Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Cagayan de Oro City

For one person, living is cheaper in Cagayan de Oro City: $801 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Cagayan de Oro City
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Cagayan de Oro City Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Cagayan de Oro City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$801

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Cagayan de Oro City

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 Cagayan de Oro City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $801 in Cagayan de Oro City.

Cebu $934
Cagayan de Oro City $801

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Cebu versus $1,142 in Cagayan de Oro City.

Cebu $1,423
Cagayan de Oro City $1,142

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,913 in Cebu versus $1,484 in Cagayan de Oro City.

Cebu $1,913
Cagayan de Oro City $1,484

Living in Cebu is roughly 17% more expensive than in Cagayan de Oro City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 31% lower, Cagayan de Oro City 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ₱242

$3.52 ₱225

7.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.33 ₱1,491

$12.33 ₱788

89.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.94 ₱252

$2.89 ₱185

36.33%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₱163

$2.26 ₱145

12.39%

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

$1.57 ₱100

$0.69 ₱44.07

127.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₱29.82

$0.66 ₱42.45

-28.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ₱113

$1.33 ₱85.0

33.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₱142

$2.00 ₱128

11.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.44 ₱92.0

31.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱87.1

$0.89 ₱56.6

52.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.8

$0.91 ₱57.9

3.30%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$2.06 ₱131

-3.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 ₱620

$8.08 ₱516

20.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 ₱276

$3.25 ₱208

32.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 ₱480

$5.77 ₱369

30.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱211

$2.13 ₱136

55.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ₱87.5

$1.05 ₱67.3

30.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱149

$2.30 ₱147

1.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱95.4

$1.12 ₱71.6

33.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱147

$1.97 ₱126

16.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ₱120

$2.57 ₱164

-27.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱70.3

$0.76 ₱48.53

44.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱40.36

$0.47 ₱30.33

34.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 ₱183

$2.92 ₱187

-2.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.08 ₱389

$3.93 ₱251

54.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.4

$1.26 ₱80.7

0.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱110

$1.92 ₱123

-10.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.99

$0.29 ₱18.33

-24.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱788

$11.49 ₱734

7.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱47.53

$0.62 ₱39.41

19.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.08

$0.22 ₱14.09

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 ₱273

$1.90 ₱121

125.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱83.7

$1.01 ₱64.8

29.70%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$20.9K ₱1.3M

-0.43%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

-0.46%

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

$118 ₱7,565

$131 ₱8,394

-9.87%

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

$15.76 ₱1,007

$22.03 ₱1,408

-28.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.33 ₱1,810

$30.16 ₱1,927

-6.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.94 ₱2,105

$24.12 ₱1,541

36.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.49 ₱415

$2.80 ₱179

131.79%

Cinema Ticket

$5.45 ₱348

$4.35 ₱278

25.29%

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

$276 ₱17.6K

$64.3 ₱4,111

328.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,789 ₱497.7K

$2,231 ₱142.5K

249.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.18 ₱3,078

$31.70 ₱2,026

51.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.47 ₱1,564

$13.22 ₱844

85.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 ₱4,810

$50.4 ₱3,221

49.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ₱3,707

$39.53 ₱2,526

46.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 ₱30.5K

$424 ₱27.1K

12.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.6K

$267 ₱17.1K

20.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 ₱61.5K

$667 ₱42.6K

44.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₱40.0K

$441 ₱28.2K

41.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,551 ₱290.8K

$1,562 ₱99.8K

191.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,028 ₱193.5K

$955 ₱61.0K

216.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$333 ₱21.3K

$307 ₱19.6K

8.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

6.75

6.67%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cagayan de Oro City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$322 34.5%

Cagayan de Oro City

$267 33.3% 17% $55

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$204 21.8%

Cagayan de Oro City

$162 20.3% 20.2% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.4%

Cagayan de Oro City

$184 22.9% 13% $21

Eating Out

Cebu

$94 10.1%

Cagayan de Oro City

$80 10% 15% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$93 9.9%

Cagayan de Oro City

$61 7.6% 34.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Cagayan de Oro City

$33 4.1% 25.2% $11

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.6%

Cagayan de Oro City

$14 1.8% 4.6% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $477 in Cebu and $424 in Cagayan de Oro City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 9% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $23 in Cebu vs $12 in Cagayan de Oro City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $162 per month, with Cagayan de Oro City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇵🇭 Cagayan de Oro City

🕒 Local time

04:48 4:48 AM

Same time as Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

728,402

💱 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

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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 Cagayan de Oro City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $934 in Cebu and $801 in Cagayan de Oro City, so Cagayan de Oro City is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Cebu, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $477 in Cebu versus $424 in Cagayan de Oro City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cagayan de Oro City – a meal for two runs $12 versus $23 in Cebu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Cagayan de Oro City 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 Cagayan de Oro City are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Cagayan de Oro City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.