Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Hamra

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,000 in Hamra, rent and utilities included – about $980 less a year. The total is higher in Hamra despite lower rent and utilities.

Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Hamra
🇱🇧 Lebanon
$1,000
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Hamra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,000 in Hamra.

  • Cebu $918
  • Hamra $1,000

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,601 in Hamra.

  • Cebu $1,409
  • Hamra $1,601

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,203 in Hamra.

  • Cebu $1,900
  • Hamra $2,203

Living in Cebu costs roughly 8% less than in Hamra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Hamra 26% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Hamra
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.09 ₱194
$12.04 LBP 1.1M
-74.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.22 ₱1,525
$68.8 LBP 6.2M
-64.81%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.92 ₱247
$9.89 LBP 884.8K
-60.36%
Cappuccino
$2.51 ₱158
$4.51 LBP 403.9K
-44.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 ₱100
$2.27 LBP 203.2K
-29.96%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 ₱33.43
$0.90 LBP 80.7K
-41.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.78 ₱112
$4.88 LBP 436.6K
-63.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 ₱137
$4.81 LBP 430.7K
-54.89%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Hamra
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.92 ₱121
$1.98 LBP 177.2K
-3.03%
White Bread (500g)
$1.36 ₱85.4
$0.89 LBP 79.9K
52.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.01 ₱63.5
$2.24 LBP 200.2K
-54.91%
Eggs
$2.03 ₱128
$3.52 LBP 315.3K
-42.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.86 ₱621
$11.22 LBP 1.0M
-12.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.39 ₱277
$10.58 LBP 946.6K
-58.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.60 ₱479
$14.75 LBP 1.3M
-48.47%
Apples (1kg)
$3.30 ₱208
$2.99 LBP 268.0K
10.37%
Banana (1kg)
$1.39 ₱87.8
$1.71 LBP 153.1K
-18.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.33 ₱147
$1.69 LBP 150.9K
37.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ₱94.3
$1.46 LBP 131.1K
2.74%
Potato (1kg)
$2.36 ₱149
$1.26 LBP 112.6K
87.30%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 ₱119
$1.55 LBP 138.4K
22.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 ₱74.9
$1.17 LBP 104.6K
1.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63 ₱39.71
$0.69 LBP 61.6K
-8.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00 ₱189
$3.08 LBP 275.5K
-2.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.03 ₱379
$10.83 LBP 968.9K
-44.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 ₱77.7
$1.33 LBP 119.0K
-7.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₱110
$2.58 LBP 231.1K
-32.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Hamra
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 ₱15.86
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.64 ₱796
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.77 ₱48.62
$4.98 LBP 445.7K
-84.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.23 ₱14.53
$2.31 LBP 206.9K
-90.04%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.46 ₱281
$22.69 LBP 2.0M
-80.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ₱82.8
$1.06 LBP 94.7K
23.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ₱1.3M
$52.9K LBP 4.7B
-59.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.1K ₱1.2M
$32.5K LBP 2.9B
-41.09%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Hamra
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 ₱7,569
$233 LBP 20.9M
-48.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.00 ₱882
$22.40 LBP 2.0M
-37.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.54 ₱1,734
$37.66 LBP 3.4M
-26.87%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Hamra
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.33 ₱2,035
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.65 ₱419
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.65 ₱356
$9.96 LBP 891.0K
-43.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Hamra
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$275 ₱17.3K
$690 LBP 61.8M
-60.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,918 ₱498.5K
$10.7K LBP 956.8M
-25.93%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Hamra
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.33 ₱3,106
$68.2 LBP 6.1M
-27.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.24 ₱1,589
$48.41 LBP 4.3M
-47.86%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.0 ₱4,846
$137 LBP 12.3M
-44.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.2 ₱3,601
$119 LBP 10.7M
-52.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Hamra
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
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,917 ₱120.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Hamra
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$346 ₱21.8K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
11
-34.55%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hamra: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$309
Hamra
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$206
Hamra
$275 33.7% $69
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$162
Hamra
$293 81.2% $131
Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94
Hamra
$168 78.8% $74
Eating Out
Cebu
$88
Hamra
$227 157% $139
Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44
Hamra
$20 * 54.4% $24
Getting Around
Cebu
$16
Hamra
$17 * 6.2% $1

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $69.0 in Hamra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $275 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cebu
🇱🇧 Hamra
🕒 Local time
02:51 2:51 AM
21:51 9:51 PM
5 h behind Cebu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
964,169
1,251,739
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,630 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cebu Hamra 9,230 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cebu
  • Hamra

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 Hamra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hamra cheaper than Cebu?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $1,499 in Hamra 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.
How do food prices compare in Cebu and in Hamra?
Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Hamra. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Hamra?
All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $1,000 in Hamra – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,000 enough for either Cebu or Hamra?
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.
Is Cebu or Hamra more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Hamra, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Cebu or Hamra?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Hamra 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Hamra. 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?