Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Asahikawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,159 in Asahikawa, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. The total is higher in Asahikawa despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Asahikawa
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Asahikawa Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Asahikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,159

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Asahikawa

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

A single person spends $918 per month in Cebu vs $1,159 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Cebu $918
Asahikawa $1,159

A couple spends around $1,409 per month in Cebu vs $1,832 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Cebu $1,409
Asahikawa $1,832

A family of three spends $1,900 per month in Cebu vs $2,506 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Cebu $1,900
Asahikawa $2,506

Cebu is about 21% cheaper than Asahikawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cebu and Asahikawa are more affordable than the global median – Cebu 32% lower, Asahikawa 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$5.40 ¥853

-42.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$35.56 ¥5,618

-31.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$5.53 ¥873

-29.11%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.94 ¥465

-14.63%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$1.16 ¥184

37.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.76 ¥120

-30.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.86 ¥451

-37.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.44 ¥544

-36.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.61 ¥255

19.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.52 ¥240

-10.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$3.77 ¥595

-73.21%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.06 ¥326

-1.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$11.07 ¥1,749

-10.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$5.98 ¥944

-26.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$18.60 ¥2,938

-59.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$3.45 ¥545

-4.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$2.35 ¥372

-40.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$2.83 ¥448

-17.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$4.73 ¥747

-68.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$2.28 ¥360

3.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$2.62 ¥413

-27.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.15 ¥181

3.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.87 ¥138

-27.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$4.46 ¥705

-32.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$7.16 ¥1,130

-15.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.76 ¥277

-30.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.26 ¥358

-22.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$1.29 ¥204

-80.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$60.6 ¥9,570

-79.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$3.36 ¥531

-77.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$2.74 ¥433

-91.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$17.41 ¥2,751

-74.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.06 ¥168

23.58%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$21.9K ¥3.5M

-3.18%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$13.5K ¥2.1M

41.90%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$117 ¥18.5K

2.70%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$25.69 ¥4,059

-45.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$27.71 ¥4,378

-0.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$49.78 ¥7,864

-35.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$13.53 ¥2,138

-58.24%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$500 ¥79.0K

-44.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$12.2K ¥1.9M

-34.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$48.15 ¥7,607

2.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$33.48 ¥5,290

-24.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$66.1 ¥10.4K

16.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$85.5 ¥13.5K

-33.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$453 ¥71.6K

10.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$306 ¥48.3K

1.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$1,104 ¥174.4K

-2.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$640 ¥101.1K

-3.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$4,448 ¥702.8K

-35.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,801 ¥284.5K

6.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

2.21

225.79%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Asahikawa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Asahikawa

$306 26.4% 1% $3.1

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Asahikawa

$295 25.4% 43.1% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Asahikawa

$170 14.7% 5.4% $8.7

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Asahikawa

$105 9.1% 11.7% $11

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Asahikawa

$124 10.7% 40.4% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Asahikawa

$77 6.6% 76.2% $33

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Asahikawa

$83 7.1% 432% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $500 in Cebu versus $453 in Asahikawa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cebu versus $36.00 in Asahikawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $295 – making Cebu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇯🇵 Asahikawa

🕒 Local time

10:24 10:24 AM

11:24 11:24 AM

1 h ahead of Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

329,306

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, 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).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Asahikawa 4,130 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Asahikawa

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 Asahikawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $918 in Cebu, $1,159 in Asahikawa – roughly 26% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,377 per month in Cebu and $1,739 in Asahikawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cebu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 379% less in Cebu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $275 per month in Cebu and $500 in Asahikawa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cebu, where all-in costs run around $918, than in Asahikawa at $1,159. In Cebu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Asahikawa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cebu has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $918 in Cebu to $1,159 in Asahikawa. 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 Cebu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Asahikawa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.