Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Chittagong

For one person, living is cheaper in Chittagong: $375 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
18

Cost of Living Index in Chittagong
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Chittagong Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Chittagong

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$375

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Chittagong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $375 in Chittagong.

Cebu $934
Chittagong $375

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $624 in Chittagong.

Cebu $1,415
Chittagong $624

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $874 in Chittagong.

Cebu $1,896
Chittagong $874

Living in Cebu is roughly 149% more expensive than in Chittagong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Chittagong 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱191

$2.06 ৳254

47.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,476

$12.14 ৳1,492

93.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱257

$5.32 ৳653

-23.12%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 ৳333

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 ৳486

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$1.91 ৳235

31.94%

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

$1.54 ₱97.2

$0.37 ৳45.18

316.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.06

$0.13 ৳15.65

276.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱113

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$0.81 ৳99.3

140.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.9

$0.56 ৳68.8

155.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.0

$0.66 ৳80.6

54.55%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$1.13 ৳139

82.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱617

$7.33 ৳901

33.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱290

$2.14 ৳263

115.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱484

$7.33 ৳901

5.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$2.28 ৳280

45.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱91.2

$0.91 ৳112

59.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$2.07 ৳255

14.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.6

$0.85 ৳105

81.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$0.44 ৳53.5

436.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$0.77 ৳94.8

158.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.3

$0.46 ৳56.4

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.26

$0.32 ৳39.35

109.38%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.22 ৳519

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ৳97.5

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 ৳175

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$3.03 ৳372

-0.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱399

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱82.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.82

$0.23 ৳28.35

8.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.44

$0.80 ৳98.0

-7.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.15

$0.55 ৳67.8

-61.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱272

$3.99 ৳490

8.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.7

$1.15 ৳142

15.65%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$31.9K ৳3.9M

-31.77%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$44.5K ৳5.5M

-56.42%

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

$121 ₱7,583

$29.48 ৳3,623

309.02%

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

$14.45 ₱909

$5.58 ৳685

158.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,779

$12.14 ৳1,492

133.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,055

$19.55 ৳2,402

67.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱402

$14.27 ৳1,754

-55.22%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱343

$3.72 ৳458

46.77%

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

$273 ₱17.2K

$35.12 ৳4,316

678.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱512.9K

$1,439 ৳176.9K

466.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,117

$23.03 ৳2,829

115.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,564

$19.37 ৳2,380

28.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,817

$56.4 ৳6,928

35.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,727

$35.48 ৳4,360

67.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.8K

$126 ৳15.5K

302.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.5K

$61.3 ৳7,527

405.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.1K

$272 ৳33.4K

286.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.9K

$168 ৳20.6K

268.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱183.4K

$800 ৳98.3K

264.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.4K

$476 ৳58.6K

291.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.5K

$284 ৳34.9K

20.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

11.5

-37.39%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Chittagong: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Chittagong

$61 16.5% 80.2% $248

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Chittagong

$113 30.6% 46.1% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Chittagong

$47 12.7% 71.1% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Chittagong

$60 16.3% 36.2% $34

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Chittagong

$57 15.5% 35.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Chittagong

$27 7.3% 38.1% $17

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Chittagong

$4.5 * 1.2% 71% $11

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 $506 in Cebu and $126 in Chittagong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 20% 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: $23.00 in Cebu vs $12.00 in Chittagong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $113 per month, with Chittagong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇧🇩 Chittagong

🕒 Local time

13:00 1:00 PM

11:00 11:00 AM

2 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

2,592,439

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Chittagong 3,660 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Chittagong

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 Chittagong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chittagong is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 149% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 20% higher in Cebu, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $506 in Cebu versus $126 in Chittagong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 85% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $375 in Chittagong – a 149% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Chittagong gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

Safety-wise, Cebu and Chittagong 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 Chittagong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 149% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.