Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Bucha

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucha: $746 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Bucha
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Bucha Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Bucha

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$746

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Bucha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $746 in Bucha.

Cebu $915
Bucha $746

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $1,142 in Bucha.

Cebu $1,418
Bucha $1,142

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $1,538 in Bucha.

Cebu $1,921
Bucha $1,538

Living in Cebu is roughly 23% more expensive than in Bucha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 33% lower, Bucha 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$9.86 ₴443

-69.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$22.50 ₴1,010

6.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$6.60 ₴296

-39.55%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$1.00 ₴45.09

150.00%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$0.62 ₴27.81

148.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$0.37 ₴16.60

35.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$0.87 ₴39.16

104.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$1.93 ₴86.5

12.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.12 ₴50.1

78.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$0.89 ₴40.04

53.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$1.50 ₴67.5

-31.33%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.97 ₴88.5

3.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$8.09 ₴363

26.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$5.20 ₴233

-14.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$6.83 ₴306

12.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$0.99 ₴44.59

234.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$1.52 ₴68.1

-3.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$1.87 ₴84.1

24.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$2.76 ₴124

-46.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$0.69 ₴31.10

239.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$0.45 ₴20.42

331.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$1.41 ₴63.2

-17.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$0.51 ₴23.07

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$3.39 ₴152

-11.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$4.73 ₴212

31.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$0.95 ₴42.66

29.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$1.37 ₴61.4

26.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$0.46 ₴20.45

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

$13.82 ₴620

-10.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$2.07 ₴93.1

-61.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$0.48 ₴21.61

-54.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$3.98 ₴179

14.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$1.69 ₴76.0

-21.89%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$31.4K ₴1.4M

-33.09%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$24.6K ₴1.1M

-21.11%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$98.5 ₴4,419

20.42%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$6.39 ₴287

122.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$6.35 ₴285

332.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$26.50 ₴1,189

21.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

$15.20 ₴682

-57.24%

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$4.60 ₴206

17.39%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$402 ₴18.0K

-31.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$4,197 ₴188.4K

87.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$67.3 ₴3,023

-26.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$17.42 ₴782

41.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$54.5 ₴2,447

40.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$56.4 ₴2,531

4.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$200 ₴8,961

152.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$197 ₴8,821

54.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$465 ₴20.9K

131.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$331 ₴14.8K

91.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

$1,038 ₴46.6K

176.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

$769 ₴34.5K

144.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

$548 ₴24.6K

-38.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

17.88

-59.73%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bucha: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Bucha

$197 26.3% 35.5% $108

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Bucha

$172 23% 18% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Bucha

$111 14.9% 30.6% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Bucha

$88 11.8% 6.6% $6.2

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Bucha

$123 16.5% 40.1% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Bucha

$36 4.8% 17.2% $7.4

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Bucha

$20 2.7% 32.8% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $503 in Cebu and $200 in Bucha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucha pays 63% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $23.00 in Bucha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $172 per month, with Bucha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇺🇦 Bucha

🕒 Local time

05:43 5:43 AM

00:43 12:43 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

27,460

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 UAH = 2.23 USD

100 UAH = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 44.89 UAH (100 UAH = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 50.46 UAH (100 UAH = 1.98 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Bucha 9,380 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Bucha

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 Bucha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu and Bucha differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($915 vs $746 including rent). Bucha is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 63% lower in Bucha. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $503 in Cebu versus $200 in Bucha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $915 per month in Cebu versus $746 in Bucha – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucha runs roughly 12% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Bucha 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 Bucha 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 Bucha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.