Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Hella

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,722 in Hella, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. The total is higher in Hella despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Hella
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Hella Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Hella

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,722

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Hella

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,722 in Hella.

Cebu $918
Hella $1,722

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $2,928 in Hella.

Cebu $1,409
Hella $2,928

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $4,135 in Hella.

Cebu $1,900
Hella $4,135

Living in Cebu costs roughly 47% less than in Hella, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 32% below, Hella is 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$31.26 ISK 3,791

-90.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$123 ISK 14.9K

-80.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$27.14 ISK 3,291

-85.56%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$6.93 ISK 841

-63.78%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$3.36 ISK 407

-52.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$3.07 ISK 373

-82.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$13.71 ISK 1,663

-87.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$12.32 ISK 1,495

-82.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$2.04 ISK 247

-5.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$4.26 ISK 516

-68.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$3.58 ISK 434

-71.79%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$6.99 ISK 848

-70.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$22.00 ISK 2,668

-55.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$24.51 ISK 2,973

-82.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$41.04 ISK 4,978

-81.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$3.35 ISK 406

-1.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$2.86 ISK 347

-51.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$3.13 ISK 379

-25.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$6.62 ISK 803

-77.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$3.81 ISK 463

-38.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.71 ISK 208

11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$3.78 ISK 458

-68.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$1.77 ISK 215

-64.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$13.79 ISK 1,672

-78.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$23.61 ISK 2,863

-74.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$3.71 ISK 449

-66.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$3.50 ISK 425

-50.00%

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

$6.61 ISK 802

-88.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$2.76 ISK 335

-91.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$81.2 ISK 9,844

-94.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$2.09 ISK 253

-37.32%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$51.2K ISK 6.2M

-58.54%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$54.1K ISK 6.6M

-64.62%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$95.2 ISK 11.5K

26.33%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$33.16 ISK 4,022

-57.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$87.7 ISK 10.6K

-68.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$19.67 ISK 2,386

-71.28%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$1,198 ISK 145.2K

-77.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$25.7K ISK 3.1M

-69.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$147 ISK 17.8K

-66.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$67.0 ISK 8,130

-62.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$183 ISK 22.2K

-57.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$253 ISK 30.7K

-77.40%

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

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

8.81

-18.27%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hella: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Hella

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Hella

$620 36% 201% $415

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Hella

$216 12.6% 33.6% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Hella

$292 17% 211% $198

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Hella

$534 31% 505% $445

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Hella

$39 * 2.3% 9.8% $4.3

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Hella

$20 * 1.2% 31.2% $4.9

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 $123 in Hella for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $620 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇸 Hella

🕒 Local time

13:19 1:19 PM

05:19 5:19 AM

8 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

900

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

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).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Hella 11,240 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Hella

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 Hella: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 88% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $2,583 in Hella 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 201% higher in Hella. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $1,722 in Hella – a 88% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,722 in Hella, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Hella. 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 Hella, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Hella 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 88% less than in Hella. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.