Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Butuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Butuan: $569 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Butuan
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Butuan Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Butuan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$569

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Butuan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $569 in Butuan.

Cebu $934
Butuan $569

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Cebu versus $899 in Butuan.

Cebu $1,423
Butuan $899

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,913 in Cebu versus $1,229 in Butuan.

Cebu $1,913
Butuan $1,229

Living in Cebu is roughly 64% more expensive than in Butuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 31% lower, Butuan 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ₱242

$4.66 ₱297

-18.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.33 ₱1,486

$26.45 ₱1,685

-11.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.94 ₱251

$2.32 ₱148

69.83%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₱162

$2.04 ₱130

24.51%

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

$1.57 ₱99.9

$0.30 ₱19.08

423.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₱29.73

$0.24 ₱15.29

95.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ₱112

$1.58 ₱100

12.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₱141

$2.37 ₱151

-6.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.92 ₱122

-1.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱86.9

$1.11 ₱70.7

22.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.6

$0.90 ₱57.0

4.44%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$1.83 ₱117

8.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 ₱618

$6.42 ₱409

51.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 ₱275

$4.75 ₱302

-9.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 ₱478

$9.41 ₱599

-20.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱211

$2.65 ₱169

24.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ₱87.2

$1.09 ₱69.5

25.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱149

$2.40 ₱153

-2.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱95.1

$1.17 ₱74.4

27.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱146

$1.97 ₱125

16.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ₱119

$3.40 ₱217

-45.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱70.1

$1.18 ₱75.1

-6.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱40.23

$0.70 ₱44.55

-10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 ₱182

$2.42 ₱154

18.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.08 ₱388

$7.68 ₱489

-20.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.2

$1.27 ₱81.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱109

$1.60 ₱102

7.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.94

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱786

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱47.38

$0.81 ₱51.5

-8.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.04

$0.24 ₱15.33

-8.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 ₱272

$1.93 ₱123

121.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱83.4

$1.06 ₱67.8

23.58%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

-0.09%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

-0.42%

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

$118 ₱7,542

$106 ₱6,734

12.00%

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

$15.76 ₱1,004

$18.42 ₱1,173

-14.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.33 ₱1,804

$30.63 ₱1,951

-7.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.94 ₱2,098

$23.59 ₱1,502

39.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.49 ₱413

Cinema Ticket

$5.45 ₱347

$4.18 ₱266

30.38%

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

$276 ₱17.6K

$106 ₱6,747

160.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,789 ₱496.1K

$7,473 ₱476.0K

4.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.18 ₱3,069

$59.6 ₱3,793

-19.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.47 ₱1,559

$30.15 ₱1,920

-18.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 ₱4,795

$69.0 ₱4,397

9.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ₱3,695

$60.7 ₱3,866

-4.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 ₱30.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 ₱61.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₱39.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,551 ₱289.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,028 ₱192.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$333 ₱21.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

8.31

-13.36%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Butuan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$322 34.5%

Butuan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$204 21.8%

Butuan

$198 34.9% 2.6% $5.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.4%

Butuan

$155 27.2% 4.8% $7.7

Eating Out

Cebu

$94 10.1%

Butuan

$84 14.7% 11.2% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$93 9.9%

Butuan

$99 17.3% 6.5% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Butuan

$32 5.6% 27.2% $12

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.6%

Butuan

$2 * 0.4% 86.7% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $23 in Cebu vs $26 in Butuan. Groceries flip the comparison at $204 vs $198, with Butuan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇵🇭 Butuan

🕒 Local time

12:02 12:02 PM

Same time as Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

337,063

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Butuan 230 km

From you

Cebu
Butuan

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 Butuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Butuan wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Cebu. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Butuan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,401 in Cebu and $854 in Butuan 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.

Childcare runs $276 in Cebu versus $106 in Butuan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cebu – a meal for two runs $23 versus $26 in Butuan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $569 in Butuan versus $934 in Cebu, a $800 budget is realistic in Butuan but tight or insufficient in Cebu. The gap between the two cities makes Butuan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Butuan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.