Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Bandung

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandung: $641 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Bandung
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Bandung Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Bandung

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Bandung

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $641 in Bandung.

Cebu $934
Bandung $641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $947 in Bandung.

Cebu $1,415
Bandung $947

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $1,252 in Bandung.

Cebu $1,896
Bandung $1,252

Living in Cebu is roughly 46% more expensive than in Bandung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Bandung 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱191

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

113.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,476

$14.13 Rp 252.7K

66.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱257

$3.31 Rp 59.1K

23.56%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$1.48 Rp 26.5K

70.27%

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

$1.54 ₱97.2

$0.47 Rp 8,404

227.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.06

$0.22 Rp 3,924

122.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱113

$3.09 Rp 55.2K

-42.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$2.99 Rp 53.6K

-24.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.13 Rp 20.2K

72.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.9

$0.99 Rp 17.7K

44.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.0

$0.88 Rp 15.7K

15.91%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$1.47 Rp 26.3K

40.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱617

$7.36 Rp 131.8K

33.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱290

$2.81 Rp 50.3K

64.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱484

$7.75 Rp 138.7K

-0.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$2.19 Rp 39.1K

51.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱91.2

$1.07 Rp 19.1K

35.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.50 Rp 26.8K

57.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.6

$0.96 Rp 17.1K

60.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.10 Rp 19.7K

114.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$1.95 Rp 34.8K

2.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.3

$0.70 Rp 12.5K

64.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.26

$0.43 Rp 7,734

55.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$2.62 Rp 46.9K

14.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱399

$22.77 Rp 407.3K

-72.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱82.1

$1.82 Rp 32.6K

-28.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$3.18 Rp 56.9K

-45.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.82

$0.27 Rp 4,792

-7.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱796

$9.61 Rp 171.9K

31.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.44

$0.86 Rp 15.3K

-13.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.15

$0.55 Rp 9,779

-61.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱272

$2.23 Rp 39.8K

94.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.7

$0.90 Rp 16.1K

47.78%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$21.1K Rp 376.6M

3.39%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$29.2K Rp 523.2M

-33.67%

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

$121 ₱7,583

$33.58 Rp 600.7K

259.08%

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

$14.45 ₱909

$4.25 Rp 76.0K

240.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,779

$19.25 Rp 344.4K

46.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,055

$18.05 Rp 322.9K

81.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱402

$6.00 Rp 107.4K

6.50%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱343

$2.84 Rp 50.9K

92.25%

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

$273 ₱17.2K

$95.7 Rp 1.7M

185.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱512.9K

$8,240 Rp 147.4M

-1.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,117

$39.08 Rp 699.1K

26.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,564

$32.18 Rp 575.8K

-22.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,817

$76.5 Rp 1.4M

0.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,727

$69.5 Rp 1.2M

-14.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.8K

$214 Rp 3.8M

135.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.5K

$178 Rp 3.2M

73.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.1K

$381 Rp 6.8M

176.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.9K

$266 Rp 4.8M

132.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱183.4K

$725 Rp 13.0M

302.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.4K

$312 Rp 5.6M

497.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.5K

$281 Rp 5.0M

21.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

11.38

-36.73%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bandung: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Bandung

$178 28.4% 42.3% $131

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Bandung

$194 30.9% 7.7% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Bandung

$57 9.1% 65.1% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Bandung

$98 15.6% 3.3% $3.2

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Bandung

$63 10.1% 28.4% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Bandung

$24 3.8% 45.6% $20

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Bandung

$14 2.3% 7.6% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $214 in Bandung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 21% 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: $23.00 in Cebu vs $14.00 in Bandung for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $194 per month, with Bandung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇩 Bandung

🕒 Local time

15:19 3:19 PM

14:19 2:19 PM

1 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

2,390,120

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,890 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,065 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Bandung 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Bandung

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 Bandung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bandung wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Cebu. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bandung the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 21% higher in Cebu, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $506 in Cebu versus $214 in Bandung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bandung – a meal for two runs $14.00 versus $23.00 in Cebu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Bandung gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bandung delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $641 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bandung hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Bandung 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 Bandung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.