Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Batangas

For one person, living is cheaper in Batangas: $610 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Batangas
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Batangas Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Batangas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$610

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Batangas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $610 in Batangas.

Cebu $934
Batangas $610

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Cebu versus $887 in Batangas.

Cebu $1,423
Batangas $887

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,913 in Cebu versus $1,165 in Batangas.

Cebu $1,913
Batangas $1,165

Living in Cebu is roughly 53% more expensive than in Batangas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 31% lower, Batangas 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ₱242

$2.14 ₱137

77.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.33 ₱1,491

$19.00 ₱1,214

22.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.94 ₱252

$2.63 ₱168

49.81%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₱163

$2.06 ₱131

23.30%

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

$1.57 ₱100

$0.37 ₱23.89

324.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₱29.82

$0.28 ₱17.98

67.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ₱113

$1.05 ₱67.0

68.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₱142

$1.40 ₱89.2

58.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.71 ₱109

11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱87.1

$1.16 ₱74.1

17.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.8

$0.77 ₱49.36

22.08%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$1.61 ₱103

23.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 ₱620

$5.49 ₱351

76.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 ₱276

$4.09 ₱261

5.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 ₱480

$6.99 ₱446

7.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱211

$2.29 ₱146

44.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ₱87.5

$1.35 ₱86.1

1.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱149

$2.41 ₱154

-2.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱95.4

$1.16 ₱74.0

28.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱147

$2.20 ₱141

4.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ₱120

$3.24 ₱207

-42.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱70.3

$1.29 ₱82.1

-14.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱40.36

$0.89 ₱56.6

-29.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 ₱183

$2.52 ₱161

13.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.08 ₱389

$7.55 ₱482

-19.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱110

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.99

$0.63 ₱40.07

-65.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱788

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱47.53

$0.76 ₱48.61

-2.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.08

$0.21 ₱13.36

4.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 ₱273

$2.48 ₱158

72.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱83.7

$1.01 ₱64.3

29.70%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$20.9K ₱1.3M

-0.63%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$18.9K ₱1.2M

0.70%

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

$118 ₱7,565

$161 ₱10.3K

-26.67%

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

$15.76 ₱1,007

$14.33 ₱916

9.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.33 ₱1,810

$23.93 ₱1,529

18.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.94 ₱2,105

$18.53 ₱1,184

77.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.49 ₱415

$12.48 ₱797

-48.00%

Cinema Ticket

$5.45 ₱348

$5.63 ₱360

-3.20%

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

$276 ₱17.6K

$71.9 ₱4,591

283.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,789 ₱497.7K

$1,239 ₱79.1K

528.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.18 ₱3,078

$15.94 ₱1,018

202.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.47 ₱1,564

$22.67 ₱1,449

7.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 ₱4,810

$53.8 ₱3,440

39.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ₱3,707

$39.82 ₱2,544

45.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 ₱30.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.6K

$71.1 ₱4,544

352.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 ₱61.5K

$156 ₱9,995

515.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₱40.0K

$93.3 ₱5,961

570.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,551 ₱290.8K

$2,500 ₱159.7K

82.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,028 ₱193.5K

$1,573 ₱100.5K

92.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$333 ₱21.3K

$185 ₱11.8K

80.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

2.86%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Batangas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$322 34.5%

Batangas

$71 11.7% 77.9% $251

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$204 21.8%

Batangas

$185 30.3% 9.3% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.4%

Batangas

$200 32.8% 22.9% $37

Eating Out

Cebu

$94 10.1%

Batangas

$60 9.9% 35.9% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$93 9.9%

Batangas

$60 9.8% 35.8% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Batangas

$30 4.9% 32.1% $14

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.6%

Batangas

$4.3 * 0.7% 71.3% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

Cebu pays 80% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Cebu vs $19 in Batangas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $185 per month, with Batangas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇵🇭 Batangas

🕒 Local time

02:39 2:39 AM

Same time as Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

329,874

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Cebu Batangas 490 km

From you

Cebu
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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 Batangas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu and Batangas differ by about 53% in total monthly costs ($934 vs $610 including rent). Batangas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 80% higher in Cebu, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $610 in Batangas – a 53% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Batangas gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Batangas are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Batangas wins on affordability, Cebu on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.