Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Anuradhapura

For one person, living is cheaper in Anuradhapura: $509 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Anuradhapura
Learn more

Anuradhapura Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Anuradhapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Anuradhapura

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

A single person spends $918 per month in Cebu vs $509 in Anuradhapura, rent included.

Cebu $918
Anuradhapura $509

A couple spends around $1,409 per month in Cebu vs $825 in Anuradhapura, rent included.

Cebu $1,409
Anuradhapura $825

A family of three spends $1,900 per month in Cebu vs $1,140 in Anuradhapura, rent included.

Cebu $1,900
Anuradhapura $1,140

Cebu costs about 80% more than Anuradhapura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Cebu and Anuradhapura are more affordable than the global median – Cebu 32% lower, Anuradhapura 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$4.35 LKR 1,442

-28.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$23.76 LKR 7,870

1.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.63 LKR 2,529

-48.62%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.41 LKR 798

4.15%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.72 LKR 237

120.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.25 LKR 82.6

112.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.27 LKR 753

-21.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.12 LKR 1,032

-30.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.64 LKR 542

17.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.53 LKR 175

156.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$0.80 LKR 263

26.25%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.58 LKR 522

28.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$14.03 LKR 4,648

-29.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$4.79 LKR 1,588

-8.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$7.37 LKR 2,440

3.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$6.89 LKR 2,283

-52.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$0.83 LKR 275

67.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$4.51 LKR 1,495

-48.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.21 LKR 402

23.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.03 LKR 341

129.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.76 LKR 251

150.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.92 LKR 306

29.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.47 LKR 155

34.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$10.30 LKR 3,412

-70.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$13.58 LKR 4,498

-55.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.97 LKR 651

-37.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.93 LKR 969

-40.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.38 LKR 125

102.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.34 LKR 114

-32.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$0.95 LKR 314

369.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.37 LKR 455

-4.38%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$36.6K LKR 12.1M

-42.02%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$41.3K LKR 13.7M

-53.68%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$54.5 LKR 18.1K

120.48%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$4.33 LKR 1,436

223.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$21.17 LKR 7,013

30.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$4.31 LKR 1,428

31.09%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$38.49 LKR 12.7K

615.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$1,229 LKR 407.2K

544.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$17.84 LKR 5,910

176.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$16.82 LKR 5,572

50.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$79.6 LKR 26.4K

-3.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$42.74 LKR 14.2K

33.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

12.69

-43.26%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Anuradhapura: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Anuradhapura

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Anuradhapura

$240 47.1% 16.4% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Anuradhapura

$80 15.7% 50.5% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Anuradhapura

$71 13.9% 24.8% $23

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Anuradhapura

$108 21.2% 22.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Anuradhapura

$8.6 * 1.7% 80.2% $35

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Anuradhapura

$2.1 * 0.4% 86.5% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cebu versus $24.00 in Anuradhapura. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $240 – making Cebu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇱🇰 Anuradhapura

🕒 Local time

03:33 3:33 AM

01:03 1:03 AM

2 h 30 min behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

63,200

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Anuradhapura 4,770 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Anuradhapura

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 Anuradhapura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $918 in Cebu, $509 in Anuradhapura – roughly 80% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,377 per month in Cebu and $764 in Anuradhapura. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cebu and $24.00 in Anuradhapura. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Cebu – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $918 in Cebu and $509 in Anuradhapura, 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 $509 in Anuradhapura to $918 in Cebu. 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 Anuradhapura. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cebu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.