Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Dhanbad

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhanbad: $304 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
15

Cost of Living Index in Dhanbad
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Dhanbad Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Dhanbad

🇮🇳 India

$304

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Dhanbad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $304 in Dhanbad.

Cebu $918
Dhanbad $304

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $482 in Dhanbad.

Cebu $1,409
Dhanbad $482

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $659 in Dhanbad.

Cebu $1,900
Dhanbad $659

Living in Cebu is roughly 202% more expensive than in Dhanbad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Dhanbad 77% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$1.54 ₹146

100.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$9.53 ₹905

154.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$3.21 ₹305

22.12%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.33 ₹126

88.72%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.36 ₹34.10

341.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.13 ₹12.35

307.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.92 ₹182

-7.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$4.22 ₹401

-48.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$0.58 ₹54.7

231.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.43 ₹40.62

216.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$0.54 ₹50.9

87.04%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$0.90 ₹85.2

125.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$3.57 ₹339

176.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$2.27 ₹215

93.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$1.40 ₹133

135.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$0.72 ₹68.2

93.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.05 ₹99.6

121.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.41 ₹39.29

265.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.21 ₹19.85

1023.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.43 ₹40.82

341.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.47 ₹44.52

153.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.26 ₹24.58

142.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$5.04 ₹479

-40.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$3.06 ₹290

97.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.54 ₹146

-20.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.10 ₹200

-16.67%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.55 ₹622

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.20 ₹18.99

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$1.33 ₹127

-42.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.09 ₹8.59

155.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$1.04 ₹98.5

328.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.06 ₹100

23.58%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$8,382 ₹796.0K

153.43%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$27.8K ₹2.6M

-31.21%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$45.69 ₹4,339

163.14%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$2.83 ₹269

394.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$6.31 ₹599

336.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$11.29 ₹1,073

186.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$6.39 ₹607

4.07%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$2.58 ₹245

118.99%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$29.84 ₹2,833

822.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$1,203 ₹114.3K

557.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$23.33 ₹2,215

111.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$28.72 ₹2,727

-12.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$38.99 ₹3,703

97.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$24.13 ₹2,291

137.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$59.4 ₹5,640

741.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$40.80 ₹3,874

656.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$166 ₹15.8K

548.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$107 ₹10.2K

473.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$1,564 ₹148.5K

84.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$383 ₹36.4K

-9.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

-20.00%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dhanbad: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Dhanbad

$41 13.4% 86.8% $268

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Dhanbad

$80 26.3% 61.2% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Dhanbad

$55 18% 66.1% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Dhanbad

$52 17% 44.8% $42

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Dhanbad

$58 19% 34.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Dhanbad

$16 5.4% 62.3% $27

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Dhanbad

$2.6 * 0.9% 83.4% $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 $500 in Cebu and $59.4 in Dhanbad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dhanbad pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $10.00 in Dhanbad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $80.0 per month, with Dhanbad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇳 Dhanbad

🕒 Local time

07:37 7:37 AM

05:07 5:07 AM

2 h 30 min behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

1,162,472

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Dhanbad 4,240 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Dhanbad

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 Dhanbad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhanbad is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 202% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Dhanbad. 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: $500 in Cebu versus $59.4 in Dhanbad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 158% 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 $304 in Dhanbad – a 202% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

For families, Dhanbad 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 Dhanbad 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 Dhanbad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 202% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.