Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Arzamas

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,046 in Arzamas, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Arzamas
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Arzamas Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Arzamas

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,046

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Arzamas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,046 in Arzamas.

Cebu $918
Arzamas $1,046

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,613 in Arzamas.

Cebu $1,409
Arzamas $1,613

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,180 in Arzamas.

Cebu $1,900
Arzamas $2,180

Living in Cebu costs roughly 12% less than in Arzamas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Arzamas 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$10.13 ₽846

-69.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$34.19 ₽2,853

-29.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$6.83 ₽570

-42.61%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.74 ₽229

-8.39%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$1.06 ₽88.3

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.52 ₽43.61

1.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.85 ₽154

-3.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$2.82 ₽235

-23.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.10 ₽91.8

74.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.65 ₽54.1

109.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.33 ₽111

-24.06%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.77 ₽147

14.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$9.77 ₽815

0.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$5.87 ₽490

-25.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$12.33 ₽1,029

-38.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$1.71 ₽143

92.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.66 ₽139

-16.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.79 ₽149

30.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$2.94 ₽246

-48.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.67 ₽56.2

252.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.52 ₽43.63

265.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.46 ₽122

-18.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.70 ₽58.6

-10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$3.38 ₽282

-11.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$6.60 ₽551

-8.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.09 ₽90.8

12.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.03 ₽170

-13.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.55 ₽46.05

-54.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$2.21 ₽184

-65.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.34 ₽28.04

-32.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$6.49 ₽542

-31.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.84 ₽70.4

55.95%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$35.8K ₽3.0M

-40.61%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$27.7K ₽2.3M

-30.97%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$134 ₽11.2K

-10.20%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$6.62 ₽553

111.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$8.25 ₽689

233.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$32.02 ₽2,672

0.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$20.36 ₽1,699

-67.34%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$6.66 ₽556

-15.17%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$381 ₽31.8K

-27.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$6,116 ₽510.4K

29.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$85.8 ₽7,161

-42.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$51.7 ₽4,318

-51.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$123 ₽10.3K

-37.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$108 ₽9,050

-47.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$302 ₽25.2K

65.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$318 ₽26.6K

-2.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$474 ₽39.5K

127.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$562 ₽46.9K

9.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$2,064 ₽172.3K

39.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,375 ₽114.8K

39.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

21.45

-66.43%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Arzamas: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Arzamas

$318 30.4% 3% $9.4

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Arzamas

$206 19.7% 0.1% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Arzamas

$149 14.2% 8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Arzamas

$166 15.9% 76.8% $72

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Arzamas

$156 14.9% 76.4% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Arzamas

$45 4.3% 3.9% $1.7

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Arzamas

$6.1 * 0.6% 60.9% $9.5

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 $500 in Cebu and $302 in Arzamas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $34.00 in Arzamas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇷🇺 Arzamas

🕒 Local time

11:38 11:38 AM

06:38 6:38 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

103,396

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, 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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Arzamas 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Arzamas

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 Arzamas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu and Arzamas differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($918 vs $1,046 including rent). Cebu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $1,569 in Arzamas 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $302 in Arzamas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 0% higher in Arzamas. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $1,046 in Arzamas – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Cebu gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Arzamas 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Arzamas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.