Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Bethlehem

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,603 in Bethlehem, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Bethlehem
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Bethlehem Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Bethlehem

🇵🇸 Palestine

$1,603

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Bethlehem

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

A single person spends $918 per month in Cebu vs $1,603 in Bethlehem, rent included.

Cebu $918
Bethlehem $1,603

A couple spends around $1,409 per month in Cebu vs $2,491 in Bethlehem, rent included.

Cebu $1,409
Bethlehem $2,491

A family of three spends $1,900 per month in Cebu vs $3,378 in Bethlehem, rent included.

Cebu $1,900
Bethlehem $3,378

Cebu is about 43% cheaper than Bethlehem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cebu sits 32% below the global median, while Bethlehem is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$11.24 ₪34.98

-72.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$49.54 ₪154

-51.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$14.10 ₪43.86

-72.20%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$4.63 ₪14.42

-45.79%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$1.29 ₪4.00

23.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$1.02 ₪3.16

-48.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$6.04 ₪18.80

-70.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$8.23 ₪25.60

-73.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.98 ₪6.17

-3.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.90 ₪2.81

51.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$2.29 ₪7.14

-55.90%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.62 ₪8.15

-22.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$10.46 ₪32.53

-5.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$9.61 ₪29.91

-54.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$20.63 ₪64.2

-63.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$3.84 ₪11.96

-14.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$2.09 ₪6.51

-33.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.65 ₪5.15

41.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$2.49 ₪7.76

-39.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.42 ₪4.43

66.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.65 ₪5.13

15.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.62 ₪5.04

-26.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$1.02 ₪3.18

-38.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$10.15 ₪31.58

-70.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$14.37 ₪44.72

-58.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$2.33 ₪7.25

-47.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.32 ₪7.21

-24.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$2.46 ₪7.64

-89.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$145 ₪453

-91.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$3.27 ₪10.16

-76.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$3.24 ₪10.07

-92.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$3.22 ₪10.02

38.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$2.38 ₪7.42

-44.96%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$40.3K ₪125.5K

-47.33%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$48.5K ₪150.9K

-60.53%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$196 ₪609

-38.59%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$39.23 ₪122

-64.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$32.64 ₪102

-15.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$65.1 ₪203

-50.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$33.04 ₪103

-79.87%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$7.97 ₪24.81

-29.11%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$99.0 ₪308

178.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$9,882 ₪30.7K

-19.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$48.66 ₪151

1.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$98.9 ₪308

-74.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$116 ₪360

-33.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$165 ₪512

-65.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$493 ₪1,534

1.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$332 ₪1,032

-6.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$878 ₪2,732

22.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$645 ₪2,007

-4.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$1,595 ₪4,962

80.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,155 ₪3,595

65.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$1,320 ₪4,106

-73.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

-28.00%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bethlehem: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Bethlehem

$332 20.7% 7.4% $23

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Bethlehem

$312 19.5% 51.6% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Bethlehem

$268 16.7% 65.4% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Bethlehem

$192 12% 105% $99

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Bethlehem

$244 15.2% 176% $155

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Bethlehem

$81 5.1% 85.9% $37

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Bethlehem

$175 10.9% 1022% $159

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $500 in Cebu versus $493 in Bethlehem. 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 281% higher in Bethlehem, 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 $50.0 in Bethlehem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $312 – making Cebu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇵🇸 Bethlehem

🕒 Local time

05:21 5:21 AM

00:21 12:21 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

29,019

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, 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).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Bethlehem 9,290 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Bethlehem

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 Bethlehem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bethlehem is pricier by about 75%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,377 per month in Cebu and $2,405 in Bethlehem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cebu, 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 $1,603 in Bethlehem. That's a gap of about 75%.

Public transport costs about 1051% less in Cebu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cebu, where all-in costs run around $918, than in Bethlehem at $1,603. In Cebu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bethlehem it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cebu – 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 Cebu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bethlehem makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.