Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Dahab

For one person, living is cheaper in Dahab: $453 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Dahab
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Dahab Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Dahab

🇪🇬 Egypt

$453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Dahab

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $453 in Dahab.

Cebu $918
Dahab $453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $755 in Dahab.

Cebu $1,409
Dahab $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,057 in Dahab.

Cebu $1,900
Dahab $1,057

Living in Cebu is roughly 102% more expensive than in Dahab, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Dahab 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$3.70 E£198

-16.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$13.14 E£702

84.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$4.64 E£248

-15.52%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.58 E£84.3

58.86%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.46 E£24.50

245.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.27 E£14.50

96.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.95 E£104

-8.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$2.34 E£125

-7.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$0.97 E£52.0

97.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.12 E£60.0

21.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$0.73 E£38.75

38.36%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.35 E£72.0

50.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$10.63 E£568

-7.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$3.88 E£207

13.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$10.65 E£569

-28.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.33 E£124

41.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.45 E£77.4

-4.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$0.63 E£33.55

269.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.59 E£31.39

154.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.55 E£29.14

329.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.59 E£31.72

222.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.88 E£47.16

35.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.20 E£10.58

215.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$1.50 E£80.0

100.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$6.79 E£363

-11.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.58 E£84.5

-22.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.21 E£11.08

19.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$7.56 E£404

67.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.77 E£41.30

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.43 E£23.13

204.65%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

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

$120 ₱7,569

$17.85 E£953

573.56%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$6.84 E£365

104.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$17.89 E£955

53.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$15.01 E£801

115.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$9.54 E£509

-30.29%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$4.80 E£257

17.71%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$187 E£9,988

167.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$129 E£6,868

140.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$529 E£28.2K

103.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$316 E£16.9K

94.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$131 E£6,973

164.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dahab: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Dahab

$129 28.4% 58.4% $180

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Dahab

$169 * 37.2% 18.1% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Dahab

$43 9.4% 73.7% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Dahab

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Dahab

$80 17.6% 9.5% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Dahab

$25 5.4% 43.6% $19

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Dahab

$9.2 * 2% 41.2% $6.4

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 $500 in Cebu and $187 in Dahab. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 165% 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 $13.00 in Dahab for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $169 per month, with Dahab cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇪🇬 Dahab

🕒 Local time

18:59 6:59 PM

13:59 1:59 PM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

12,000

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Dahab 9,400 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Dahab

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 Dahab: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dahab is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 102% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 165% 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: $500 in Cebu versus $187 in Dahab. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $453 in Dahab – a 102% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Dahab gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Dahab 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 Dahab 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 Dahab gentler on the wallet – expenses run 102% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.