Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Caloocan

For one person, living is cheaper in Caloocan: $504 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Caloocan
Learn more

Caloocan Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Caloocan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Caloocan

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

A single person spends $918 per month in Cebu vs $504 in Caloocan, rent included.

Cebu $918
Caloocan $504

A couple spends around $1,409 per month in Cebu vs $674 in Caloocan, rent included.

Cebu $1,409
Caloocan $674

A family of three spends $1,900 per month in Cebu vs $845 in Caloocan, rent included.

Cebu $1,900
Caloocan $845

Cebu costs about 82% more than Caloocan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cebu and Caloocan are more affordable than the global median – Cebu 32% lower, Caloocan 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$2.74 ₱173

12.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$16.50 ₱1,039

46.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$2.22 ₱140

76.58%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$0.91 ₱57.3

175.82%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.40 ₱25.00

297.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.33 ₱21.07

60.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.01 ₱63.8

76.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$1.61 ₱101

34.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.62 ₱102

18.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.11 ₱69.7

22.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.00 ₱63.0

1.00%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.81 ₱114

12.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$5.19 ₱327

89.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$3.44 ₱216

27.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$7.94 ₱500

-4.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.21 ₱139

49.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$0.92 ₱57.7

51.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$2.38 ₱150

-2.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.04 ₱65.5

44.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.12 ₱70.7

110.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.70 ₱107

11.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.65 ₱41.16

83.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.49 ₱31.11

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$4.68 ₱295

28.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$0.91 ₱57.2

35.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.99 ₱126

-12.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.22 ₱13.86

13.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.82 ₱51.9

-6.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.25 ₱15.82

-8.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$1.90 ₱119

134.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.09 ₱68.5

20.18%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$21.4K ₱1.3M

-0.51%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

-0.66%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$53.2 ₱3,351

125.91%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$9.80 ₱617

42.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$23.23 ₱1,463

18.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$4.76 ₱300

579.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$5.04 ₱318

12.10%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$134 ₱8,411

106.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$10.9K ₱688.2K

-27.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$29.00 ₱1,826

70.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$19.90 ₱1,253

26.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$55.3 ₱3,479

39.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$47.92 ₱3,017

19.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$205 ₱12.9K

144.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$121 ₱7,620

155.16%

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

$320 ₱20.1K

8.14%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Caloocan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Caloocan

$121 24% 60.8% $188

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Caloocan

$160 31.7% 22.5% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Caloocan

$86 17.1% 46.7% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Caloocan

$68 13.6% 27.1% $26

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Caloocan

$51 10.1% 42.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Caloocan

$15 3% 66% $29

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Caloocan

$3 * 0.6% 81% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $500 in Cebu versus $205 in Caloocan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 8% higher in Cebu, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cebu versus $16.00 in Caloocan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $160 – making Caloocan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇵🇭 Caloocan

🕒 Local time

22:04 10:04 PM

Same time as Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

1,661,584

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Caloocan 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Caloocan

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 Caloocan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu costs about 82% more than Caloocan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,377 per month in Cebu and $756 in Caloocan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Caloocan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cebu and $16.00 in Caloocan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Cebu, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $918 in Cebu and $504 in Caloocan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Caloocan costs $504 versus $918 in Cebu. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Caloocan. 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.