Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Karawang

For one person, living is cheaper in Karawang: $453 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Karawang
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Karawang Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Karawang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Karawang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $453 in Karawang.

Cebu $918
Karawang $453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $821 in Karawang.

Cebu $1,409
Karawang $821

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,188 in Karawang.

Cebu $1,900
Karawang $1,188

Living in Cebu is roughly 102% more expensive than in Karawang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Karawang 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$1.36 Rp 24.5K

127.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$11.11 Rp 200.0K

118.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$3.43 Rp 61.7K

14.29%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.52 Rp 27.3K

65.13%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.41 Rp 7,379

287.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.20 Rp 3,668

165.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$3.09 Rp 55.6K

-42.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.10 Rp 55.8K

-30.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.13 Rp 20.4K

69.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.02 Rp 18.3K

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

23.17%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

43.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$2.75 Rp 49.4K

258.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$2.93 Rp 52.8K

49.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$8.01 Rp 144.2K

-5.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$1.82 Rp 32.8K

81.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.04 Rp 18.6K

33.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.25 Rp 22.4K

86.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.52 Rp 9,404

188.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

165.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

26.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.70 Rp 12.6K

70.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.44 Rp 7,926

43.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

13.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$22.50 Rp 405.0K

-73.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

-32.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

-45.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.59 Rp 10.6K

-57.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.87 Rp 15.6K

-11.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.51 Rp 9,216

-54.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$1.14 Rp 20.4K

291.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.91 Rp 16.5K

43.96%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$21.5K Rp 387.0M

-1.20%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$28.6K Rp 514.5M

-33.02%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$34.09 Rp 613.6K

252.68%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$4.43 Rp 79.7K

216.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$12.32 Rp 221.7K

123.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$20.52 Rp 369.4K

57.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$8.33 Rp 150.0K

-20.17%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

96.86%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$43.73 Rp 787.2K

529.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$8,398 Rp 151.2M

-5.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$16.72 Rp 301.0K

195.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$27.84 Rp 501.2K

-9.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$49.09 Rp 883.6K

56.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$48.42 Rp 871.6K

18.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$141 Rp 2.5M

253.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$68.4 Rp 1.2M

351.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$535 Rp 9.6M

101.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$369 Rp 6.6M

66.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$1,178 Rp 21.2M

145.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$717 Rp 12.9M

167.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$412 Rp 7.4M

-15.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

11.38

-36.73%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Karawang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Karawang

$68 15.1% 77.9% $240

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Karawang

$175 38.5% 15.2% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Karawang

$51 11.2% 68.6% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Karawang

$64 14.1% 31.9% $30

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Karawang

$64 14% 28% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Karawang

$26 5.8% 39.8% $17

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Karawang

$5.8 * 1.3% 62.8% $9.8

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 $141 in Karawang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karawang pays 19% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $11.00 in Karawang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $175 per month, with Karawang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇩 Karawang

🕒 Local time

00:44 12:44 AM

23:44 11:44 PM

1 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

273,472

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Karawang 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Karawang

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 Karawang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karawang is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 102% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Karawang. 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 $141 in Karawang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Cebu. 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 $453 in Karawang – a 102% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Karawang gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Karawang 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.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Karawang 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 Karawang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 102% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.