Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Haldia

For one person, living is cheaper in Haldia: $413 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Haldia
Learn more

Haldia Living Index

Jump to prices

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Haldia

🇮🇳 India

$413

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Haldia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $413 in Haldia.

Cebu $918
Haldia $413

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $645 in Haldia.

Cebu $1,409
Haldia $645

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $878 in Haldia.

Cebu $1,900
Haldia $878

Living in Cebu is roughly 122% more expensive than in Haldia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Haldia 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$3.18 ₹302

-2.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$7.87 ₹748

207.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$3.70 ₹351

5.95%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.38 ₹131

81.88%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.53 ₹50.5

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.11 ₹10.69

381.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.59 ₹151

11.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$1.69 ₹161

28.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$0.64 ₹60.5

200.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.38 ₹36.51

257.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$0.65 ₹61.8

55.38%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$0.90 ₹85.4

125.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$6.98 ₹663

41.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$2.35 ₹223

86.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.08 ₹198

58.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$0.70 ₹66.2

98.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.54 ₹147

51.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.65 ₹62.0

130.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.36 ₹34.18

555.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.50 ₹47.62

280.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.49 ₹46.84

142.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.29 ₹27.40

117.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$4.94 ₹469

-39.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$12.73 ₹1,209

-52.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.42 ₹135

-13.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.95 ₹280

-40.68%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$8.41 ₹799

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.24 ₹22.87

4.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$7.87 ₹747

60.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$1.03 ₹97.8

-25.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.27 ₹25.85

-14.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$1.59 ₹151

180.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.10 ₹105

19.09%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$14.9K ₹1.4M

42.94%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$19.9K ₹1.9M

-3.71%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$44.04 ₹4,182

173.00%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$3.45 ₹328

305.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$6.39 ₹607

330.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$13.78 ₹1,309

134.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$6.81 ₹646

-2.35%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$3.12 ₹296

81.09%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$26.79 ₹2,544

927.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$1,269 ₹120.5K

523.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$33.66 ₹3,196

46.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$25.71 ₹2,441

-1.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$59.9 ₹5,688

28.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$34.64 ₹3,289

65.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$122 ₹11.6K

308.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$72.2 ₹6,854

327.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$258 ₹24.5K

317.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$173 ₹16.4K

256.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$952 ₹90.4K

203.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$551 ₹52.3K

247.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

10.25

-29.76%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Haldia: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Haldia

$72 17.5% 76.6% $237

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Haldia

$119 28.9% 42.1% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Haldia

$54 13.1% 66.7% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Haldia

$69 16.8% 26.3% $25

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Haldia

$67 16.2% 24.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Haldia

$20 4.9% 54.1% $24

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Haldia

$11 2.7% 27.9% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $122 in Haldia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $8.00 in Haldia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $119 per month, with Haldia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇳 Haldia

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

11:21 11:21 AM

2 h 30 min behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

200,762

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Haldia 4,030 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Haldia

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 Haldia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Haldia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 122% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $619 in Haldia 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: $500 in Cebu versus $122 in Haldia. 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 $413 in Haldia – a 122% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Haldia runs roughly 61% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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

For families, Haldia 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 Haldia 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 Haldia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 122% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.