Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Fukuoka

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,259 in Fukuoka, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Fukuoka
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,259
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Fukuoka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,259 in Fukuoka.

  • Cebu $918
  • Fukuoka $1,259

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $2,001 in Fukuoka.

  • Cebu $1,409
  • Fukuoka $2,001

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,743 in Fukuoka.

  • Cebu $1,900
  • Fukuoka $2,743

Living in Cebu costs roughly 27% less than in Fukuoka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Fukuoka 7% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Fukuoka
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.09 ₱194
$7.20 ¥1,138
-57.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.22 ₱1,525
$42.93 ¥6,783
-43.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.92 ₱247
$5.84 ¥922
-32.88%
Cappuccino
$2.51 ₱158
$3.77 ¥596
-33.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 ₱100
$1.03 ¥163
54.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 ₱33.43
$0.70 ¥111
-24.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.78 ₱112
$3.79 ¥599
-53.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 ₱137
$2.18 ¥344
-0.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Fukuoka
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.92 ₱121
$1.54 ¥243
24.68%
White Bread (500g)
$1.36 ₱85.4
$1.91 ¥302
-28.80%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.01 ₱63.5
$6.64 ¥1,050
-84.79%
Eggs
$2.03 ₱128
$2.29 ¥362
-11.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.86 ₱621
$18.31 ¥2,893
-46.15%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.39 ₱277
$5.40 ¥853
-18.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.60 ₱479
$19.00 ¥3,002
-60.00%
Apples (1kg)
$3.30 ₱208
$3.54 ¥560
-6.78%
Banana (1kg)
$1.39 ₱87.8
$1.81 ¥287
-23.20%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.33 ₱147
$2.87 ¥453
-18.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ₱94.3
$3.36 ¥531
-55.36%
Potato (1kg)
$2.36 ₱149
$2.15 ¥340
9.77%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 ₱119
$2.59 ¥409
-26.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 ₱74.9
$1.02 ¥161
16.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63 ₱39.71
$0.93 ¥147
-32.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00 ₱189
$3.79 ¥599
-20.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.03 ₱379
$6.49 ¥1,025
-7.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 ₱77.7
$1.71 ¥270
-28.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₱110
$1.81 ¥286
-3.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Fukuoka
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 ₱15.86
$1.47 ¥232
-82.99%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.64 ₱796
$41.37 ¥6,537
-69.45%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.77 ₱48.62
$3.91 ¥618
-80.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.23 ₱14.53
$2.09 ¥331
-89.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.46 ₱281
$17.67 ¥2,792
-74.76%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ₱82.8
$1.11 ¥175
18.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ₱1.3M
$21.5K ¥3.4M
-1.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.1K ₱1.2M
$17.6K ¥2.8M
8.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Fukuoka
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 ₱7,569
$207 ¥32.8K
-42.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.00 ₱882
$25.04 ¥3,955
-44.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.54 ₱1,734
$32.65 ¥5,159
-15.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Fukuoka
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.33 ₱2,035
$53.8 ¥8,506
-39.95%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.65 ₱419
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.65 ₱356
$10.91 ¥1,724
-48.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Fukuoka
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$275 ₱17.3K
$126 ¥19.8K
119.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,918 ₱498.5K
$12.4K ¥2.0M
-36.14%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Fukuoka
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.33 ₱3,106
$49.44 ¥7,811
-0.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.24 ₱1,589
$25.89 ¥4,090
-2.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.0 ₱4,846
$67.1 ¥10.6K
14.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.2 ₱3,601
$48.07 ¥7,594
18.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Fukuoka
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$500 ₱31.5K
$486 ¥76.8K
2.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ₱19.4K
$303 ¥47.8K
2.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 ₱67.9K
$1,233 ¥194.8K
-12.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$615 ₱38.7K
$730 ¥115.4K
-15.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,886 ₱181.7K
$6,329 ¥1.0M
-54.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,917 ₱120.7K
$2,696 ¥425.9K
-28.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Fukuoka
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$346 ₱21.8K
$1,657 ¥261.8K
-79.13%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
1.97
265.48%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Fukuoka: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$309
Fukuoka
$303 2% $6.2
Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$206
Fukuoka
$318 54.5% $112
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$162
Fukuoka
$265 63.8% $103
Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94
Fukuoka
$86 8.8% $8.2
Eating Out
Cebu
$88
Fukuoka
$151 70.6% $62
Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44
Fukuoka
$76 73.5% $32
Getting Around
Cebu
$16
Fukuoka
$62 296% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $486 in Fukuoka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fukuoka pays 379% 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 $43.00 in Fukuoka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $318 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cebu
🇯🇵 Fukuoka
🕒 Local time
14:28 2:28 PM
15:28 3:28 PM
1 h ahead of Cebu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
964,169
1,612,392
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cebu Fukuoka 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Cebu
  • Fukuoka

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 Fukuoka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fukuoka cheaper than Cebu?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 37% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cebu or Fukuoka?
On paper, salaries run 379% lower in Fukuoka. 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 Fukuoka?
Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $486 in Fukuoka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Fukuoka?
All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $1,259 in Fukuoka – a 37% 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 227% less than in Fukuoka. 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 Fukuoka?
At $918 in Cebu versus $1,259 in Fukuoka, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Fukuoka. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Cebu or Fukuoka more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Fukuoka, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Cebu or Fukuoka?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Fukuoka 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 37% less than in Fukuoka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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