Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Jeju

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,111 in Jeju, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Jeju outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Jeju
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Jeju Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Jeju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,111

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Jeju

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $1,111 in Jeju.

Cebu $934
Jeju $1,111

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $1,874 in Jeju.

Cebu $1,415
Jeju $1,874

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $2,637 in Jeju.

Cebu $1,896
Jeju $2,637

Living in Cebu costs roughly 16% less than in Jeju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Jeju 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱191

$7.26 ₩9,749

-58.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,476

$52.0 ₩69.9K

-54.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱257

$5.44 ₩7,308

-24.82%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$6.03 ₩8,099

-58.21%

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

$1.54 ₱97.2

$2.22 ₩2,988

-30.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.06

$1.94 ₩2,601

-74.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱113

$3.58 ₩4,808

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$2.91 ₩3,907

-22.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$2.22 ₩2,987

-12.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.9

$2.21 ₩2,968

-35.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.0

$2.29 ₩3,079

-55.46%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$2.70 ₩3,621

-23.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱617

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱290

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱484

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱91.2

$2.13 ₩2,866

-31.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.6

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$2.93 ₩3,934

-19.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$1.87 ₩2,512

6.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.3

$2.18 ₩2,932

-47.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.26

$0.43 ₩579

55.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱399

$11.41 ₩15.3K

-44.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱82.1

$1.93 ₩2,594

-32.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$1.72 ₩2,305

0.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.82

$0.95 ₩1,275

-73.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.44

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.15

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱272

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.7

$1.39 ₩1,862

-4.32%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

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

$121 ₱7,583

$210 ₩282.5K

-42.67%

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

$14.45 ₱909

$54.7 ₩73.5K

-73.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,779

$19.28 ₩25.9K

46.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,055

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱402

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱343

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

$273 ₱17.2K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱512.9K

$24.6K ₩33.0M

-66.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,117

$52.2 ₩70.2K

-5.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,564

$29.57 ₩39.7K

-15.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,817

$65.8 ₩88.3K

16.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,727

$89.9 ₩120.8K

-34.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.8K

$460 ₩618.0K

9.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.5K

$382 ₩512.5K

-18.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.1K

$1,317 ₩1.8M

-20.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.9K

$1,145 ₩1.5M

-45.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱183.4K

$10.4K ₩14.0M

-71.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.4K

$6,745 ₩9.1M

-72.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.5K

$1,840 ₩2.5M

-81.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Jeju: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Jeju

$382 34.6% 23.3% $72

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Jeju

$139 * 12.6% 33.7% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Jeju

$284 25.8% 74.1% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Jeju

$107 9.7% 12.9% $12

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Jeju

$187 17% 112% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Jeju

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Jeju

$3.8 * 0.3% 75.4% $12

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 $506 in Cebu and $460 in Jeju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jeju pays 439% 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: $23.00 in Cebu vs $52.0 in Jeju. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $139, with Jeju cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇰🇷 Jeju

🕒 Local time

14:20 2:20 PM

15:20 3:20 PM

1 h ahead of Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

469,279

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.64 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,506 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Jeju 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Jeju

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 Jeju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and utilities. The 19% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 439% lower in Jeju. 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: $506 in Cebu versus $460 in Jeju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Jeju pay roughly 51% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Cebu – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $52.0 in Jeju. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Cebu gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Jeju, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Jeju 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 19% less than in Jeju. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.