Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and As Salt

For one person, living is cheaper in As Salt: $689 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in As Salt
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As Salt Living Index

Jump to prices

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

As Salt

🇯🇴 Jordan

$689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in As Salt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $689 in As Salt.

Cebu $915
As Salt $689

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $1,083 in As Salt.

Cebu $1,418
As Salt $1,083

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $1,477 in As Salt.

Cebu $1,921
As Salt $1,477

Living in Cebu is roughly 33% more expensive than in As Salt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 33% lower, As Salt 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$5.01 JOD 3.55

-39.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$21.19 JOD 15.00

13.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$7.10 JOD 5.02

-43.80%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$2.16 JOD 1.53

15.74%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$0.38 JOD 0.27

305.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$0.29 JOD 0.21

72.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$5.59 JOD 3.96

-68.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$4.16 JOD 2.95

-47.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.25 JOD 0.89

60.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$0.31 JOD 0.22

341.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$1.58 JOD 1.12

-34.81%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.73 JOD 1.22

17.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$4.46 JOD 3.16

128.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$3.44 JOD 2.44

29.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$12.69 JOD 8.98

-39.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$1.56 JOD 1.10

112.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$1.44 JOD 1.02

1.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$1.39 JOD 0.99

66.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$0.77 JOD 0.54

93.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$0.81 JOD 0.57

188.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$0.55 JOD 0.39

252.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$0.47 JOD 0.34

146.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$0.55 JOD 0.39

23.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$3.62 JOD 2.56

-17.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$14.30 JOD 10.13

-56.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$4.34 JOD 3.07

-71.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$5.15 JOD 3.65

-66.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$0.84 JOD 0.59

-72.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

$28.09 JOD 19.89

-56.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$0.62 JOD 0.44

27.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$1.37 JOD 0.97

-83.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$6.88 JOD 4.87

-34.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$1.30 JOD 0.92

1.54%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$21.2K JOD 15.0K

-1.03%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$25.6K JOD 18.1K

-24.28%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$35.91 JOD 25.42

230.13%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$11.14 JOD 7.89

27.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$13.84 JOD 9.80

98.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$28.13 JOD 19.92

14.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

$35.71 JOD 25.29

-81.80%

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$6.97 JOD 4.94

-22.53%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$143 JOD 101

93.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$8,531 JOD 6,040

-7.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$24.65 JOD 17.45

100.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$50.4 JOD 35.65

-51.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$48.44 JOD 34.30

58.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$28.05 JOD 19.86

109.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$140 JOD 98.9

260.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$157 JOD 111

94.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$247 JOD 175

335.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$280 JOD 198

125.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

$575 JOD 407

-41.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

6.81

5.73%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for As Salt: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

As Salt

$157 22.7% 48.6% $148

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

As Salt

$196 28.5% 6.5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

As Salt

$61 8.8% 62% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

As Salt

$68 9.9% 27.7% $26

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

As Salt

$126 18.3% 43.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

As Salt

$42 6.1% 2.4% $1

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

As Salt

$39 5.7% 157% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $503 in Cebu and $140 in As Salt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

As Salt pays 71% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $21.00 in As Salt for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $196 per month, with As Salt cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇯🇴 As Salt

🕒 Local time

00:53 12:53 AM

19:53 7:53 PM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

107,874

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JOD, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.796 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu As Salt 9,230 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
As Salt

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 As Salt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

As Salt wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Cebu. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making As Salt the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 71% lower in As Salt. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $503 in Cebu versus $140 in As Salt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in As Salt – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $24.00 in Cebu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $915 per month in Cebu versus $689 in As Salt – a 33% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $800 a month, though As Salt 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 As Salt delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $689 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes As Salt hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cebu and As Salt 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 As Salt gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.