Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Hirakata

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $1,220 in Hirakata, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Hirakata
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Hirakata Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Hirakata

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,220

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Hirakata

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $1,220 in Hirakata.

Cebu $915
Hirakata $1,220

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $1,929 in Hirakata.

Cebu $1,418
Hirakata $1,929

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $2,638 in Hirakata.

Cebu $1,921
Hirakata $2,638

Living in Cebu costs roughly 25% less than in Hirakata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 33% lower, Hirakata 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$8.59 ¥1,356

-64.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$31.38 ¥4,958

-23.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$4.97 ¥786

-19.72%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$2.90 ¥458

-13.79%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$1.29 ¥204

19.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$0.72 ¥114

-30.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$3.07 ¥486

-42.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$3.87 ¥611

-43.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.44 ¥228

38.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$1.31 ¥206

4.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$5.49 ¥867

-81.24%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.05 ¥324

-0.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$9.33 ¥1,474

9.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$6.93 ¥1,095

-35.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$17.25 ¥2,725

-55.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$3.39 ¥536

-2.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$1.94 ¥307

-24.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$3.10 ¥489

-25.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$4.13 ¥652

-63.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$4.03 ¥637

-41.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$3.82 ¥603

-49.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$1.36 ¥216

-14.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$0.88 ¥138

-22.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$3.94 ¥623

-24.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$9.69 ¥1,531

-35.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$2.61 ¥412

-52.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$3.13 ¥495

-44.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$1.49 ¥236

-84.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

$52.9 ¥8,365

-76.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$3.24 ¥512

-75.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$3.23 ¥510

-93.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$15.59 ¥2,462

-70.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$1.06 ¥168

24.53%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$22.0K ¥3.5M

-4.43%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$15.3K ¥2.4M

26.54%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$114 ¥18.1K

3.56%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$23.50 ¥3,713

-39.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$30.41 ¥4,805

-9.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$52.5 ¥8,291

-38.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

$6.47 ¥1,022

0.46%

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$11.43 ¥1,806

-52.76%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$513 ¥81.1K

-46.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$13.0K ¥2.1M

-39.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$48.40 ¥7,646

2.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$30.44 ¥4,810

-19.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$61.5 ¥9,710

24.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$90.8 ¥14.3K

-35.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$525 ¥83.0K

-4.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$336 ¥53.1K

-9.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$1,121 ¥177.1K

-4.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$729 ¥115.2K

-13.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

$4,201 ¥663.7K

-31.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

$1,730 ¥273.3K

8.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

$1,904 ¥300.9K

-82.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

2.02

256.44%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Hirakata: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Hirakata

$336 27.5% 10.3% $31

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Hirakata

$308 25.3% 47% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Hirakata

$168 13.8% 5.1% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Hirakata

$104 8.5% 10.3% $9.7

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Hirakata

$150 12.3% 70.5% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Hirakata

$75 6.2% 74.8% $32

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Hirakata

$78 6.4% 417% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $503 in Cebu and $525 in Hirakata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hirakata pays 467% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $31.00 in Hirakata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $308 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇯🇵 Hirakata

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

13:05 1:05 PM

1 h ahead of Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

402,495

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

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Cebu Hirakata 2,980 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Cebu
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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 Hirakata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 33% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 467% lower in Hirakata. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $503 in Cebu versus $525 in Hirakata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $915 per month in Cebu versus $1,220 in Hirakata – a 33% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 329% less than in Hirakata. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $915 in Cebu versus $1,220 in Hirakata, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Hirakata. 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 Hirakata, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Hirakata 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 33% less than in Hirakata. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.