Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Bacolod

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacolod: $607 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Bacolod
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Bacolod Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Bacolod

🇵🇭 Philippines

$607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Bacolod

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

A single person spends $918 per month in Cebu vs $607 in Bacolod, rent included.

Cebu $918
Bacolod $607

A couple spends around $1,409 per month in Cebu vs $885 in Bacolod, rent included.

Cebu $1,409
Bacolod $885

A family of three spends $1,900 per month in Cebu vs $1,162 in Bacolod, rent included.

Cebu $1,900
Bacolod $1,162

Cebu costs about 51% more than Bacolod, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Cebu and Bacolod are more affordable than the global median – Cebu 32% lower, Bacolod 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$2.34 ₱147

32.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$12.87 ₱810

88.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$4.03 ₱254

-2.73%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.46 ₱155

2.03%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.70 ₱43.96

127.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.38 ₱23.61

39.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.37 ₱86.3

29.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$1.78 ₱112

21.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.61 ₱101

19.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.16 ₱73.2

17.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$0.95 ₱60.0

6.32%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.66 ₱105

22.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$8.92 ₱561

10.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$6.95 ₱437

-36.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$3.37 ₱212

-2.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$2.42 ₱152

-42.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.53 ₱33.60

183.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$2.00 ₱126

-5.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$1.03 ₱64.8

-38.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$2.77 ₱175

8.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$0.91 ₱57.4

35.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.18 ₱11.18

38.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.61 ₱38.66

26.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.28 ₱80.5

2.34%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$22.1K ₱1.4M

-3.70%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$24.0K ₱1.5M

-20.21%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$137 ₱8,646

-12.45%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$7.99 ₱503

75.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$28.20 ₱1,776

-2.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$15.87 ₱999

103.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$2.44 ₱153

172.54%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$4.37 ₱275

29.29%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$31.23 ₱1,966

781.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$267 ₱16.8K

87.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$178 ₱11.2K

73.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$475 ₱29.9K

126.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$347 ₱21.8K

77.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$206 ₱13.0K

67.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bacolod: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Bacolod

$178 29.4% 42.2% $130

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Bacolod

$155 * 25.5% 24.9% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Bacolod

$174 28.6% 7.3% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Bacolod

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Bacolod

$75 12.4% 15% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Bacolod

$25 4.1% 43.6% $19

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Bacolod

$1.3 * 0.2% 91.5% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $500 in Cebu versus $267 in Bacolod. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 68% higher in Cebu, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cebu versus $13.00 in Bacolod. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $155 – making Bacolod the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇵🇭 Bacolod

🕒 Local time

11:24 11:24 AM

Same time as Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

561,875

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Cebu Bacolod 110 km

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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 Bacolod: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $918 in Cebu, $607 in Bacolod – roughly 51% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,377 per month in Cebu and $911 in Bacolod. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cebu and $13.00 in Bacolod. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Cebu, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $918 in Cebu and $607 in Bacolod, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Cebu has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $607 in Bacolod to $918 in Cebu. 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 Bacolod. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cebu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.