Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Bel Air

For one person, living is cheaper in Bel Air: $590 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Bel Air
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Bel Air Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Bel Air

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$590

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Bel Air

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $590 in Bel Air.

Cebu $918
Bel Air $590

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $995 in Bel Air.

Cebu $1,409
Bel Air $995

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,400 in Bel Air.

Cebu $1,900
Bel Air $1,400

Living in Cebu is roughly 56% more expensive than in Bel Air, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Bel Air 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$5.67 MUR 267

-45.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$37.95 MUR 1,786

-36.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.19 MUR 338

-45.48%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.03 MUR 48.47

143.69%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$1.07 MUR 50.2

48.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.59 MUR 27.62

-10.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.62 MUR 76.1

9.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.13 MUR 148

-30.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.62 MUR 76.1

18.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.78 MUR 36.67

74.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.15 MUR 54.1

-12.17%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.54 MUR 120

-20.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$5.29 MUR 249

86.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$6.30 MUR 296

-30.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$11.14 MUR 525

-31.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.75 MUR 130

20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$2.61 MUR 123

-46.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.38 MUR 65.1

68.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$3.02 MUR 142

-50.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.00 MUR 46.93

136.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.93 MUR 43.84

104.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.69 MUR 32.37

72.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.90 MUR 42.48

-30.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$6.25 MUR 294

-52.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$8.37 MUR 394

-27.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.60 MUR 75.5

-23.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.27 MUR 107

-22.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$4.32 MUR 204

-82.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$3.13 MUR 147

-92.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$21.19 MUR 998

-78.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.35 MUR 63.6

-2.96%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$35.8K MUR 1.7M

-40.60%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$30.7K MUR 1.4M

-37.65%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$45.32 MUR 2,134

165.29%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$10.72 MUR 505

30.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$28.55 MUR 1,344

-3.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$6.40 MUR 301

-11.72%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$128 MUR 6,039

114.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$7,491 MUR 352.7K

5.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$77.1 MUR 3,629

-36.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$72.3 MUR 3,403

-65.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$118 MUR 5,568

-34.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$76.6 MUR 3,604

-25.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

6.67

7.95%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bel Air: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Bel Air

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Bel Air

$217 36.9% 5.6% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Bel Air

$85 14.3% 47.7% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Bel Air

$155 26.3% 64.9% $61

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Bel Air

$100 17% 13.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Bel Air

$13 * 2.2% 70.7% $31

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Bel Air

$20 * 3.4% 28.2% $4.4

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 $38.00 in Bel Air for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $217 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇲🇺 Bel Air

🕒 Local time

23:15 11:15 PM

19:15 7:15 PM

4 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

17,600

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Bel Air 7,990 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Bel Air

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 Bel Air: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bel Air wins on cost – living expenses run 56% lower than in Cebu. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bel Air the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $885 in Bel Air 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.

Shoppers in Cebu pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $590 in Bel Air – a 56% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Bel Air 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 Bel Air delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $590 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bel Air hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Bel Air 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 Bel Air gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.