Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Icheon

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,595 in Icheon, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Icheon
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Icheon Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Icheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,595

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Icheon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,595 in Icheon.

Cebu $918
Icheon $1,595

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $2,043 in Icheon.

Cebu $1,409
Icheon $2,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,491 in Icheon.

Cebu $1,900
Icheon $2,491

Living in Cebu costs roughly 42% less than in Icheon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 32% below, Icheon is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$6.20 ₩8,238

-50.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$48.38 ₩64.3K

-49.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$6.62 ₩8,804

-40.79%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$3.70 ₩4,924

-32.16%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$1.33 ₩1,774

19.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$1.17 ₩1,553

-54.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$3.80 ₩5,052

-53.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$4.22 ₩5,607

-48.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$2.23 ₩2,970

-13.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$3.27 ₩4,346

-58.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$3.21 ₩4,263

-68.54%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.74 ₩3,650

-25.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$10.97 ₩14.6K

-10.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$10.56 ₩14.0K

-58.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$25.36 ₩33.7K

-70.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$11.33 ₩15.1K

-70.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$3.56 ₩4,731

-60.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$8.13 ₩10.8K

-71.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$5.90 ₩7,849

-74.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$6.05 ₩8,043

-60.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$3.38 ₩4,489

-43.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$2.74 ₩3,647

-56.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$1.28 ₩1,701

-50.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$3.29 ₩4,378

-8.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$18.65 ₩24.8K

-67.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$2.44 ₩3,245

-49.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$3.42 ₩4,546

-48.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$1.10 ₩1,466

-77.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$3.64 ₩4,836

-78.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.77 ₩1,028

-70.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$16.77 ₩22.3K

-73.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.37 ₩1,821

-4.38%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$29.9K ₩39.8M

-29.02%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$33.4K ₩44.4M

-42.67%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$200 ₩265.3K

-39.74%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$36.02 ₩47.9K

-61.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$27.21 ₩36.2K

1.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$22.45 ₩29.8K

44.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$11.28 ₩15.0K

-49.91%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$642 ₩853.2K

-57.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$22.1K ₩29.4M

-64.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$106 ₩141.3K

-53.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$65.5 ₩87.1K

-61.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$93.9 ₩124.8K

-18.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$129 ₩171.6K

-55.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$748 ₩994.5K

-33.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$459 ₩609.7K

-32.66%

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

$2,317 ₩3.1M

-85.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

3.9

84.62%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Icheon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Icheon

$459 28.8% 48.5% $150

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Icheon

$488 30.6% 137% $282

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Icheon

$263 16.5% 62.4% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Icheon

$178 11.1% 89.1% $84

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Icheon

$151 9.5% 71.4% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Icheon

$45 2.8% 3.2% $1.4

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Icheon

$12 * 0.8% 23.5% $3.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $748 in Icheon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Icheon pays 570% 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 $48.00 in Icheon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $488 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇰🇷 Icheon

🕒 Local time

03:48 3:48 AM

04:48 4:48 AM

1 h ahead of Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

213,059

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

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).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Icheon 3,020 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Icheon

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 Icheon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 74% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 570% lower in Icheon. 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: $500 in Cebu versus $748 in Icheon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 137% higher in Icheon. 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 $1,595 in Icheon – a 74% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,595 in Icheon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Icheon. 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 Icheon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Icheon 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 74% less than in Icheon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.