Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Gampaha

For one person, living is cheaper in Gampaha: $450 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Gampaha
Learn more

Gampaha Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Gampaha

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$450

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Gampaha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $450 in Gampaha.

Cebu $918
Gampaha $450

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $765 in Gampaha.

Cebu $1,409
Gampaha $765

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,079 in Gampaha.

Cebu $1,900
Gampaha $1,079

Living in Cebu is roughly 104% more expensive than in Gampaha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Gampaha 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$1.81 LKR 600

70.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$18.00 LKR 5,961

34.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$5.20 LKR 1,723

-24.62%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.25 LKR 414

100.80%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.54 LKR 178

194.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.27 LKR 89.7

96.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.13 LKR 705

-16.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.04 LKR 1,007

-28.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.62 LKR 538

18.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.43 LKR 144

216.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$0.73 LKR 241

38.36%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.72 LKR 569

18.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$13.52 LKR 4,480

-27.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$3.96 LKR 1,312

10.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$7.23 LKR 2,394

5.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$5.92 LKR 1,961

-44.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$0.81 LKR 269

71.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$4.41 LKR 1,461

-47.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.27 LKR 420

18.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.96 LKR 318

145.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.78 LKR 257

143.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.29 LKR 95.7

310.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.32 LKR 104

96.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$9.94 LKR 3,294

-69.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$12.77 LKR 4,231

-52.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.38 LKR 457

-10.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.37 LKR 784

-26.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.31 LKR 103

-19.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.29 LKR 95.8

165.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.36 LKR 120

-36.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$0.90 LKR 297

395.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.18 LKR 390

11.02%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$29.9K LKR 9.9M

-28.91%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$40.2K LKR 13.3M

-52.36%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$27.63 LKR 9,153

335.14%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$2.98 LKR 985

369.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$10.84 LKR 3,591

154.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$7.56 LKR 2,504

327.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$4.44 LKR 1,472

27.25%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$15.07 LKR 4,991

1726.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$122 LKR 40.4K

6399.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$17.88 LKR 5,924

175.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$8.90 LKR 2,948

183.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$61.4 LKR 20.3K

25.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$24.29 LKR 8,044

135.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$89.4 LKR 29.6K

458.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$55.5 LKR 18.4K

456.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$301 LKR 99.8K

257.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$167 LKR 55.4K

268.04%

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

$225 LKR 74.4K

53.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

-28.00%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Gampaha: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Gampaha

$55 12.3% 82% $253

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Gampaha

$217 48.4% 5.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Gampaha

$41 9.2% 74.4% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Gampaha

$51 11.3% 46.1% $43

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Gampaha

$65 14.5% 26.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Gampaha

$16 3.7% 62.3% $27

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Gampaha

$3.3 * 0.7% 78.5% $12

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 $89.4 in Gampaha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 54% 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 $18.00 in Gampaha. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $217, with Cebu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇱🇰 Gampaha

🕒 Local time

00:41 12:41 AM

22:11 10:11 PM

2 h 30 min behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

20,000

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, 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).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Gampaha 4,840 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Gampaha

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 Gampaha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gampaha is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 104% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 54% 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 $89.4 in Gampaha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Cebu pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $450 in Gampaha – a 104% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Gampaha gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Gampaha 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 Gampaha 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 Gampaha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 104% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.