Measurement units Temperature, distance and clock format
Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Imbabah
For one person, living is cheaper in Imbabah: $407 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
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 Imbabah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $407 in Imbabah.
Cebu $915
Imbabah $407
Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $669 in Imbabah.
Cebu $1,418
Imbabah $669
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $931 in Imbabah.
Cebu $1,921
Imbabah $931
🌍
Living in Cebu is roughly 125% more expensive than in Imbabah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.
📊
Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu33% lower, Imbabah70% lower.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Imbabah
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.05₱192
$4.27E£228
-28.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.00₱1,511
$19.31E£1,031
24.29%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$3.99₱251
$4.88E£261
-18.24%
Cappuccino
$2.50₱157
$1.30E£69.2
92.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54₱97.1
$0.33E£17.37
366.67%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50₱31.37
$0.12E£6.47
316.67%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$1.78₱112
$1.30E£69.2
36.92%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17₱136
$2.82E£151
-23.05%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Imbabah
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$2.00₱126
$0.59E£31.38
238.98%
White Bread(500g)
$1.37₱86.2
$0.20E£10.54
585.00%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$1.03₱64.9
$0.63E£33.85
63.49%
Eggs
$2.03₱128
$1.13E£60.2
79.65%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$10.20₱642
$1.44E£76.9
608.33%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$4.45₱280
$2.98E£159
49.33%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$7.67₱483
$6.78E£362
13.13%
Apples(1kg)
$3.31₱208
$1.48E£79.3
123.65%
Banana(1kg)
$1.46₱91.8
$0.45E£24.16
224.44%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.32₱146
$0.37E£19.66
527.03%
Tomato(1kg)
$1.49₱94.0
$0.18E£9.82
727.78%
Potato(1kg)
$2.34₱147
$0.24E£12.79
875.00%
Onion(1kg)
$1.94₱122
$0.32E£17.12
506.25%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.16₱73.0
$0.10E£5.13
1060.00%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68₱42.89
$0.17E£9.21
300.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$2.99₱188
$1.68E£89.9
77.98%
Wine(Bottle)
$6.24₱393
$1.88E£101
231.91%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23₱77.3
$1.18E£63.2
4.24%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73₱109
$1.91E£102
-9.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Imbabah
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.23₱14.36
$0.19E£10.10
21.05%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$12.34₱777
$14.20E£758
-13.10%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$0.79₱49.96
$0.24E£12.89
229.17%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.22₱13.86
$0.22E£11.63
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$4.54₱286
$1.14E£60.7
298.25%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.32₱82.9
$0.22E£11.74
500.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K₱1.3M
$31.6KE£1.7M
-33.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.4K₱1.2M
$27.0KE£1.4M
-28.17%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Imbabah
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$119₱7,464
$13.04E£696
809.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.22₱896
$6.72E£359
111.61%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.47₱1,730
$13.48E£720
103.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Imbabah
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$32.31₱2,034
$16.21E£866
99.32%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.50₱409
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.40₱340
$2.86E£153
88.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Imbabah
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$276₱17.4K
$22.86E£1,221
1107.44%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$7,866₱495.3K
$939E£50.1K
737.87%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Imbabah
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.37₱3,108
$15.32E£818
222.26%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.58₱1,548
$19.23E£1,027
27.82%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$76.6₱4,825
$127E£6,798
-39.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$58.9₱3,706
$56.8E£3,032
3.65%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Imbabah
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$503₱31.7K
$130E£6,937
287.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$305₱19.2K
$74.9E£3,999
306.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,075₱67.7K
$252E£13.4K
327.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$632₱39.8K
$144E£7,698
338.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$2,870₱180.7K
$752E£40.1K
281.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$1,877₱118.2K
$349E£18.6K
437.69%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Imbabah
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$336₱21.1K
$95.4E£5,092
252.27%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
7.2
21.33
-66.24%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026
Last update for Imbabah: October 19, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$305 33.3%
Imbabah
$75 18.4% ↓ 75.4%$230
🛒Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$210 22.9%
Imbabah
$84 20.7% ↓ 59.8%$125
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$160 17.5%
Imbabah
$33 8.2% ↓ 79.3%$127
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94 10.3%
Imbabah
$98 24.2% ↑ 4.4%$4.1
🍽Eating Out
Cebu
$88 9.6%
Imbabah
$78 19.2% ↓ 10.8%$9.5
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$43 4.7%
Imbabah
$22 5.4% ↓ 49.1%$21
🚌Getting Around
Cebu
$15 1.7%
Imbabah
$16 4% ↑ 7.5%$1.1
🏠Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$632 32.9%
Imbabah
$144 15.5% ↓ 77.2%$488
🛒Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$491 25.6%
Imbabah
$198 21.3% ↓ 59.6%$293
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$174 9.1%
Imbabah
$40 4.3% ↓ 77.1%$135
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$209 10.9%
Imbabah
$219 23.5% ↑ 4.4%$9.2
🍽Eating Out
Cebu
$290 15.1%
Imbabah
$253 27.2% ↓ 12.7%$37
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$93 4.8%
Imbabah
$44 * 4.7% ↓ 52.7%$49
🚌Getting Around
Cebu
$31 1.6%
Imbabah
$33 3.5% ↑ 7.2%$2.2
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 $503 in Cebu and $130 in Imbabah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Cebu pays 252% 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 $19.00 in Imbabah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $84.0 per month, with Imbabah cheaper across the board.
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 Imbabah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Imbabah cheaper than Cebu?
Imbabah is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 125% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cebu or Imbabah?
Average pay runs 252% higher in Cebu, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Cebu and Imbabah?
Rent for a central apartment: $503 in Cebu versus $130 in Imbabah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Imbabah?
All in, you'll spend $915 per month in Cebu versus $407 in Imbabah – a 125% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Imbabah runs roughly 15% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,200 enough for either Cebu or Imbabah?
Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Imbabah gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is Cebu or Imbabah more family-friendly?
For families, Imbabah 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 Imbabah?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Imbabah 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 Imbabah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 125% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.