For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $2,808 in Askim, rent and utilities included – about $22,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.
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 Askim actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $2,808 in Askim.
Cebu $915
Askim $2,808
Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $4,262 in Askim.
Cebu $1,418
Askim $4,262
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $5,717 in Askim.
Cebu $1,921
Askim $5,717
🌍
Living in Cebu costs roughly 67% less than in Askim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.
📊
The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 33% below, Askim is 107% above.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Askim
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.05₱192
$20.69NOK 195
-85.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.00₱1,511
$125NOK 1,177
-80.81%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$3.99₱251
$15.56NOK 146
-74.36%
Cappuccino
$2.50₱157
$5.87NOK 55.3
-57.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54₱97.1
$4.19NOK 39.43
-63.25%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50₱31.37
$3.45NOK 32.47
-85.51%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$1.78₱112
$11.55NOK 109
-84.59%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17₱136
$12.45NOK 117
-82.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Askim
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$2.00₱126
$2.44NOK 22.94
-18.03%
White Bread(500g)
$1.37₱86.2
$4.23NOK 39.81
-67.61%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$1.03₱64.9
$4.53NOK 42.62
-77.26%
Eggs
$2.03₱128
$6.01NOK 56.6
-66.22%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$10.20₱642
$14.63NOK 138
-30.28%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$4.45₱280
$15.70NOK 148
-71.66%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$7.67₱483
$31.27NOK 294
-75.47%
Apples(1kg)
$3.31₱208
$3.39NOK 31.93
-2.36%
Banana(1kg)
$1.46₱91.8
$2.59NOK 24.42
-43.63%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.32₱146
$3.39NOK 31.96
-31.56%
Tomato(1kg)
$1.49₱94.0
$5.94NOK 55.9
-74.92%
Potato(1kg)
$2.34₱147
$2.76NOK 25.95
-15.22%
Onion(1kg)
$1.94₱122
$2.90NOK 27.34
-33.10%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.16₱73.0
$3.09NOK 29.11
-62.46%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68₱42.89
$2.39NOK 22.47
-71.55%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$2.99₱188
$19.01NOK 179
-84.27%
Wine(Bottle)
$6.24₱393
$16.31NOK 154
-61.74%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23₱77.3
$3.54NOK 33.31
-65.25%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73₱109
$4.33NOK 40.76
-60.05%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Askim
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.23₱14.36
$4.54NOK 42.73
-94.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$12.34₱777
$84.4NOK 794
-85.37%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$0.79₱49.96
$11.72NOK 110
-93.26%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.22₱13.86
$1.84NOK 17.34
-88.04%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$4.54₱286
$68.5NOK 644
-93.37%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.32₱82.9
$2.36NOK 22.18
-44.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K₱1.3M
$49.0KNOK 460.8K
-57.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.4K₱1.2M
$37.9KNOK 356.3K
-48.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Askim
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$119₱7,464
$417NOK 3,928
-71.59%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.22₱896
$33.62NOK 316
-57.70%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.47₱1,730
$53.4NOK 503
-48.60%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Askim
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$32.31₱2,034
$50.2NOK 472
-35.57%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.50₱409
$36.88NOK 347
-82.38%
Cinema Ticket
$5.40₱340
$15.42NOK 145
-64.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Askim
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$276₱17.4K
$238NOK 2,245
15.76%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$7,866₱495.3K
$15.3KNOK 143.9K
-48.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Askim
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.37₱3,108
$100NOK 942
-50.67%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.58₱1,548
$59.8NOK 563
-58.92%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$76.6₱4,825
$133NOK 1,248
-42.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$58.9₱3,706
$158NOK 1,487
-62.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Askim
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$503₱31.7K
$1,194NOK 11.2K
-57.82%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$305₱19.2K
$986NOK 9,280
-69.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,075₱67.7K
$1,969NOK 18.5K
-45.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$632₱39.8K
$1,679NOK 15.8K
-62.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$2,870₱180.7K
$6,007NOK 56.6K
-52.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$1,877₱118.2K
$4,059NOK 38.2K
-53.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Askim
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$336₱21.1K
$4,161NOK 39.2K
-91.93%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
7.2
4.94
45.75%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026
Last update for Askim: October 20, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$305 33.3%
Askim
$986 35.1% ↑ 224%$681
🛒Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$210 22.9%
Askim
$515 18.3% ↑ 146%$305
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$160 17.5%
Askim
$504 18% ↑ 215%$344
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94 10.3%
Askim
$203 7.2% ↑ 115%$108
🍽Eating Out
Cebu
$88 9.6%
Askim
$396 14.1% ↑ 351%$308
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$43 4.7%
Askim
$81 2.9% ↑ 87.9%$38
🚌Getting Around
Cebu
$15 1.7%
Askim
$123 4.4% ↑ 715%$108
🏠Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$632 32.9%
Askim
$1.7K 29.4% ↑ 166%$1K
🛒Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$491 25.6%
Askim
$1.2K 20.8% ↑ 142%$699
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$174 9.1%
Askim
$538 9.4% ↑ 208%$363
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$209 10.9%
Askim
$450 7.9% ↑ 115%$241
🍽Eating Out
Cebu
$290 15.1%
Askim
$1.4K 24.6% ↑ 384%$1.1K
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$93 4.8%
Askim
$199 3.5% ↑ 115%$106
🚌Getting Around
Cebu
$31 1.6%
Askim
$256 4.5% ↑ 733%$225
Cost Breakdown
🏠A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $503 in Cebu and $1,194 in Askim. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Askim pays 1139% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.
🛒Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $125 in Askim for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $515 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.
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 Askim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Cebu and in Askim?
Cebu and Askim differ by about 207% in total monthly costs ($915 vs $2,808 including rent). Cebu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 1139% lower in Askim. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Cebu and in Askim?
Rent for a central apartment: $503 in Cebu versus $1,194 in Askim. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Cebu – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $125 in Askim. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Cebu or Askim?
All in, you'll spend $915 per month in Cebu versus $2,808 in Askim – a 207% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $915 in Cebu versus $2,808 in Askim, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Askim. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Cebu and Askim?
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.
Is Cebu or Askim safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Askim are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Cebu or Askim?
Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 207% less than in Askim. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.