Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Bokaro

For one person, living is cheaper in Bokaro: $351 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
17

Cost of Living Index in Bokaro
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Bokaro Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Bokaro

🇮🇳 India

$351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Bokaro

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

A single person spends $918 per month in Cebu vs $351 in Bokaro, rent included.

Cebu $918
Bokaro $351

A couple spends around $1,409 per month in Cebu vs $545 in Bokaro, rent included.

Cebu $1,409
Bokaro $545

A family of three spends $1,900 per month in Cebu vs $739 in Bokaro, rent included.

Cebu $1,900
Bokaro $739

Cebu costs about 161% more than Bokaro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cebu and Bokaro are more affordable than the global median – Cebu 32% lower, Bokaro 74% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$2.11 ₹200

46.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$9.49 ₹901

155.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$3.06 ₹290

28.10%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.59 ₹151

57.86%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.35 ₹33.63

354.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.09 ₹8.50

488.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.60 ₹152

11.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$6.07 ₹576

-64.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$0.57 ₹54.4

236.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.22 ₹20.92

518.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$0.48 ₹45.32

110.42%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$0.72 ₹68.6

181.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$6.70 ₹637

47.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$1.53 ₹146

186.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$1.42 ₹135

132.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$0.68 ₹64.5

104.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$0.90 ₹85.8

158.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.41 ₹39.03

265.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.36 ₹33.73

555.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.48 ₹45.87

295.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.47 ₹44.17

153.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.29 ₹27.77

117.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$5.06 ₹480

-40.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$6.43 ₹611

-6.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.03 ₹98.0

19.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.04 ₹194

-14.22%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.10 ₹485

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.28 ₹26.45

-10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$7.65 ₹727

65.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$1.04 ₹98.3

-25.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.16 ₹15.33

43.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$2.07 ₹197

115.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.09 ₹103

20.18%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$16.5K ₹1.6M

29.03%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$20.9K ₹2.0M

-8.46%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$41.18 ₹3,910

191.96%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$2.89 ₹275

384.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$6.30 ₹599

337.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$7.93 ₹753

307.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$6.69 ₹635

-0.60%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$3.48 ₹330

62.36%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$52.1 ₹4,952

428.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$1,698 ₹161.2K

366.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$18.57 ₹1,764

165.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$28.54 ₹2,710

-11.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$37.96 ₹3,605

102.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$21.13 ₹2,006

170.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$123 ₹11.6K

307.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$73.5 ₹6,981

320.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$260 ₹24.7K

314.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$154 ₹14.6K

300.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$965 ₹91.6K

199.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$514 ₹48.8K

272.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$622 ₹59.1K

-44.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

-10.00%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bokaro: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Bokaro

$74 20.9% 76.2% $235

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Bokaro

$87 24.8% 57.8% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Bokaro

$50 14.4% 68.9% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Bokaro

$48 13.6% 49.1% $46

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Bokaro

$67 19.1% 24.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Bokaro

$15 4.2% 65.9% $29

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Bokaro

$11 3% 31.9% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $500 in Cebu versus $123 in Bokaro. 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 80% higher in Bokaro, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cebu versus $9.00 in Bokaro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $87.0 – making Bokaro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇳 Bokaro

🕒 Local time

09:06 9:06 AM

06:36 6:36 AM

2 h 30 min behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

564,319

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Bokaro 4,260 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Bokaro

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 Bokaro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $918 in Cebu, $351 in Bokaro – roughly 161% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,377 per month in Cebu and $527 in Bokaro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cebu and $9.00 in Bokaro. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $918 in Cebu and $351 in Bokaro. That's a gap of about 161%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $918 in Cebu and $351 in Bokaro, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Cebu has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $351 in Bokaro to $918 in Cebu. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Bokaro. 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.