Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Cabarete

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,189 in Cabarete, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Cabarete
Learn more

Cabarete Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Cabarete

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,189

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Cabarete

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,189 in Cabarete.

Cebu $918
Cabarete $1,189

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,792 in Cabarete.

Cebu $1,409
Cabarete $1,792

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,396 in Cabarete.

Cebu $1,900
Cabarete $2,396

Living in Cebu costs roughly 23% less than in Cabarete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Cabarete 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$7.85 DOP 481

-60.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$49.97 DOP 3,061

-51.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$6.88 DOP 422

-43.02%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.00 DOP 122

25.50%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$1.01 DOP 62.1

57.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.55 DOP 33.47

-3.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.40 DOP 147

-25.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.16 DOP 194

-31.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.39 DOP 84.9

38.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.53 DOP 93.4

-11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.61 DOP 98.3

-37.27%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.27 DOP 139

-10.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$6.99 DOP 428

41.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$5.45 DOP 334

-19.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$6.47 DOP 396

17.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.86 DOP 175

15.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$0.77 DOP 46.88

80.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$2.67 DOP 164

-12.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.85 DOP 113

-18.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$2.01 DOP 123

17.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$2.21 DOP 136

-14.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.00 DOP 61.0

19.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.79 DOP 48.39

-20.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$4.03 DOP 247

-25.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$10.43 DOP 639

-42.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$2.58 DOP 158

-52.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.50 DOP 153

-30.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$1.01 DOP 62.1

-75.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$3.20 DOP 196

-75.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$2.27 DOP 139

-89.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$5.69 DOP 349

-21.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.20 DOP 73.5

9.17%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$22.8K DOP 1.4M

-6.82%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$33.3K DOP 2.0M

-42.50%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$91.3 DOP 5,593

31.69%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$31.47 DOP 1,928

-55.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$36.12 DOP 2,213

-23.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$25.15 DOP 1,541

28.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$7.56 DOP 463

-25.26%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$249 DOP 15.3K

10.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$7,256 DOP 444.5K

9.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$45.97 DOP 2,816

7.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$45.57 DOP 2,792

-44.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$85.7 DOP 5,253

-10.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$121 DOP 7,441

-52.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$706 DOP 43.2K

-29.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$491 DOP 30.1K

-37.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$1,189 DOP 72.9K

-9.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$790 DOP 48.4K

-22.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$297 DOP 18.2K

546.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

13.56

-46.90%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cabarete: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Cabarete

$491 41.3% 59.1% $182

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Cabarete

$214 18% 3.9% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Cabarete

$159 13.4% 1.8% $2.9

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Cabarete

$134 11.3% 43.1% $41

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Cabarete

$132 11.1% 49.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Cabarete

$40 3.4% 7.7% $3.3

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Cabarete

$19 * 1.6% 19.4% $3

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 $706 in Cabarete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $50.0 in Cabarete for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $214 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇩🇴 Cabarete

🕒 Local time

11:24 11:24 AM

23:24 11:24 PM

12 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

4,094

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, 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).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Cabarete 16,330 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Cabarete

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 Cabarete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Cabarete. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cebu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $1,784 in Cabarete 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 $706 in Cabarete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $275 in Cebu versus $249 in Cabarete. 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 $24.00 versus $50.0 in Cabarete. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,189 in Cabarete, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Cabarete. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cebu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $918 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cebu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Cabarete 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Cabarete. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.