Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Cuiaba

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,018 in Cuiaba, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Cuiaba despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Cuiaba
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Cuiaba Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Cuiaba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Cuiaba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $1,018 in Cuiaba.

Cebu $934
Cuiaba $1,018

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Cebu versus $1,540 in Cuiaba.

Cebu $1,423
Cuiaba $1,540

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,913 in Cebu versus $2,062 in Cuiaba.

Cebu $1,913
Cuiaba $2,062

Living in Cebu costs roughly 8% less than in Cuiaba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 31% lower, Cuiaba 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ₱242

$5.16 R$27.77

-26.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.33 ₱1,486

$27.37 R$147

-14.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.94 ₱251

$7.52 R$40.48

-47.61%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₱162

$1.71 R$9.21

48.54%

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

$1.57 ₱99.9

$1.36 R$7.32

15.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₱29.73

$0.72 R$3.85

-34.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ₱112

$1.91 R$10.25

-7.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₱141

$2.54 R$13.65

-12.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.14 R$6.12

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱86.9

$1.49 R$8.03

-8.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.6

$1.69 R$9.08

-44.38%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$2.95 R$15.87

-32.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 ₱618

$16.16 R$87.0

-39.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 ₱275

$4.24 R$22.83

1.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 ₱478

$10.25 R$55.1

-26.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱211

$2.21 R$11.88

49.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ₱87.2

$2.33 R$12.55

-41.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱149

$2.40 R$12.89

-2.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱95.1

$2.86 R$15.38

-47.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱146

$2.38 R$12.79

-3.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ₱119

$1.97 R$10.61

-5.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱70.1

$1.53 R$8.25

-28.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱40.23

$1.39 R$7.48

-54.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 ₱182

$2.17 R$11.67

31.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.08 ₱388

$10.90 R$58.7

-44.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.2

$1.83 R$9.83

-30.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱109

$2.88 R$15.52

-40.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.94

$0.95 R$5.12

-76.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱786

$35.73 R$192

-65.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱47.38

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.04

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 ₱272

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱83.4

$1.20 R$6.47

9.17%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$28.1K R$151.0K

-25.97%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$31.3K R$168.3K

-39.09%

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

$118 ₱7,542

$165 R$886

-28.05%

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

$15.76 ₱1,004

$17.94 R$96.5

-12.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.33 ₱1,804

$24.18 R$130

17.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.94 ₱2,098

$24.40 R$131

35.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.49 ₱413

$18.93 R$102

-65.72%

Cinema Ticket

$5.45 ₱347

$5.66 R$30.43

-3.71%

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

$276 ₱17.6K

$408 R$2,194

-32.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,789 ₱496.1K

$8,796 R$47.3K

-11.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.18 ₱3,069

$72.2 R$389

-33.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.47 ₱1,559

$46.11 R$248

-46.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 ₱4,795

$141 R$759

-46.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ₱3,695

$64.1 R$345

-9.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 ₱30.4K

$310 R$1,668

54.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.5K

$218 R$1,176

47.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 ₱61.3K

$734 R$3,951

31.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₱39.9K

$391 R$2,102

60.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,551 ₱289.9K

$1,266 R$6,811

259.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,028 ₱192.9K

$742 R$3,991

308.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$333 ₱21.2K

$365 R$1,965

-8.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

16.1

-55.28%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cuiaba: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$322 34.5%

Cuiaba

$218 21.5% 32.1% $103

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$204 21.8%

Cuiaba

$265 26% 30% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.4%

Cuiaba

$207 20.3% 27.2% $44

Eating Out

Cebu

$94 10.1%

Cuiaba

$107 10.5% 14% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$93 9.9%

Cuiaba

$146 14.3% 57% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Cuiaba

$36 3.5% 18.6% $8.1

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.6%

Cuiaba

$40 * 3.9% 163% $24

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 $477 in Cebu and $310 in Cuiaba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cuiaba pays 9% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Cebu vs $27 in Cuiaba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $265 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇧🇷 Cuiaba

🕒 Local time

15:00 3:00 PM

03:00 3:00 AM

12 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

650,877

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.166 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.69 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.12 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.166 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Cuiaba 19,430 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Cuiaba

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 Cuiaba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is about 8% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Cebu. 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: $477 in Cebu versus $310 in Cuiaba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $1,018 in Cuiaba – Cebu is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 65% less than in Cuiaba. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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.

It comes down to priorities – Cebu wins on affordability, Cuiaba on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.