Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Gostivar

For one person, living is cheaper in Gostivar: $835 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Gostivar
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Gostivar Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Gostivar

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Gostivar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $835 in Gostivar.

Cebu $918
Gostivar $835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,262 in Gostivar.

Cebu $1,409
Gostivar $1,262

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,689 in Gostivar.

Cebu $1,900
Gostivar $1,689

Living in Cebu is roughly 10% more expensive than in Gostivar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Gostivar 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$6.25 MKD 341

-50.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$26.92 MKD 1,468

-10.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$5.81 MKD 317

-32.53%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.39 MKD 75.9

80.58%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$1.32 MKD 72.2

20.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$1.07 MKD 58.1

-50.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.31 MKD 71.5

35.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$1.77 MKD 96.3

22.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.29 MKD 70.2

48.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.75 MKD 40.84

81.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.42 MKD 77.3

-28.87%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.46 MKD 134

-17.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$6.49 MKD 354

51.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$5.59 MKD 305

-21.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$14.35 MKD 783

-47.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$1.43 MKD 78.1

130.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.39 MKD 75.8

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.35 MKD 73.8

72.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.78 MKD 97.1

-15.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.83 MKD 45.18

184.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.70 MKD 38.06

171.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.64 MKD 34.74

85.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.57 MKD 30.92

10.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$2.76 MKD 150

8.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$4.63 MKD 253

30.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$0.88 MKD 47.86

39.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.41 MKD 77.1

24.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.74 MKD 40.29

-66.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$21.14 MKD 1,153

-40.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.75 MKD 40.97

2.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.34 MKD 18.33

-32.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$7.75 MKD 423

-42.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.44 MKD 78.4

-9.03%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$31.9K MKD 1.7M

-33.31%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$27.1K MKD 1.5M

-29.33%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$129 MKD 7,046

-6.91%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$10.75 MKD 586

30.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$18.87 MKD 1,029

45.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$21.76 MKD 1,187

48.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$18.73 MKD 1,022

-64.50%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$7.10 MKD 387

-20.42%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$362 MKD 19.7K

-23.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$5,736 MKD 312.9K

38.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$36.91 MKD 2,014

33.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$36.52 MKD 1,992

-30.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$102 MKD 5,589

-24.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$115 MKD 6,252

-50.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$275 MKD 15.0K

81.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$194 MKD 10.6K

59.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$504 MKD 27.5K

114.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$298 MKD 16.3K

106.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$1,525 MKD 83.2K

89.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,133 MKD 61.8K

69.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$863 MKD 47.1K

-59.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

4.23

70.21%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Gostivar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Gostivar

$194 23.2% 37.3% $115

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Gostivar

$186 22.3% 9.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Gostivar

$159 19% 1.8% $3

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Gostivar

$131 15.7% 39.2% $37

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Gostivar

$104 12.4% 17.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Gostivar

$36 4.3% 17.6% $7.7

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Gostivar

$27 3.2% 70.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $275 in Gostivar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gostivar pays 149% 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 $27.00 in Gostivar. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $186, with Gostivar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇲🇰 Gostivar

🕒 Local time

13:03 1:03 PM

07:03 7:03 AM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

36,000

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, 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).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Cebu Gostivar 10,300 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Gostivar

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 Gostivar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gostivar is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and utilities. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 149% lower in Gostivar. 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 $275 in Gostivar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $835 in Gostivar – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Gostivar runs roughly 67% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Gostivar gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Gostivar 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 Gostivar 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 Gostivar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.