Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Gulbene

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $1,289 in Gulbene, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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 Gulbene
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Gulbene Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Gulbene

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Gulbene

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $1,289 in Gulbene.

Cebu $915
Gulbene $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $1,973 in Gulbene.

Cebu $1,418
Gulbene $1,973

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $2,657 in Gulbene.

Cebu $1,921
Gulbene $2,657

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$16.73 €14.88

-81.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$68.5 €60.9

-64.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$9.45 €8.41

-57.78%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$3.82 €3.40

-34.55%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$1.59 €1.41

-3.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$1.20 €1.07

-58.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$5.57 €4.95

-68.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$5.18 €4.61

-58.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.19 €1.06

68.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$1.50 €1.33

-8.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$2.54 €2.26

-59.45%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$3.72 €3.30

-45.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$10.70 €9.52

-4.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$8.74 €7.77

-49.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$13.98 €12.43

-45.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$2.09 €1.86

58.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$1.77 €1.57

-17.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$2.56 €2.27

-9.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$3.25 €2.89

-54.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$0.88 €0.79

165.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$0.95 €0.84

104.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$1.77 €1.57

-34.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$0.98 €0.87

-30.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$6.53 €5.81

-54.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$8.02 €7.14

-22.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$2.01 €1.79

-38.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$2.02 €1.79

-14.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$3.41 €3.03

-76.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$0.99 €0.88

-77.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$17.96 €15.97

-74.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$2.12 €1.89

-37.74%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$27.3K €24.3K

-23.09%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$29.7K €26.4K

-34.71%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$368 €328

-67.82%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$19.94 €17.74

-28.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$19.84 €17.65

38.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$11.06 €9.83

-51.18%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$674 €599

-59.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$18.4K €16.4K

-57.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$70.2 €62.4

-29.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$51.0 €45.33

-51.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$86.2 €76.7

-11.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$136 €121

-56.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$190 €169

164.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$168 €149

81.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$352 €313

205.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$332 €295

90.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

$681 €605

321.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

$568 €505

230.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

4.77

50.94%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Gulbene: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Gulbene

$168 13% 44.9% $137

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Gulbene

$271 21% 29.1% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Gulbene

$408 31.7% 155% $248

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Gulbene

$155 12% 64% $60

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Gulbene

$257 20% 193% $170

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Gulbene

$22 * 1.7% 48.7% $21

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Gulbene

$8.3 * 0.7% 45% $6.8

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 $190 in Gulbene. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $69.0 in Gulbene for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $271 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇱🇻 Gulbene

🕒 Local time

05:44 5:44 AM

00:44 12:44 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

7,500

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Gulbene 9,470 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Gulbene

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 Gulbene: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 41% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,372 in Cebu and $1,934 in Gulbene 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 $190 in Gulbene. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Gulbene. 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 $1,289 in Gulbene – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Cebu gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Gulbene, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Gulbene 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 41% less than in Gulbene. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.