For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,138 in Durres, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.
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 Durres actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,138 in Durres.
Cebu $918
Durres $1,138
Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,733 in Durres.
Cebu $1,409
Durres $1,733
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,329 in Durres.
Cebu $1,900
Durres $2,329
🌍
Living in Cebu costs roughly 19% less than in Durres, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.
📊
Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu32% lower, Durres16% lower.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Durres
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.09₱194
$10.51ALL 846
-70.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.22₱1,525
$37.27ALL 3,001
-35.01%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$3.92₱247
$10.18ALL 820
-61.49%
Cappuccino
$2.51₱158
$1.98ALL 160
26.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59₱100
$2.04ALL 164
-22.06%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53₱33.43
$1.05ALL 84.2
-49.52%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$1.78₱112
$2.98ALL 240
-40.27%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17₱137
$4.23ALL 340
-48.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Durres
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.92₱121
$2.11ALL 170
-9.00%
White Bread(500g)
$1.36₱85.4
$1.07ALL 86.2
27.10%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$1.01₱63.5
$2.37ALL 190
-57.38%
Eggs
$2.03₱128
$3.69ALL 297
-44.99%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$9.86₱621
$12.79ALL 1,030
-22.91%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$4.39₱277
$7.64ALL 615
-42.54%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$7.60₱479
$14.57ALL 1,173
-47.84%
Apples(1kg)
$3.30₱208
$1.15ALL 93.0
186.96%
Banana(1kg)
$1.39₱87.8
$2.38ALL 192
-41.60%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.33₱147
$1.54ALL 124
51.30%
Tomato(1kg)
$1.50₱94.3
$1.31ALL 106
14.50%
Potato(1kg)
$2.36₱149
$0.92ALL 74.0
156.52%
Onion(1kg)
$1.90₱119
$0.94ALL 76.1
102.13%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.19₱74.9
$1.25ALL 101
-4.80%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63₱39.71
$0.70ALL 56.7
-10.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00₱189
$4.24ALL 341
-29.25%
Wine(Bottle)
$6.03₱379
$11.01ALL 887
-45.23%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23₱77.7
$1.50ALL 121
-18.00%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75₱110
$2.06ALL 166
-15.05%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Durres
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.25₱15.86
$0.48ALL 38.53
-47.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$12.64₱796
$19.19ALL 1,545
-34.13%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$0.77₱48.62
$3.57ALL 287
-78.43%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.23₱14.53
$2.47ALL 199
-90.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$4.46₱281
-
-
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.31₱82.8
$2.18ALL 176
-39.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K₱1.3M
$16.1KALL 1.3M
32.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.1K₱1.2M
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Durres
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$120₱7,569
$93.6ALL 7,534
28.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.00₱882
$16.62ALL 1,338
-15.76%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.54₱1,734
$16.68ALL 1,343
65.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Durres
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$32.33₱2,035
$40.50ALL 3,262
-20.17%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.65₱419
$61.3ALL 4,932
-89.14%
Cinema Ticket
$5.65₱356
$7.48ALL 602
-24.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Durres
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$275₱17.3K
$183ALL 14.7K
50.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$7,918₱498.5K
$4,590ALL 369.6K
72.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Durres
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.33₱3,106
$39.06ALL 3,146
26.29%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.24₱1,589
$41.02ALL 3,303
-38.47%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$77.0₱4,846
$89.4ALL 7,195
-13.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.2₱3,601
$159ALL 12.8K
-64.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Durres
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$500₱31.5K
$444ALL 35.8K
12.42%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$309₱19.4K
$336ALL 27.0K
-8.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,078₱67.9K
$690ALL 55.6K
56.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$615₱38.7K
$469ALL 37.8K
31.08%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$2,886₱181.7K
$1,774ALL 142.9K
62.65%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$1,917₱120.7K
$1,154ALL 92.9K
66.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Durres
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$346₱21.8K
$940ALL 75.7K
-63.21%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
7.2
5.25
37.14%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026
Last update for Durres: October 12, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$309 33.6%
Durres
$336 29.5% ↑ 8.7%$27
🛒Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$206 22.4%
Durres
$261 22.9% ↑ 26.7%$55
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$162 17.6%
Durres
$127 11.2% ↓ 21.6%$35
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94 10.2%
Durres
$148 13% ↑ 57.4%$54
🍽Eating Out
Cebu
$88 9.6%
Durres
$174 15.3% ↑ 97.3%$86
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44 4.8%
Durres
$55 4.9% ↑ 27.1%$12
🚌Getting Around
Cebu
$16 1.7%
Durres
$37 3.3% ↑ 138%$21
🏠Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$615 32.4%
Durres
$469 20.2% ↓ 23.7%$146
🛒Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$483 25.4%
Durres
$607 26.1% ↑ 25.7%$124
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$176 9.3%
Durres
$143 6.2% ↓ 18.4%$32
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$209 11%
Durres
$329 14.1% ↑ 57.5%$120
🍽Eating Out
Cebu
$292 15.4%
Durres
$533 22.9% ↑ 82.6%$241
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$94 4.9%
Durres
$172 7.4% ↑ 83.4%$78
🚌Getting Around
Cebu
$32 1.7%
Durres
$75 3.2% ↑ 137%$43
Cost Breakdown
🏠A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $444 in Durres. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Durres pays 172% 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 $37.00 in Durres for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $261 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.
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 Durres: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Durres cheaper than Cebu?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cebu or Durres?
On paper, salaries run 172% lower in Durres. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Cebu and Durres?
Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $444 in Durres. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Durres?
All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $1,138 in Durres – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 52% less than in Durres. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Cebu or in Durres?
At $918 in Cebu versus $1,138 in Durres, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Durres. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Cebu or Durres more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Durres, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Cebu or Durres?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Durres are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Durres. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.