Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Calapan City

For one person, living is cheaper in Calapan City: $752 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Calapan City
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Calapan City Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Calapan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$752

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Calapan 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 Calapan City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $934 per month in Cebu vs $752 in Calapan City, rent included.

Cebu $934
Calapan City $752

A couple spends around $1,423 per month in Cebu vs $1,110 in Calapan City, rent included.

Cebu $1,423
Calapan City $1,110

A family of three spends $1,913 per month in Cebu vs $1,468 in Calapan City, rent included.

Cebu $1,913
Calapan City $1,468

Cebu costs about 24% more than Calapan City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cebu and Calapan City are more affordable than the global median – Cebu 31% lower, Calapan City 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ₱242

$3.99 ₱255

-5.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.33 ₱1,491

$16.67 ₱1,065

39.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.94 ₱252

$2.69 ₱172

46.47%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₱163

$2.19 ₱140

15.98%

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

$1.57 ₱100

$0.69 ₱44.04

127.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₱29.82

$0.30 ₱19.43

56.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ₱113

$1.19 ₱75.9

48.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₱142

$2.04 ₱130

8.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.58 ₱101

20.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱87.1

$1.14 ₱72.7

19.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.8

$0.90 ₱57.8

4.44%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$1.93 ₱123

3.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 ₱620

$6.24 ₱399

55.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 ₱276

$4.23 ₱270

2.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 ₱480

$6.89 ₱440

9.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱211

$2.30 ₱147

43.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ₱87.5

$1.56 ₱99.4

-12.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱149

$2.39 ₱153

-2.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱95.4

$1.15 ₱73.7

29.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱147

$2.12 ₱136

8.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ₱120

$2.18 ₱139

-14.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱70.3

$1.09 ₱69.4

0.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱40.36

$0.57 ₱36.59

10.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 ₱183

$2.76 ₱177

3.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.08 ₱389

$7.35 ₱470

-17.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.4

$0.97 ₱62.1

30.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱110

$1.92 ₱123

-10.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.99

$0.24 ₱15.37

-8.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱788

$12.18 ₱778

1.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱47.53

$0.66 ₱42.14

12.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.08

$0.21 ₱13.44

4.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 ₱273

$2.08 ₱133

105.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱83.7

$1.00 ₱63.9

31.00%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$18.5K ₱1.2M

12.54%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$18.8K ₱1.2M

1.12%

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

$118 ₱7,565

$123 ₱7,844

-3.55%

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

$15.76 ₱1,007

$16.08 ₱1,027

-1.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.33 ₱1,810

$23.98 ₱1,532

18.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.94 ₱2,105

$30.79 ₱1,967

6.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.49 ₱415

$5.93 ₱379

9.44%

Cinema Ticket

$5.45 ₱348

$5.09 ₱325

7.07%

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

$276 ₱17.6K

$134 ₱8,577

105.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,789 ₱497.7K

$8,582 ₱548.3K

-9.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.18 ₱3,078

$31.57 ₱2,017

52.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.47 ₱1,564

$20.16 ₱1,288

21.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 ₱4,810

$78.9 ₱5,038

-4.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ₱3,707

$59.6 ₱3,805

-2.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 ₱30.5K

$243 ₱15.5K

96.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.6K

$187 ₱12.0K

71.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 ₱61.5K

$427 ₱27.3K

125.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₱40.0K

$314 ₱20.0K

99.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,551 ₱290.8K

$2,631 ₱168.1K

73.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,028 ₱193.5K

$1,121 ₱71.6K

170.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$333 ₱21.3K

$116 ₱7,389

188.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

6.92

4.05%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Calapan City: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$322 34.5%

Calapan City

$187 24.9% 41.8% $135

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$204 21.8%

Calapan City

$181 24% 11.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.4%

Calapan City

$163 21.6% 0.2% $0.3

Eating Out

Cebu

$94 10.1%

Calapan City

$80 10.7% 14.7% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$93 9.9%

Calapan City

$86 11.4% 7.7% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Calapan City

$41 5.5% 6.6% $2.9

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.6%

Calapan City

$15 2% 1.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $477 in Cebu versus $243 in Calapan City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cebu are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Cebu versus $17 in Calapan City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $204 vs $181 – making Calapan City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇵🇭 Calapan City

🕒 Local time

03:59 3:59 AM

Same time as Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

145,786

💱 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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Cebu Calapan City 460 km

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Cebu
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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 Calapan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cebu is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,401 per month in Cebu and $1,128 in Calapan City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calapan City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $243 there versus $477 in Cebu.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Cebu and $17 in Calapan City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Cebu, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Calapan City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Calapan City. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cebu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.