Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Castlebar

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $2,675 in Castlebar, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Castlebar
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Castlebar Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Castlebar

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,675

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Castlebar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $2,675 in Castlebar.

Cebu $915
Castlebar $2,675

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $3,567 in Castlebar.

Cebu $1,418
Castlebar $3,567

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $4,459 in Castlebar.

Cebu $1,921
Castlebar $4,459

Living in Cebu costs roughly 66% less than in Castlebar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 33% below, Castlebar is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$16.25 €14.45

-81.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$96.7 €86.0

-75.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$10.73 €9.54

-62.81%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$3.80 €3.38

-34.21%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$2.10 €1.86

-26.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$1.27 €1.13

-60.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$6.60 €5.87

-73.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$5.14 €4.57

-57.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.65 €1.47

21.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$1.47 €1.31

-6.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$2.50 €2.22

-58.80%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$4.03 €3.58

-49.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$2.75 €2.45

270.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$4.44 €3.95

0.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$6.87 €6.11

11.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$3.37 €3.00

-1.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$1.87 €1.66

-21.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$3.29 €2.93

-29.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$2.83 €2.52

-47.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$2.74 €2.43

-14.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$0.69 €0.62

181.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$1.50 €1.33

-22.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$2.30 €2.05

-70.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$15.07 €13.40

-80.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$12.21 €10.86

-48.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$4.54 €4.04

-72.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$4.37 €3.89

-60.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$3.20 €2.85

-92.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

$145 €129

-91.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$4.37 €3.89

-81.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$1.43 €1.27

-84.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$18.21 €16.20

-75.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$2.01 €1.78

-34.33%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$39.3K €35.0K

-46.61%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$33.3K €29.6K

-41.68%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$241 €215

-50.88%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$24.77 €22.03

-42.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$55.6 €49.41

-50.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$49.63 €44.14

-34.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

$33.93 €30.18

-80.84%

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$11.34 €10.09

-52.38%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$5,217 €4,641

50.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$111 €98.7

-55.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$33.14 €29.48

-25.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$102 €90.3

-24.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$1,618 €1,440

-68.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$1,474 €1,311

-79.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$1,995 €1,775

-46.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$1,755 €1,562

-63.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

$3,370 €2,997

-14.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

$4,320 €3,842

-92.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

4.17

72.66%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Castlebar: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Castlebar

$1.5K 55.1% 384% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Castlebar

$263 9.8% 25.4% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Castlebar

$322 12% 101% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Castlebar

$111 * 4.1% 17.3% $16

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Castlebar

$265 9.9% 202% $177

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Castlebar

$72 2.7% 67.7% $29

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Castlebar

$169 6.3% 1016% $154

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $503 in Cebu and $1,618 in Castlebar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Castlebar pays 1186% 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 $97.0 in Castlebar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $263 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇪 Castlebar

🕒 Local time

03:09 3:09 AM

20:09 8:09 PM

7 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

13,054

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Castlebar 11,640 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Castlebar

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 Castlebar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu and Castlebar differ by about 192% in total monthly costs ($915 vs $2,675 including rent). Cebu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1186% lower in Castlebar. 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: $503 in Cebu versus $1,618 in Castlebar. 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 $97.0 in Castlebar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 1073% less than in Castlebar. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $915 in Cebu versus $2,675 in Castlebar, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Castlebar. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Castlebar 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 192% less than in Castlebar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.