Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Dili

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,574 in Dili, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
77

Cost of Living Index in Dili
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Dili Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Dili

🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

$1,574

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Dili

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $1,574 in Dili.

Cebu $934
Dili $1,574

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $2,466 in Dili.

Cebu $1,415
Dili $2,466

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $3,359 in Dili.

Cebu $1,896
Dili $3,359

Living in Cebu costs roughly 41% less than in Dili, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 30% below, Dili is 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱191

$5.13 $5.13

-40.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,476

$42.43 $42.43

-44.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱257

$7.91 $7.91

-48.29%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$4.18 $4.18

-39.71%

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

$1.54 ₱97.2

$1.63 $1.63

-5.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.06

$2.76 $2.76

-82.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱113

$2.57 $2.57

-30.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$4.46 $4.46

-49.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$2.37 $2.37

-17.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.9

$2.52 $2.52

-43.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.0

$0.96 $0.96

6.25%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$2.68 $2.68

-23.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱617

$2.05 $2.05

378.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱290

$9.41 $9.41

-51.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱484

$15.78 $15.78

-51.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$3.29 $3.29

0.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱91.2

$1.85 $1.85

-21.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$2.49 $2.49

-5.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.6

$2.26 $2.26

-31.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.24 $1.24

90.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$1.15 $1.15

73.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.3

$0.85 $0.85

35.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.26

$0.98 $0.98

-31.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$3.08 $3.08

-2.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱399

$11.95 $11.95

-46.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱82.1

$2.19 $2.19

-40.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$2.89 $2.89

-40.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.82

$0.24 $0.24

4.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱796

$29.78 $29.78

-57.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.44

$3.52 $3.52

-78.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.15

$3.58 $3.58

-94.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱272

$19.75 $19.75

-78.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.7

$1.44 $1.44

-7.64%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$18.0K $18.0K

21.03%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$16.7K $16.7K

16.00%

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

$121 ₱7,583

$152 $152

-20.54%

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

$14.45 ₱909

$27.49 $27.49

-47.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,779

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,055

$49.46 $49.46

-33.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱402

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱343

$6.17 $6.17

-11.51%

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

$273 ₱17.2K

$1,477 $1,477

-81.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱512.9K

$16.1K $16.1K

-49.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,117

$61.0 $61.0

-18.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,564

$30.46 $30.46

-18.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,817

$79.3 $79.3

-3.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,727

$60.3 $60.3

-1.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.8K

$831 $831

-39.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.5K

$759 $759

-59.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.1K

$2,739 $2,739

-61.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.9K

$1,504 $1,504

-58.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱183.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.5K

$3,656 $3,656

-90.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

5.37

34.08%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Dili: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Dili

$759 47.9% 145% $450

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Dili

$275 17.3% 30.5% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Dili

$179 * 11.3% 9.7% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Dili

$104 6.6% 9.8% $9.3

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Dili

$154 9.7% 74.6% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Dili

$62 3.9% 41.7% $18

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Dili

$52 3.3% 238% $37

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 $831 in Dili. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dili pays 972% 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 $42.00 in Dili for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $275 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇹🇱 Dili

🕒 Local time

13:24 1:24 PM

14:24 2:24 PM

1 h ahead of Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

222,323 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Dili 2,100 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Dili

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 Dili: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 69% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 972% lower in Dili. 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: $506 in Cebu versus $831 in Dili. 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 $1,574 in Dili – a 69% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 135% less than in Dili. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,574 in Dili, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Dili. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Cebu and Dili 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Dili. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.