Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Asmara

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,402 in Asmara, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. The total is higher in Asmara despite lower rent and utilities.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Asmara
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Asmara Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Asmara

🇪🇷 Eritrea

$1,402

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Asmara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $1,402 in Asmara.

Cebu $934
Asmara $1,402

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $2,192 in Asmara.

Cebu $1,415
Asmara $2,192

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $2,983 in Asmara.

Cebu $1,896
Asmara $2,983

Living in Cebu costs roughly 33% less than in Asmara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 30% below, Asmara is 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱190

$20.83 ERN 313

-85.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,473

$33.92 ERN 509

-30.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱256

$6.04 ERN 90.7

-32.28%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$0.77 ERN 11.54

227.27%

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

$1.54 ₱96.9

$0.97 ERN 14.60

58.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.98

$1.02 ERN 15.28

-51.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

$0.62 ERN 9.30

188.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.64 ERN 24.67

18.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.7

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱63.8

$2.33 ERN 35.01

-56.22%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$4.34 ERN 65.3

-52.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱615

$2.98 ERN 44.76

229.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱289

$26.73 ERN 401

-82.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱483

$10.11 ERN 152

-23.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱207

$12.28 ERN 184

-73.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱90.9

$1.32 ERN 19.79

9.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.95 ERN 29.31

21.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.4

$1.14 ERN 17.05

35.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.76 ERN 26.40

34.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$0.95 ERN 14.26

109.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.15

$2.26 ERN 33.91

-70.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

$11.87 ERN 178

-46.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

$0.98 ERN 14.76

33.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

$1.02 ERN 15.27

69.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

$0.14 ERN 2.13

78.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

$8.17 ERN 123

54.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$0.57 ERN 8.62

-63.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

$9.84 ERN 148

-56.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$2.52 ERN 37.88

-47.22%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$66.4K ERN 997.5K

-67.23%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$68.8K ERN 1.0M

-71.82%

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

$121 ₱7,563

$25.13 ERN 377

379.82%

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

$14.45 ₱907

$68.7 ERN 1,032

-78.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,774

$202 ERN 3,031

-85.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

$26.72 ERN 401

22.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

$4.91 ERN 73.8

30.14%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

$1.22 ERN 18.40

347.54%

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

$273 ₱17.1K

$24.69 ERN 371

1007.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

$2,594 ERN 39.0K

214.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

$136 ERN 2,039

-63.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

$120 ERN 1,800

-79.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

$203 ERN 3,056

-62.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,717

$152 ERN 2,276

-60.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.7K

$246 ERN 3,700

105.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$199 ERN 2,988

55.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.0K

$457 ERN 6,867

130.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

$432 ERN 6,488

43.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

$1,284 ERN 19.3K

127.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

$2,487 ERN 37.4K

-24.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

-40.00%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Asmara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Asmara

$199 14.4% 35.7% $111

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Asmara

$364 * 26.4% 72.9% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Asmara

$296 21.4% 81% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Asmara

$275 19.9% 190% $180

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Asmara

$205 * 14.9% 132% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Asmara

$29 2.1% 33.1% $14

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Asmara

$12 * 0.8% 24.8% $3.8

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 $246 in Asmara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Cebu vs $34.00 in Asmara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $364 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇪🇷 Asmara

🕒 Local time

19:59 7:59 PM

14:59 2:59 PM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

579,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Eritrean Nakfa ERN ናቕፋ

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

100 ERN = 6.66 USD

100 ERN = 5.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ERN, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.28 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Eritrean Nakfa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 15.02 ERN (100 ERN = 6.66 USD). 1 EUR = 16.83 ERN (100 ERN = 5.94 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Asmara 9,170 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Asmara

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 Asmara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu and Asmara differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($934 vs $1,402 including rent). Cebu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,401 in Cebu and $2,103 in Asmara 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: $506 in Cebu versus $246 in Asmara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 55% less than in Asmara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $273 in Cebu versus $24.69 in Asmara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,402 in Asmara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Asmara. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Asmara 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 50% less than in Asmara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.