Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Cham

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $3,527 in Cham, rent and utilities included – about $31,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
171

Cost of Living Index in Cham
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Cham Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Cham

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Cham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $3,527 in Cham.

Cebu $915
Cham $3,527

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $5,432 in Cham.

Cebu $1,418
Cham $5,432

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $7,337 in Cham.

Cebu $1,921
Cham $7,337

Living in Cebu costs roughly 74% less than in Cham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 33% below, Cham is 160% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$30.40 CHF 25.04

-89.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$122 CHF 101

-80.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$18.19 CHF 14.98

-78.06%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$6.17 CHF 5.09

-59.48%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$5.52 CHF 4.55

-72.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$4.81 CHF 3.96

-89.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$8.62 CHF 7.10

-79.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$6.60 CHF 5.44

-67.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-6.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$3.80 CHF 3.13

-63.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$3.86 CHF 3.18

-73.32%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$7.26 CHF 5.98

-72.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$26.70 CHF 21.99

-61.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$28.37 CHF 23.37

-84.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$42.48 CHF 34.98

-81.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$4.22 CHF 3.48

-21.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$2.12 CHF 1.75

-31.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$3.28 CHF 2.70

-29.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$4.59 CHF 3.78

-67.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$2.42 CHF 1.99

-3.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-10.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$2.46 CHF 2.03

-52.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$1.16 CHF 0.95

-41.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$10.98 CHF 9.05

-72.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$12.73 CHF 10.48

-50.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$2.78 CHF 2.29

-55.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$3.14 CHF 2.59

-44.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$4.95 CHF 4.08

-95.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

$149 CHF 122

-91.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$5.29 CHF 4.36

-85.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$3.40 CHF 2.80

-93.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$61.7 CHF 50.8

-92.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$2.32 CHF 1.91

-43.10%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

-46.18%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$39.1K CHF 32.2K

-50.32%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$279 CHF 230

-57.51%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$30.94 CHF 25.48

-54.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$55.9 CHF 46.04

-50.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$90.5 CHF 74.5

-64.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

$49.67 CHF 40.90

-86.91%

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$25.71 CHF 21.18

-79.00%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$1,791 CHF 1,475

-84.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$32.2K CHF 26.5K

-75.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$143 CHF 118

-65.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$58.7 CHF 48.31

-58.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$168 CHF 138

-54.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$253 CHF 208

-76.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$1,739 CHF 1,432

-71.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$1,475 CHF 1,214

-79.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$2,977 CHF 2,452

-63.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$2,600 CHF 2,142

-75.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

$16.9K CHF 13.9K

-82.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

$13.3K CHF 10.9K

-85.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

2.07

247.83%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cham: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Cham

$1.5K 41.8% 384% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Cham

$604 17.1% 188% $394

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Cham

$366 10.4% 128% $206

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Cham

$280 7.9% 197% $186

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Cham

$470 13.3% 435% $382

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Cham

$142 4% 229% $99

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Cham

$191 5.4% 1159% $176

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $503 in Cebu and $1,739 in Cham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $122 in Cham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $604 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇨🇭 Cham

🕒 Local time

03:08 3:08 AM

21:08 9:08 PM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

17,060

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR 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).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Cham 11,010 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Cham

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 Cham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 286% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,372 in Cebu and $5,290 in Cham to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $503 in Cebu versus $1,739 in Cham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $915 per month in Cebu versus $3,527 in Cham – a 286% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 1105% less than in Cham. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $915 in Cebu versus $3,527 in Cham, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Cham. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cham, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Cham 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 286% less than in Cham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.