Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Alexandra

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $1,074 in Alexandra, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Alexandra
Learn more

Alexandra Living Index

Jump to prices

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Alexandra

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,074

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Alexandra

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

A single person spends $915 per month in Cebu vs $1,074 in Alexandra, rent included.

Cebu $915
Alexandra $1,074

A couple spends around $1,418 per month in Cebu vs $1,742 in Alexandra, rent included.

Cebu $1,418
Alexandra $1,742

A family of three spends $1,921 per month in Cebu vs $2,409 in Alexandra, rent included.

Cebu $1,921
Alexandra $2,409

Cebu is about 15% cheaper than Alexandra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cebu and Alexandra are more affordable than the global median – Cebu 33% lower, Alexandra 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$9.26 R 152

-67.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$36.55 R 602

-34.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$5.35 R 88.1

-25.42%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$2.20 R 36.24

13.64%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$1.08 R 17.87

42.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$0.80 R 13.19

-37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.40 R 39.58

-25.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$2.78 R 45.85

-21.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.17 R 19.23

70.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$1.09 R 17.92

25.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$1.80 R 29.62

-42.78%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.43 R 40.11

-16.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$8.66 R 143

17.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$5.12 R 84.3

-13.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$7.12 R 117

7.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$1.75 R 28.80

89.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$1.61 R 26.53

-9.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$1.72 R 28.30

34.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$1.63 R 26.86

-8.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$1.09 R 18.04

114.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$1.18 R 19.39

64.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$1.20 R 19.71

-3.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$1.32 R 21.76

-48.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$3.20 R 52.7

-6.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$5.09 R 83.9

22.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$1.58 R 26.08

-22.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$1.90 R 31.36

-8.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$1.33 R 21.94

-82.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$0.29 R 4.75

172.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$0.78 R 12.78

-71.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$14.57 R 240

-68.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$1.57 R 25.92

-15.92%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$36.2K R 597.0K

-42.04%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$34.1K R 562.3K

-43.15%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$155 R 2,550

-23.40%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$36.96 R 609

-61.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$38.04 R 627

-27.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$33.24 R 548

-2.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

$10.48 R 173

-37.98%

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$7.50 R 124

-28.00%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$244 R 4,019

13.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$5,468 R 90.1K

43.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$54.6 R 899

-9.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$32.16 R 530

-23.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$93.5 R 1,540

-17.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$85.1 R 1,402

-30.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$394 R 6,483

27.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$332 R 5,468

-8.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$844 R 13.9K

27.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$833 R 13.7K

-24.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

$919 R 15.1K

212.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

$644 R 10.6K

191.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

$1,775 R 29.2K

-81.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

10.91

-34.01%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Alexandra: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Alexandra

$332 30.9% 9% $27

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Alexandra

$194 18.1% 7.4% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Alexandra

$230 21.4% 43.4% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Alexandra

$119 11.1% 26.7% $25

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Alexandra

$142 13.2% 61.4% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Alexandra

$48 4.5% 11.9% $5.1

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Alexandra

$9.5 * 0.9% 37.4% $5.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $503 in Cebu versus $394 in Alexandra. 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 429% higher in Alexandra, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cebu versus $37.00 in Alexandra. Groceries tell a different story – $210 in Cebu vs $194 in Alexandra – so Alexandra wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇿🇦 Alexandra

🕒 Local time

23:22 11:22 PM

17:22 5:22 PM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

179,624

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Alexandra 11,080 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Alexandra

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 Alexandra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alexandra costs about 17% more than Cebu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,372 per month in Cebu and $1,612 in Alexandra. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $915 in Cebu and $1,074 in Alexandra. That's a gap of about 17%.

Kindergarten costs $276 per month in Cebu and $244 in Alexandra. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $915 in Cebu and $1,074 in Alexandra, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cebu costs $915 versus $1,074 in Alexandra. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Alexandra makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.