Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Barisal

For one person, living is cheaper in Barisal: $305 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Barisal
Learn more

Barisal Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Barisal

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$305

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Barisal

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

A single person spends $918 per month in Cebu vs $305 in Barisal, rent included.

Cebu $918
Barisal $305

A couple spends around $1,409 per month in Cebu vs $494 in Barisal, rent included.

Cebu $1,409
Barisal $494

A family of three spends $1,900 per month in Cebu vs $684 in Barisal, rent included.

Cebu $1,900
Barisal $684

Cebu costs about 201% more than Barisal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cebu and Barisal are more affordable than the global median – Cebu 32% lower, Barisal 77% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$1.44 ৳178

114.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$10.82 ৳1,336

123.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$4.47 ৳553

-12.30%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 ৳377

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 ৳585

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.93 ৳238

30.05%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.29 ৳36.20

448.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.13 ৳16.39

307.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$0.71 ৳88.0

170.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.64 ৳78.6

112.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$0.51 ৳63.2

98.04%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.16 ৳143

75.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$6.13 ৳758

60.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$2.18 ৳269

101.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$6.41 ৳792

18.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.33 ৳288

41.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$0.97 ৳120

43.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$2.03 ৳251

14.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.56 ৳68.9

167.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.31 ৳38.45

661.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.46 ৳57.5

313.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.45 ৳55.0

164.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.27 ৳33.04

133.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$7.04 ৳870

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.67 ৳454

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 ৳565

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$3.22 ৳398

-6.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.46 ৳56.9

-45.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$1.30 ৳161

-40.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.44 ৳55.0

-47.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$2.77 ৳342

61.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.04 ৳129

25.96%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$33.0K ৳4.1M

-35.70%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$32.8K ৳4.0M

-41.54%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$20.45 ৳2,527

487.92%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$5.25 ৳649

166.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$10.49 ৳1,296

162.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$7.27 ৳898

344.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$12.41 ৳1,534

-46.41%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$4.93 ৳609

14.60%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$13.39 ৳1,655

1956.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$702 ৳86.8K

1027.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$16.86 ৳2,083

192.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$17.93 ৳2,215

40.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$31.87 ৳3,938

141.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$24.18 ৳2,987

136.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$74.4 ৳9,195

571.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$51.8 ৳6,395

496.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$134 ৳16.6K

704.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$85.0 ৳10.5K

623.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$699 ৳86.3K

313.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$307 ৳37.9K

525.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$186 ৳23.0K

86.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

10.48

-31.30%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Barisal: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Barisal

$52 17% 83.2% $257

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Barisal

$104 34.1% 49.5% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Barisal

$36 11.9% 77.6% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Barisal

$41 13.4% 56.5% $53

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Barisal

$50 16.3% 43.6% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Barisal

$17 5.6% 60.8% $26

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Barisal

$5.4 * 1.8% 65.5% $10

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 $74.4 in Barisal. 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 86% 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 $11.00 in Barisal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $104 – making Barisal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇧🇩 Barisal

🕒 Local time

23:17 11:17 PM

21:17 9:17 PM

2 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

339,308

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Barisal 3,820 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Barisal

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 Barisal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cebu is pricier by about 201%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,377 per month in Cebu and $458 in Barisal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $918 in Cebu and $305 in Barisal. That's a gap of about 201%.

Kindergarten costs $275 per month in Cebu and $13.39 in Barisal. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $918 in Cebu and $305 in Barisal, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Barisal – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Barisal. 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.