Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Bentota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bentota: $774 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Bentota
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Bentota Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Bentota

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Bentota

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $774 in Bentota.

Cebu $918
Bentota $774

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $896 in Bentota.

Cebu $1,409
Bentota $896

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,018 in Bentota.

Cebu $1,900
Bentota $1,018

Living in Cebu is roughly 19% more expensive than in Bentota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Bentota 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$4.29 LKR 1,421

-27.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$11.97 LKR 3,965

102.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.73 LKR 2,560

-49.29%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.46 LKR 815

2.03%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.68 LKR 225

133.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.25 LKR 82.2

112.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.24 LKR 742

-20.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.07 LKR 1,016

-29.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.62 LKR 535

18.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.53 LKR 176

156.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$0.74 LKR 244

36.49%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.56 LKR 518

30.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$14.03 LKR 4,648

-29.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$3.32 LKR 1,099

32.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$4.62 LKR 1,529

64.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$6.81 LKR 2,257

-51.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$0.73 LKR 241

90.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$4.59 LKR 1,519

-49.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.90 LKR 297

66.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.00 LKR 331

136.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.79 LKR 263

140.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.94 LKR 312

26.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.43 LKR 143

46.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$10.13 LKR 3,356

-70.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$13.36 LKR 4,424

-54.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.95 LKR 645

-36.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.91 LKR 963

-39.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.18 LKR 61.0

38.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.40 LKR 133

92.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.31 LKR 103

-25.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$0.87 LKR 289

412.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.39 LKR 461

-5.76%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$37.2K LKR 12.3M

-42.84%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

-52.28%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$54.0 LKR 17.9K

122.48%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$2.23 LKR 739

527.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$9.03 LKR 2,990

204.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$4.28 LKR 1,417

32.01%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$38.08 LKR 12.6K

622.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$1,230 LKR 407.3K

543.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$17.80 LKR 5,897

177.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$16.82 LKR 5,573

50.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$80.4 LKR 26.6K

-4.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$42.09 LKR 13.9K

35.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$541 LKR 179.2K

-7.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$298 LKR 98.7K

3.63%

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

12.69

-43.26%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bentota: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Bentota

$298 38.5% 3.5% $11

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Bentota

$220 28.5% 7% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Bentota

$65 8.4% 59.6% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Bentota

$71 9.1% 24.7% $23

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Bentota

$108 14% 22.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Bentota

$8.6 * 1.1% 80.4% $35

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Bentota

$2.7 * 0.4% 82.7% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $541 in Bentota. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $12.00 in Bentota. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $220, with Cebu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇱🇰 Bentota

🕒 Local time

09:33 9:33 AM

07:03 7:03 AM

2 h 30 min behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

37,000

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Bentota 4,850 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Bentota

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 Bentota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bentota is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and utilities. The 19% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $1,160 in Bentota 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $541 in Bentota. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Cebu pay roughly 7% 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 $774 in Bentota – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Bentota gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Bentota is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cebu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Bentota 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 Bentota gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.