Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Artem

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,095 in Artem, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$934
/mo nomad
Artem
🇷🇺 Russia
$1,095
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Artem

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $1,095 in Artem.

  • Cebu $934
  • Artem $1,095

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $1,729 in Artem.

  • Cebu $1,415
  • Artem $1,729

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $2,362 in Artem.

  • Cebu $1,896
  • Artem $2,362

Living in Cebu costs roughly 15% less than in Artem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Artem 18% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Artem
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.03 ₱191
$11.95 ₽1,016
-74.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.48 ₱1,476
$35.43 ₽3,012
-33.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.09 ₱257
$6.30 ₽536
-35.08%
Cappuccino
$2.52 ₱158
$3.02 ₽257
-16.56%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 ₱97.2
$1.04 ₽88.5
48.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ₱31.06
$0.69 ₽58.5
-28.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.79 ₱113
$1.45 ₽123
23.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 ₱142
$2.30 ₽195
-1.74%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Artem
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ₱122
$1.68 ₽143
16.07%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 ₱89.9
$0.66 ₽55.9
116.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.02 ₱64.0
$1.61 ₽137
-36.65%
Eggs
$2.06 ₱129
$2.34 ₽199
-11.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.81 ₱617
$13.16 ₽1,119
-25.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.61 ₱290
$6.23 ₽529
-26.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.70 ₱484
$11.07 ₽941
-30.44%
Apples (1kg)
$3.31 ₱208
$2.90 ₽246
14.14%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 ₱91.2
$2.08 ₽177
-30.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.36 ₱148
$2.69 ₽229
-12.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.54 ₱96.6
$4.12 ₽350
-62.62%
Potato (1kg)
$2.36 ₱148
$0.98 ₽83.3
140.82%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 ₱125
$1.03 ₽87.7
93.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 ₱72.3
$1.29 ₽110
-10.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.67 ₱42.26
$1.05 ₽89.2
-36.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00 ₱189
$2.91 ₽247
3.09%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.35 ₱399
$7.61 ₽647
-16.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 ₱82.1
$1.16 ₽98.5
12.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 ₱109
$2.30 ₽196
-24.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Artem
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 ₱15.82
$0.56 ₽47.26
-55.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.65 ₱796
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.74 ₱46.44
$2.40 ₽204
-69.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.21 ₱13.15
$0.34 ₽29.05
-38.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.33 ₱272
$5.89 ₽501
-26.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.33 ₱83.7
$0.86 ₽72.7
54.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K ₱1.4M
$44.8K ₽3.8M
-51.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.4K ₱1.2M
$35.2K ₽3.0M
-44.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Artem
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$121 ₱7,583
$153 ₽13.0K
-21.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.45 ₱909
$8.22 ₽699
75.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.29 ₱1,779
$9.21 ₽783
207.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Artem
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.68 ₱2,055
$37.85 ₽3,218
-13.66%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.39 ₱402
$20.31 ₽1,727
-68.54%
Cinema Ticket
$5.46 ₱343
$5.34 ₽454
2.25%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Artem
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$273 ₱17.2K
$348 ₽29.5K
-21.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,156 ₱512.9K
$6,051 ₽514.4K
34.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Artem
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.57 ₱3,117
$78.1 ₽6,638
-36.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.87 ₱1,564
$51.6 ₽4,386
-51.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.6 ₱4,817
$97.2 ₽8,263
-21.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$59.3 ₱3,727
$125 ₽10.6K
-52.52%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Artem
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$506 ₱31.8K
$387 ₽32.9K
30.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ₱19.5K
$312 ₽26.5K
-0.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,052 ₱66.1K
$983 ₽83.6K
6.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$619 ₱38.9K
$629 ₽53.4K
-1.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,915 ₱183.4K
$2,160 ₽183.6K
34.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,867 ₱117.4K
$1,297 ₽110.2K
44.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Artem
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$341 ₱21.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
23.6
-69.49%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Artem: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$309
Artem
$312 0.8% $2.3
Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$210
Artem
$250 18.7% $39
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$163
Artem
$170 4.4% $7.2
Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$95
Artem
$158 67.2% $64
Eating Out
Cebu
$88
Artem
$170 91.8% $81
Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44
Artem
$49 11.3% $4.9
Getting Around
Cebu
$15
Artem
$6.3 * 59% $9.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $387 in Artem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Cebu vs $35.00 in Artem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $250 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cebu
🇷🇺 Artem
🕒 Local time
14:15 2:15 PM
16:15 4:15 PM
2 h ahead of Cebu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
964,169
104,926
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.02 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.36 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cebu Artem 3,760 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cebu
  • Artem

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 Artem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Cebu or Artem?
Cebu wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Artem. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cebu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Cebu and in Artem?
You'd need roughly $1,401 in Cebu and $1,643 in Artem to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Cebu compared to Artem?
Rent for a central apartment: $506 in Cebu versus $387 in Artem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Cebu and in Artem?
Childcare runs $273 in Cebu versus $348 in Artem. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Cebu and in Artem?
Dining out is cheaper in Cebu – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $35.00 in Artem. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Cebu or in Artem?
At $934 in Cebu versus $1,095 in Artem, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Artem. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Cebu or Artem?
Both work as nomad bases, but Cebu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $934 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cebu hard to pass up.
How safe is Cebu compared to Artem?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Artem are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Artem. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Cebu vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?