Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Ambon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ambon: $625 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Ambon
Learn more

Ambon Living Index

Jump to prices

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Ambon

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Ambon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $625 in Ambon.

Cebu $934
Ambon $625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $997 in Ambon.

Cebu $1,415
Ambon $997

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $1,368 in Ambon.

Cebu $1,896
Ambon $1,368

Living in Cebu is roughly 49% more expensive than in Ambon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Ambon 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱191

$1.10 Rp 19.6K

175.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,476

$13.77 Rp 246.4K

70.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱257

$3.82 Rp 68.4K

7.07%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$1.47 Rp 26.3K

71.43%

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

$1.54 ₱97.2

$0.43 Rp 7,718

258.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.06

$0.29 Rp 5,160

68.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱113

$2.29 Rp 40.9K

-21.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$3.46 Rp 61.9K

-34.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.07 Rp 19.2K

82.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.9

$0.99 Rp 17.6K

44.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.0

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

27.50%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$1.37 Rp 24.5K

50.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱617

$7.33 Rp 131.2K

33.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱290

$2.93 Rp 52.4K

57.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱484

$7.72 Rp 138.1K

-0.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$2.23 Rp 40.0K

48.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱91.2

$1.29 Rp 23.1K

12.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.70 Rp 30.3K

38.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.6

$1.27 Rp 22.6K

21.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.29 Rp 23.1K

82.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$1.99 Rp 35.7K

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.3

$0.73 Rp 13.1K

57.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.26

$0.43 Rp 7,718

55.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$2.29 Rp 40.9K

31.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱399

$21.10 Rp 377.4K

-69.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱82.1

$1.81 Rp 32.4K

-27.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$3.05 Rp 54.5K

-43.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.82

$0.26 Rp 4,723

-3.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱796

$16.64 Rp 297.7K

-23.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.44

$0.52 Rp 9,380

42.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.15

$0.36 Rp 6,408

-41.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱272

$2.69 Rp 48.1K

60.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.7

$0.81 Rp 14.5K

64.20%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$21.1K Rp 377.6M

3.13%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$27.3K Rp 487.5M

-28.82%

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

$121 ₱7,583

$57.5 Rp 1.0M

109.70%

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

$14.45 ₱909

$5.48 Rp 98.0K

163.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,779

$18.88 Rp 337.7K

49.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,055

$18.58 Rp 332.3K

75.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱402

$7.69 Rp 137.6K

-16.91%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱343

$1.37 Rp 24.5K

298.54%

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

$273 ₱17.2K

$95.1 Rp 1.7M

187.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱512.9K

$6,994 Rp 125.1M

16.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,117

$42.94 Rp 768.1K

15.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,564

$32.09 Rp 574.1K

-22.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,817

$73.0 Rp 1.3M

4.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,727

$71.7 Rp 1.3M

-17.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.8K

$207 Rp 3.7M

144.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.5K

$127 Rp 2.3M

143.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.1K

$477 Rp 8.5M

120.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.9K

$405 Rp 7.2M

52.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱183.4K

$1,004 Rp 18.0M

190.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.4K

$915 Rp 16.4M

104.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.5K

$125 Rp 2.2M

173.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

9.46

-23.89%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ambon: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Ambon

$127 21.1% 59% $183

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Ambon

$194 32.3% 7.6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Ambon

$82 13.6% 49.9% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Ambon

$99 16.4% 4.5% $4.2

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Ambon

$59 9.8% 33.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Ambon

$21 3.5% 51.1% $22

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Ambon

$20 3.3% 29.6% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $207 in Ambon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 173% 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: $23.00 in Cebu vs $14.00 in Ambon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $194 per month, with Ambon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇩 Ambon

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

15:00 3:00 PM

1 h ahead of Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

275,888

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,890 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,065 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Ambon 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Ambon

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 Ambon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ambon wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Cebu. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ambon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 173% higher in Cebu, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $506 in Cebu versus $207 in Ambon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $625 in Ambon – a 49% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ambon runs roughly 32% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Ambon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ambon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $625 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ambon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Ambon 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 Ambon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.