Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Karlovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlovo: $785 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Karlovo
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Karlovo Living Index

Jump to prices

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Karlovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$785

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Karlovo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $785 in Karlovo.

Cebu $915
Karlovo $785

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $1,263 in Karlovo.

Cebu $1,418
Karlovo $1,263

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $1,742 in Karlovo.

Cebu $1,921
Karlovo $1,742

Living in Cebu is roughly 17% more expensive than in Karlovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 33% lower, Karlovo 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$7.09 BGN 12.34

-56.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$33.57 BGN 58.4

-28.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$8.66 BGN 15.07

-53.93%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$1.45 BGN 2.53

72.41%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$1.03 BGN 1.79

49.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$0.74 BGN 1.28

-32.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.96 BGN 3.41

-9.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$1.75 BGN 3.04

24.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.17 BGN 2.04

70.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$0.84 BGN 1.47

63.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$1.87 BGN 3.25

-44.92%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$3.27 BGN 5.69

-37.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$9.92 BGN 17.26

2.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$8.31 BGN 14.45

-46.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$5.86 BGN 10.20

30.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$1.26 BGN 2.19

162.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$1.96 BGN 3.41

-25.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$2.13 BGN 3.70

8.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$2.11 BGN 3.68

-29.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$0.48 BGN 0.84

387.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$0.90 BGN 1.56

115.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$0.99 BGN 1.71

17.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$0.77 BGN 1.34

-11.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$3.24 BGN 5.64

-7.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$6.69 BGN 11.64

-6.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$0.99 BGN 1.72

24.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$1.89 BGN 3.29

-8.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$1.11 BGN 1.93

-79.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

$23.67 BGN 41.18

-47.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$1.17 BGN 2.03

-32.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$0.71 BGN 1.23

-69.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$11.78 BGN 20.50

-61.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$1.40 BGN 2.43

-5.71%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$30.0K BGN 52.2K

-29.96%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$22.3K BGN 38.8K

-13.06%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$104 BGN 180

14.34%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$14.45 BGN 25.13

-1.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$11.91 BGN 20.72

130.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$29.57 BGN 51.5

9.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

$17.35 BGN 30.18

-62.54%

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$5.57 BGN 9.69

-3.05%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$226 BGN 393

22.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$5,755 BGN 10.0K

36.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$28.50 BGN 49.60

73.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$11.54 BGN 20.08

113.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$56.9 BGN 99.0

34.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$45.99 BGN 80.0

27.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$335 BGN 583

50.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$191 BGN 332

59.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$534 BGN 929

101.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$403 BGN 701

56.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

$1,320 BGN 2,297

117.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

$1,083 BGN 1,885

73.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

$448 BGN 779

-24.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

3.25

121.54%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Karlovo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Karlovo

$191 24.3% 37.3% $114

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Karlovo

$205 26.2% 2.1% $4.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Karlovo

$130 16.6% 18.9% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Karlovo

$64 8.2% 31.7% $30

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Karlovo

$121 15.4% 37.3% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Karlovo

$41 5.2% 5.5% $2.4

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Karlovo

$33 4.2% 117% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $503 in Cebu and $335 in Karlovo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karlovo pays 33% 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 $34.00 in Karlovo. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $205, with Karlovo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇧🇬 Karlovo

🕒 Local time

04:24 4:24 AM

23:24 11:24 PM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

23,919

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

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).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Karlovo 9,970 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Karlovo

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 Karlovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karlovo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Karlovo. 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: $503 in Cebu versus $335 in Karlovo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $915 per month in Cebu versus $785 in Karlovo – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karlovo runs roughly 92% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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

For families, Karlovo 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 Karlovo 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 Karlovo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.