Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Cartagena

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,427 in Cartagena, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,427

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Cartagena

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,427 in Cartagena.

Cebu $918
Cartagena $1,427

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $2,095 in Cartagena.

Cebu $1,409
Cartagena $2,095

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,762 in Cartagena.

Cebu $1,900
Cartagena $2,762

Living in Cebu costs roughly 36% less than in Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 32% below, Cartagena is 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$13.84 €12.31

-77.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$55.0 €48.90

-55.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.60 €6.76

-48.42%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.56 €2.27

-1.95%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$2.45 €2.18

-35.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$1.84 €1.64

-71.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$3.43 €3.05

-48.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.98 €3.54

-45.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.21 €1.07

58.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.18 €1.05

15.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$2.55 €2.26

-60.39%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$3.96 €3.52

-48.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$12.91 €11.48

-23.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$6.94 €6.18

-36.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$18.67 €16.60

-59.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.39 €2.13

38.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$2.52 €2.24

-44.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.61 €1.43

44.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$3.09 €2.75

-51.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.25 €1.11

88.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.24 €1.10

53.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.57 €1.40

-24.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.69 €0.62

-8.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$5.64 €5.02

-46.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$6.24 €5.55

-3.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.25 €1.11

-1.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.13 €1.00

54.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$1.43 €1.27

-82.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$11.14 €9.91

13.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$5.50 €4.90

-86.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$2.25 €2.00

-89.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$27.49 €24.45

-83.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.77 €1.58

-25.99%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$35.1K €31.2K

-39.49%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$30.2K €26.8K

-36.51%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$210 €187

-42.76%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$19.74 €17.56

-29.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$28.70 €25.53

-4.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$41.14 €36.59

-21.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$12.80 €11.39

-48.05%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$7.70 €6.85

-26.62%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$416 €370

-33.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$2,726 €2,425

190.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$47.17 €41.96

4.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$35.38 €31.47

-28.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$61.1 €54.3

26.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$101 €89.7

-43.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$591 €525

-15.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$492 €438

-37.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$836 €743

28.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$708 €630

-13.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$1,770 €1,574

63.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,433 €1,275

33.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$1,720 €1,530

-79.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

4.06

77.34%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Cartagena

$492 34.5% 59.3% $183

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Cartagena

$270 18.9% 31.2% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Cartagena

$258 18.1% 59.8% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Cartagena

$110 7.7% 17.1% $16

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Cartagena

$206 14.5% 134% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Cartagena

$57 4% 29.6% $13

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Cartagena

$34 2.4% 116% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $591 in Cartagena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartagena pays 397% 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: $24.00 in Cebu vs $55.0 in Cartagena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $270 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

14:04 2:04 PM

08:04 8:04 AM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

218,050

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Cartagena 12,200 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Cartagena

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 Cartagena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu wins on cost – living expenses run 56% lower than in Cartagena. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cebu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 397% lower in Cartagena. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $591 in Cartagena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cebu – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $55.0 in Cartagena. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $1,427 in Cartagena – a 56% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,427 in Cartagena, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Cartagena. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cebu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $918 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cebu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Cartagena are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Cartagena. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.