Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Calarasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Calarasi: $358 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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 Calarasi
Learn more

Calarasi Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Calarasi

🇲🇩 Moldova

$358

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Calarasi

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

A single person spends $918 per month in Cebu vs $358 in Calarasi, rent included.

Cebu $918
Calarasi $358

A couple spends around $1,409 per month in Cebu vs $585 in Calarasi, rent included.

Cebu $1,409
Calarasi $585

A family of three spends $1,900 per month in Cebu vs $811 in Calarasi, rent included.

Cebu $1,900
Calarasi $811

Cebu costs about 157% more than Calarasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cebu and Calarasi are more affordable than the global median – Cebu 32% lower, Calarasi 74% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$11.15 MDL 198

-72.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$22.51 MDL 400

7.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$6.93 MDL 123

-43.43%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.42 MDL 25.19

76.76%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.75 MDL 13.24

112.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.47 MDL 8.31

12.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.09 MDL 19.42

63.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$1.42 MDL 25.22

52.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$0.99 MDL 17.59

93.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.36 MDL 6.31

277.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.93 MDL 34.20

5.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.94 MDL 34.42

-28.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.63 MDL 11.18

274.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.52 MDL 9.20

21.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$1.10 MDL 19.54

-30.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.68 MDL 29.75

-22.02%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$20.5K MDL 364.8K

-6.79%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$58.4 MDL 1,038

105.73%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$6.57 MDL 117

113.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$10.12 MDL 180

172.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$3.41 MDL 60.5

65.69%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$33.26 MDL 591

48.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$32.87 MDL 584

-23.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$108 MDL 1,922

-28.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$33.44 MDL 594

71.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Calarasi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Calarasi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Calarasi

$41 * 11.4% 80.1% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Calarasi

$75 21% 53.6% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Calarasi

$94 26.2% 0.4% $0.4

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Calarasi

$140 39.2% 58.8% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Calarasi

$6.8 * 1.9% 84.4% $37

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Calarasi

$1.1 * 0.3% 92.9% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cebu versus $23.00 in Calarasi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $41.00 – making Calarasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇲🇩 Calarasi

🕒 Local time

13:55 1:55 PM

08:55 8:55 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

16,100

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 17.76 MDL (100 MDL = 5.63 USD). 1 EUR = 19.97 MDL (100 MDL = 5.01 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Calarasi 9,590 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Calarasi

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 Calarasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cebu is pricier by about 157%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,377 per month in Cebu and $536 in Calarasi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 403% more in Cebu, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cebu and $23.00 in Calarasi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $918 in Cebu and $358 in Calarasi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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