Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Guarda

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $1,281 in Guarda, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Guarda
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Guarda Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Guarda

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,281

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Guarda

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $1,281 in Guarda.

Cebu $915
Guarda $1,281

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $1,993 in Guarda.

Cebu $1,418
Guarda $1,993

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $2,705 in Guarda.

Cebu $1,921
Guarda $2,705

Living in Cebu costs roughly 29% less than in Guarda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 33% lower, Guarda 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$12.86 €11.44

-76.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$45.18 €40.19

-46.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$11.11 €9.89

-64.09%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$1.70 €1.51

47.06%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$1.92 €1.71

-19.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$1.67 €1.48

-70.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.27 €2.02

-21.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$3.95 €3.52

-45.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$0.98 €0.87

104.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$1.67 €1.49

-17.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$1.60 €1.42

-35.63%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$3.79 €3.37

-46.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$11.34 €10.08

-10.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$11.99 €10.67

-62.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$23.90 €21.25

-67.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$2.41 €2.14

37.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$1.69 €1.50

-13.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$2.11 €1.87

9.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$2.34 €2.08

-36.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$2.34 €2.08

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$2.32 €2.07

-16.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$0.92 €0.82

26.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$1.14 €1.01

-40.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$6.84 €6.08

-56.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$5.13 €4.57

21.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$1.72 €1.53

-28.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$2.51 €2.23

-31.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$1.69 €1.51

-86.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$4.96 €4.41

-84.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$17.02 €15.14

-73.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$2.21 €1.96

-40.27%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$32.4K €28.8K

-35.16%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$38.5K €34.3K

-49.62%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$190 €169

-37.57%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$16.68 €14.83

-14.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$49.92 €44.40

-44.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$56.1 €49.94

-42.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$6.92 €6.16

-21.97%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$429 €382

-35.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$13.5K €12.0K

-41.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$33.49 €29.79

47.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$22.63 €20.13

8.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$134 €119

-42.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$165 €147

-64.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$398 €354

26.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$284 €253

7.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$736 €655

45.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$561 €499

12.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

$1,364 €1,213

110.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

3.27

120.18%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Guarda: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Guarda

$284 22.2% 6.8% $21

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Guarda

$309 24.1% 47.4% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Guarda

$256 20% 60.1% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Guarda

$160 12.5% 69.7% $66

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Guarda

$190 14.9% 117% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Guarda

$70 5.5% 62.4% $27

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Guarda

$12 * 0.9% 22.5% $3.4

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 $503 in Cebu and $398 in Guarda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $45.00 in Guarda for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $309 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇵🇹 Guarda

🕒 Local time

21:53 9:53 PM

14:53 2:53 PM

7 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

40,126

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Guarda 12,460 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Guarda

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 Guarda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 40% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,372 in Cebu and $1,922 in Guarda to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $503 in Cebu versus $398 in Guarda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Guarda. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $915 per month in Cebu versus $1,281 in Guarda – a 40% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $915 in Cebu versus $1,281 in Guarda, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Guarda. 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 Guarda, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Guarda 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 40% less than in Guarda. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.