Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Cox's Bazar

For one person, living is cheaper in Cox's Bazar: $347 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
17

Cost of Living Index in Cox's Bazar
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Cox's Bazar Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Cox's Bazar

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Cox's Bazar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $347 in Cox's Bazar.

Cebu $915
Cox's Bazar $347

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $557 in Cox's Bazar.

Cebu $1,418
Cox's Bazar $557

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $767 in Cox's Bazar.

Cebu $1,921
Cox's Bazar $767

Living in Cebu is roughly 164% more expensive than in Cox's Bazar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 33% lower, Cox's Bazar 74% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$1.65 ৳203

84.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$12.00 ৳1,483

100.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$3.09 ৳382

29.13%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 ৳329

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ৳297

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$1.90 ৳235

31.58%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$0.36 ৳44.03

327.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$0.12 ৳14.26

316.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$0.81 ৳99.9

146.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$0.47 ৳57.9

191.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$0.66 ৳82.0

56.06%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$0.99 ৳123

105.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$7.20 ৳890

41.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$2.06 ৳254

116.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$7.17 ৳886

6.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$2.25 ৳278

47.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$0.85 ৳106

71.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$1.68 ৳207

38.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$0.51 ৳63.6

192.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$0.46 ৳57.2

408.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$0.54 ৳66.5

259.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$0.45 ৳55.5

157.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$0.29 ৳36.42

134.48%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$7.94 ৳981

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 ৳310

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.72 ৳584

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$1.85 ৳229

61.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$0.27 ৳33.02

192.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$0.37 ৳46.16

-40.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$4.15 ৳513

9.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$1.09 ৳135

21.10%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$32.4K ৳4.0M

-35.20%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$34.5K ৳4.3M

-43.74%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$12.18 ৳1,505

873.32%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$2.64 ৳326

438.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$11.44 ৳1,414

140.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$16.28 ৳2,011

98.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

$4.00 ৳494

62.50%

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$2.38 ৳294

126.89%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$24.48 ৳3,024

1027.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$1,443 ৳178.3K

445.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$22.55 ৳2,786

118.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$18.08 ৳2,233

35.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$32.46 ৳4,010

136.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$35.09 ৳4,336

67.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$161 ৳19.8K

213.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$95.2 ৳11.8K

219.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$302 ৳37.3K

255.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$164 ৳20.2K

286.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

$348 ৳43.0K

724.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

$266 ৳32.9K

604.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

$278 ৳34.3K

20.90%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Cox's Bazar: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Cox's Bazar

$95 27.5% 68.7% $209

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Cox's Bazar

$106 30.6% 49.3% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Cox's Bazar

$26 7.6% 83.6% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Cox's Bazar

$49 14% 48.4% $46

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Cox's Bazar

$47 13.6% 46.3% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Cox's Bazar

$21 6.1% 51.2% $22

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Cox's Bazar

$2.1 * 0.6% 85.9% $13

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 $161 in Cox's Bazar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 21% 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 $12.00 in Cox's Bazar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $106 per month, with Cox's Bazar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇧🇩 Cox's Bazar

🕒 Local time

21:18 9:18 PM

19:18 7:18 PM

2 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

223,522

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Cox's Bazar 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Cox's Bazar

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 Cox's Bazar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cox's Bazar is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 164% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 21% 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: $503 in Cebu versus $161 in Cox's Bazar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 97% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $915 per month in Cebu versus $347 in Cox's Bazar – a 164% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

For families, Cox's Bazar 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 Cox's Bazar 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 Cox's Bazar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 164% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.