Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Assela

For one person, living is cheaper in Assela: $835 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Assela
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Assela Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Assela

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Assela

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $835 in Assela.

Cebu $918
Assela $835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,203 in Assela.

Cebu $1,409
Assela $1,203

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,571 in Assela.

Cebu $1,900
Assela $1,571

Living in Cebu is roughly 10% more expensive than in Assela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Assela 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱195

$3.96 ETB 636

-21.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,526

$42.32 ETB 6,793

-42.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$6.66 ETB 1,069

-41.14%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$0.96 ETB 153

161.46%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.64 ETB 102

148.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.47

$0.68 ETB 109

-22.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$0.83 ETB 133

114.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$2.20 ETB 353

-1.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.05 ETB 169

82.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.5

$1.17 ETB 188

16.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.6

$2.22 ETB 357

-54.50%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.78 ETB 286

14.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱622

$7.18 ETB 1,152

37.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$10.17 ETB 1,632

-56.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$9.17 ETB 1,471

-17.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$5.43 ETB 871

-39.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.9

$0.68 ETB 109

104.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$2.17 ETB 348

7.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.4

$0.66 ETB 106

127.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.47 ETB 75.4

402.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱120

$1.05 ETB 169

80.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱75.0

$0.66 ETB 106

80.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.75

$0.60 ETB 96.9

5.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$8.03 ETB 1,290

-62.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱380

$5.49 ETB 881

9.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.8

$0.66 ETB 106

86.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.22 ETB 196

43.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.88

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.67

$1.29 ETB 207

-40.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.55

$0.29 ETB 46.58

-20.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$2.03 ETB 325

119.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.9

$0.90 ETB 144

45.56%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$54.3K ETB 8.7M

-60.87%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$56.5K ETB 9.1M

-66.09%

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

$120 ₱7,577

$201 ETB 32.2K

-40.16%

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

$14.00 ₱883

$7.11 ETB 1,141

96.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,736

$209 ETB 33.5K

-86.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,037

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$3.83 ETB 614

47.52%

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

$275 ₱17.4K

$137 ETB 22.1K

100.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱499.1K

$30.2K ETB 4.8M

-73.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,109

$33.25 ETB 5,337

48.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,591

$70.9 ETB 11.4K

-64.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,851

$77.7 ETB 12.5K

-0.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,605

$82.6 ETB 13.3K

-30.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

18.5

-61.08%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Assela: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Assela

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Assela

$211 25.3% 2.7% $5.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Assela

$417 50% 158% $255

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Assela

$119 14.3% 26.6% $25

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Assela

$77 9.2% 12.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Assela

$7.7 * 0.9% 82.5% $36

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Assela

$2.7 * 0.3% 82.4% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $42.00 in Assela for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $211 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇪🇹 Assela

🕒 Local time

08:23 8:23 AM

03:23 3:23 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

139,500

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 63.03 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.66 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.56 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Assela 9,280 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Assela

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 Assela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Assela is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $1,252 in Assela 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.

Childcare runs $275 in Cebu versus $137 in Assela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Assela – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $24.00 in Cebu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

For families, Assela is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cebu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Assela 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 Assela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.