52.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.3K

$199 ₸89.8K

61.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$990 ₱62.4K

$547 ₸246.5K

81.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₱39.6K

$393 ₸177.2K

59.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,459 ₱280.7K

$810 ₸365.3K

450.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,030 ₱190.8K

$645 ₸290.8K

369.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$343 ₱21.6K

$569 ₸256.4K

-39.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

-48.57%

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

Last update for Cebu: November 2, 2026

Last update for Aktau: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$322 34.1%

Aktau

$199 25% 38.1% $123

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 21.8%

Aktau

$200 25.1% 2.7% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$168 17.8%

Aktau

$66 8.2% 60.9% $102

Eating Out

Cebu

$95 10.1%

Aktau

$165 20.7% 74.2% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$93 9.9%

Aktau

$120 15% 28.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$45 4.8%

Aktau

$43 5.4% 5.2% $2.4

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.6%

Aktau

$5 * 0.6% 66.8% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $495 in Cebu versus $325 in Aktau. 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 66% higher in Aktau, 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 in Cebu versus $44 in Aktau. Groceries tell a different story – $206 in Cebu vs $200 in Aktau – so Aktau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇰🇿 Aktau

🕒 Local time

14:06 2:06 PM

11:06 11:06 AM

3 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

273,830

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 62.97 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.68 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 451 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Aktau 7,830 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Aktau

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 Aktau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu costs about 18% more than Aktau, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,415 per month in Cebu and $1,197 in Aktau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aktau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $325 there versus $495 in Cebu.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Cebu and $44 in Aktau. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Cebu, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Aktau – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.