Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Carrara

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,737 in Carrara, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Carrara
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Carrara Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Carrara

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Carrara

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

A single person spends $918 per month in Cebu vs $1,737 in Carrara, rent included.

Cebu $918
Carrara $1,737

A couple spends around $1,409 per month in Cebu vs $2,689 in Carrara, rent included.

Cebu $1,409
Carrara $2,689

A family of three spends $1,900 per month in Cebu vs $3,641 in Carrara, rent included.

Cebu $1,900
Carrara $3,641

Cebu is about 47% cheaper than Carrara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cebu sits 32% below the global median, while Carrara is 29% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$22.45 €19.97

-86.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$78.2 €69.5

-69.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$10.00 €8.89

-60.80%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.68 €1.50

49.40%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$2.56 €2.28

-37.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$1.14 €1.01

-53.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$6.87 €6.11

-74.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$5.98 €5.32

-63.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.57 €1.40

22.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$2.13 €1.89

-36.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$2.84 €2.53

-64.44%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$3.48 €3.10

-41.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$12.91 €11.48

-23.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$12.25 €10.89

-64.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$26.13 €23.24

-70.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.56 €2.28

28.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$2.37 €2.11

-41.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$3.18 €2.82

-26.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$3.33 €2.96

-54.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.80 €1.61

31.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.92 €1.71

-1.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.42 €1.26

-16.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.36 €0.32

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$6.49 €5.78

-53.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$7.93 €7.05

-23.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.95 €1.73

-36.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.29 €2.03

-23.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$1.87 €1.67

-86.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$38.69 €34.41

-67.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$3.65 €3.25

-78.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$1.21 €1.08

-80.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$30.99 €27.57

-85.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$2.10 €1.87

-37.62%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$36.9K €32.8K

-42.39%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$34.8K €31.0K

-44.98%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$245 €218

-50.86%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$11.72 €10.43

19.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$33.30 €29.62

-17.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$36.59 €32.55

-11.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$23.67 €21.06

-71.91%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$12.49 €11.11

-54.76%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$741 €659

-62.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$16.6K €14.8K

-52.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$22.13 €19.68

122.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$39.39 €35.03

-35.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$88.0 €78.3

-12.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$132 €118

-56.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$524 €466

-4.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$566 €503

-45.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$1,136 €1,011

-5.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$985 €876

-37.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$2,938 €2,614

-1.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,994 €1,774

-3.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$1,692 €1,505

-79.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

3.16

127.85%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Carrara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Carrara

$566 32.6% 83.3% $257

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Carrara

$346 19.9% 68.2% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Carrara

$290 16.7% 79.1% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Carrara

$127 7.3% 34.9% $33

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Carrara

$291 16.7% 230% $203

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Carrara

$62 3.6% 41.2% $18

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Carrara

$56 3.2% 259% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $500 in Cebu versus $524 in Carrara. 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 389% higher in Carrara, 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 $78.0 in Carrara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $346 – making Cebu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇹 Carrara

🕒 Local time

17:27 5:27 PM

11:27 11:27 AM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

63,133

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Carrara 11,040 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Carrara

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 Carrara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Carrara costs about 89% more than Cebu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $2,606 in Carrara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 68% more in Carrara, 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 $78.0 in Carrara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cebu, where all-in costs run around $918, than in Carrara at $1,737. In Cebu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Carrara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cebu costs $918 versus $1,737 in Carrara. 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 Cebu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Carrara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.