Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Horana

For one person, living is cheaper in Horana: $456 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$915
/mo nomad
Horana
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$456
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Horana

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $456 in Horana.

  • Cebu $915
  • Horana $456

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $736 in Horana.

  • Cebu $1,418
  • Horana $736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $1,016 in Horana.

  • Cebu $1,921
  • Horana $1,016

Living in Cebu is roughly 101% more expensive than in Horana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 33% lower, Horana 66% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Horana
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.05 ₱192
$1.83 LKR 605
66.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.00 ₱1,511
$24.89 LKR 8,246
-3.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.99 ₱251
$7.46 LKR 2,472
-46.51%
Cappuccino
$2.50 ₱157
$2.46 LKR 815
1.63%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 ₱97.1
$0.59 LKR 195
161.02%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ₱31.37
$0.22 LKR 72.9
127.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.78 ₱112
$2.16 LKR 716
-17.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 ₱136
$3.06 LKR 1,015
-29.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Horana
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.00 ₱126
$1.58 LKR 522
26.58%
White Bread (500g)
$1.37 ₱86.2
$0.40 LKR 134
242.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.03 ₱64.9
$0.65 LKR 217
58.46%
Eggs
$2.03 ₱128
$1.69 LKR 560
20.12%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.20 ₱642
$13.82 LKR 4,579
-26.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.45 ₱280
$4.19 LKR 1,387
6.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.67 ₱483
$7.58 LKR 2,511
1.19%
Apples (1kg)
$3.31 ₱208
$2.47 LKR 819
34.01%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 ₱91.8
$0.37 LKR 124
294.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.32 ₱146
$4.47 LKR 1,481
-48.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 ₱94.0
$1.32 LKR 437
12.88%
Potato (1kg)
$2.34 ₱147
$0.69 LKR 228
239.13%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 ₱122
$0.68 LKR 226
185.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.16 ₱73.0
$0.88 LKR 291
31.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68 ₱42.89
$0.46 LKR 153
47.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.99 ₱188
$10.37 LKR 3,434
-71.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.24 ₱393
$12.82 LKR 4,248
-51.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 ₱77.3
$1.95 LKR 647
-36.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 ₱109
$3.05 LKR 1,011
-43.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Horana
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.23 ₱14.36
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.34 ₱777
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.79 ₱49.96
$0.37 LKR 123
113.51%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.22 ₱13.86
$0.35 LKR 115
-37.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.54 ₱286
$0.94 LKR 313
382.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 ₱82.9
$1.40 LKR 464
-5.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K ₱1.3M
$43.3K LKR 14.3M
-51.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.4K ₱1.2M
$40.3K LKR 13.4M
-51.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Horana
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$119 ₱7,464
$57.7 LKR 19.1K
105.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.22 ₱896
$2.96 LKR 982
380.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.47 ₱1,730
$20.58 LKR 6,815
33.48%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Horana
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.31 ₱2,034
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.50 ₱409
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.40 ₱340
$4.43 LKR 1,466
21.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Horana
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$276 ₱17.4K
$37.37 LKR 12.4K
638.61%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,866 ₱495.3K
$1,212 LKR 401.4K
549.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Horana
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.37 ₱3,108
$17.81 LKR 5,898
177.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.58 ₱1,548
$16.63 LKR 5,507
47.81%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.6 ₱4,825
$78.1 LKR 25.9K
-1.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$58.9 ₱3,706
$41.45 LKR 13.7K
42.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Horana
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$503 ₱31.7K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$305 ₱19.2K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 ₱67.7K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$632 ₱39.8K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,870 ₱180.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,877 ₱118.2K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Horana
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$336 ₱21.1K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
12.69
-43.26%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Horana: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$305
Horana
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$210
Horana
$207 1% $2.2
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$160
Horana
$81 49.3% $79
Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94
Horana
$69 26.5% $25
Eating Out
Cebu
$88
Horana
$87 1.2% $1
Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$43
Horana
$8.9 * 79.5% $34
Getting Around
Cebu
$15
Horana
$2.1 * 86.1% $13

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 $25.00 in Horana. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $207, with Horana cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cebu
🇱🇰 Horana
🕒 Local time
05:45 5:45 AM
03:15 3:15 AM
2 h 30 min behind Cebu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
964,169
15,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cebu Horana 4,830 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cebu
  • Horana

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 Horana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Horana cheaper than Cebu?
Horana is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 101% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,372 in Cebu and $683 in Horana 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 Horana?
Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Horana?
All in, you'll spend $915 per month in Cebu versus $456 in Horana – a 101% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,000 enough for either Cebu or Horana?
Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Horana gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is Cebu or Horana more family-friendly?
For families, Horana 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 Horana?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Horana 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 Horana gentler on the wallet – expenses run 101% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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