Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Hamamatsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamamatsu: $775 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Hamamatsu
🇯🇵 Japan
$775
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Hamamatsu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $775 in Hamamatsu.

  • Cebu $918
  • Hamamatsu $775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,251 in Hamamatsu.

  • Cebu $1,409
  • Hamamatsu $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,727 in Hamamatsu.

  • Cebu $1,900
  • Hamamatsu $1,727

Living in Cebu is roughly 18% more expensive than in Hamamatsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Hamamatsu 43% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Hamamatsu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.09 ₱194
$3.86 ¥610
-19.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.22 ₱1,525
$40.71 ¥6,432
-40.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.92 ₱247
$5.07 ¥801
-22.68%
Cappuccino
$2.51 ₱158
$3.34 ¥528
-24.85%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 ₱100
$1.04 ¥165
52.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 ₱33.43
$0.75 ¥118
-29.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.78 ₱112
$2.49 ¥393
-28.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 ₱137
$3.22 ¥508
-32.61%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Hamamatsu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.92 ₱121
$1.01 ¥160
90.10%
White Bread (500g)
$1.36 ₱85.4
$1.64 ¥260
-17.07%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.01 ₱63.5
$3.65 ¥577
-72.33%
Eggs
$2.03 ₱128
$1.60 ¥253
26.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.86 ₱621
$10.37 ¥1,638
-4.92%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.39 ₱277
$5.92 ¥935
-25.84%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.60 ₱479
$14.44 ¥2,282
-47.37%
Apples (1kg)
$3.30 ₱208
$5.69 ¥899
-42.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.39 ₱87.8
$2.80 ¥443
-50.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.33 ₱147
$2.95 ¥467
-21.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ₱94.3
$4.14 ¥654
-63.77%
Potato (1kg)
$2.36 ₱149
$2.63 ¥415
-10.27%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 ₱119
$2.54 ¥401
-25.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 ₱74.9
$1.24 ¥196
-4.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63 ₱39.71
$0.65 ¥102
-3.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00 ₱189
$3.86 ¥610
-22.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.03 ₱379
$6.19 ¥977
-2.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 ₱77.7
$1.76 ¥278
-30.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₱110
$2.11 ¥333
-17.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Hamamatsu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 ₱15.86
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.64 ₱796
$50.8 ¥8,017
-75.09%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.77 ₱48.62
$3.21 ¥507
-76.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.23 ₱14.53
$2.74 ¥433
-91.61%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.46 ₱281
$20.75 ¥3,278
-78.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ₱82.8
$1.10 ¥173
19.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ₱1.3M
$21.0K ¥3.3M
1.32%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.1K ₱1.2M
$18.1K ¥2.9M
6.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Hamamatsu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 ₱7,569
$131 ¥20.7K
-8.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.00 ₱882
$8.51 ¥1,345
64.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.54 ₱1,734
$32.52 ¥5,137
-15.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Hamamatsu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.33 ₱2,035
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.65 ₱419
$16.81 ¥2,655
-60.44%
Cinema Ticket
$5.65 ₱356
$12.81 ¥2,024
-55.89%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Hamamatsu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$275 ₱17.3K
$643 ¥101.5K
-57.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,918 ₱498.5K
$14.9K ¥2.4M
-47.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Hamamatsu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.33 ₱3,106
$61.5 ¥9,712
-19.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.24 ₱1,589
$36.85 ¥5,822
-31.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.0 ₱4,846
$61.0 ¥9,639
26.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.2 ₱3,601
$102 ¥16.1K
-43.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Hamamatsu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$500 ₱31.5K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ₱19.4K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 ₱67.9K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$615 ₱38.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,886 ₱181.7K
$7,748 ¥1.2M
-62.75%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,917 ₱120.7K
$5,222 ¥825.0K
-63.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Hamamatsu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$346 ₱21.8K
$1,580 ¥249.7K
-78.11%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
2.64
172.73%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hamamatsu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$309
Hamamatsu
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$206
Hamamatsu
$280 36.2% $75
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$162
Hamamatsu
$172 6.2% $10
Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94
Hamamatsu
$118 25.2% $24
Eating Out
Cebu
$88
Hamamatsu
$112 27.2% $24
Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44
Hamamatsu
$26 * 41.3% $18
Getting Around
Cebu
$16
Hamamatsu
$68 * 335% $52

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Hamamatsu pays 357% 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 $41.00 in Hamamatsu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $280 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cebu
🇯🇵 Hamamatsu
🕒 Local time
16:25 4:25 PM
17:25 5:25 PM
1 h ahead of Cebu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
964,169
797,033
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cebu Hamamatsu 3,060 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Cebu
  • Hamamatsu

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 Hamamatsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hamamatsu cheaper than Cebu?
Hamamatsu is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and utilities. The 18% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cebu or Hamamatsu?
On paper, salaries run 357% lower in Hamamatsu. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Hamamatsu?
All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $775 in Hamamatsu – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Hamamatsu runs roughly 302% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,200 enough for either Cebu or Hamamatsu?
Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Hamamatsu gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is Cebu or Hamamatsu more family-friendly?
For families, Hamamatsu 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.
Which city is safer, Cebu or Hamamatsu?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Hamamatsu are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Hamamatsu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Cebu vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?