Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Kathmandu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kathmandu: $481 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Kathmandu
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Kathmandu Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Nepal

$481

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Kathmandu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $481 in Kathmandu.

Cebu $934
Kathmandu $481

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $767 in Kathmandu.

Cebu $1,415
Kathmandu $767

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $1,052 in Kathmandu.

Cebu $1,896
Kathmandu $1,052

Living in Cebu is roughly 94% more expensive than in Kathmandu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Kathmandu 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱191

$1.94 NPR 300

56.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,476

$20.45 NPR 3,166

14.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱257

$7.71 NPR 1,194

-46.95%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$1.51 NPR 233

66.89%

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

$1.54 ₱97.2

$0.49 NPR 76.5

214.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.06

$0.16 NPR 24.27

206.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱113

$3.04 NPR 471

-41.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$3.27 NPR 507

-30.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$0.76 NPR 118

156.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.9

$0.62 NPR 96.4

130.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.0

$0.85 NPR 131

20.00%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$1.65 NPR 255

24.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱617

$7.15 NPR 1,107

37.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱290

$3.18 NPR 492

44.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱484

$5.93 NPR 917

29.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$2.02 NPR 313

63.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱91.2

$1.16 NPR 179

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.43 NPR 222

65.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.6

$0.53 NPR 82.5

190.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$0.38 NPR 59.1

521.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$0.53 NPR 82.6

275.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.3

$0.45 NPR 69.6

155.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.26

$0.22 NPR 33.95

204.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$2.48 NPR 385

20.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱399

$7.83 NPR 1,212

-18.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱82.1

$2.29 NPR 355

-42.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$3.08 NPR 476

-43.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.82

$0.17 NPR 26.31

47.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱796

$9.64 NPR 1,493

31.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.44

$1.84 NPR 285

-59.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.15

$1.18 NPR 183

-82.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱272

$3.18 NPR 492

36.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.7

$1.33 NPR 207

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$28.7K NPR 4.4M

-24.10%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$36.0K NPR 5.6M

-46.14%

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

$121 ₱7,583

$31.63 NPR 4,896

281.22%

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

$14.45 ₱909

$3.48 NPR 538

315.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,779

$8.94 NPR 1,385

216.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,055

$21.47 NPR 3,324

52.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱402

$6.71 NPR 1,039

-4.77%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱343

$3.00 NPR 465

82.00%

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

$273 ₱17.2K

$66.8 NPR 10.3K

309.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱512.9K

$5,541 NPR 857.7K

47.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,117

$24.59 NPR 3,807

101.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,564

$26.39 NPR 4,085

-5.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,817

$63.1 NPR 9,764

21.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,727

$28.31 NPR 4,382

109.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.8K

$216 NPR 33.5K

133.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.5K

$101 NPR 15.6K

206.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.1K

$430 NPR 66.5K

144.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.9K

$198 NPR 30.6K

213.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱183.4K

$2,248 NPR 348.0K

29.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.4K

$1,338 NPR 207.2K

39.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.5K

$264 NPR 40.9K

28.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

9.72

-25.93%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kathmandu: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Kathmandu

$101 21% 67.4% $209

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Kathmandu

$144 30.1% 31.4% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Kathmandu

$44 9.2% 73% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Kathmandu

$64 13.4% 32.3% $31

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Kathmandu

$81 16.9% 8.3% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Kathmandu

$27 5.7% 37% $16

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Kathmandu

$18 3.8% 17% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $216 in Kathmandu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 29% 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 $20.00 in Kathmandu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $144 per month, with Kathmandu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇳🇵 Kathmandu

🕒 Local time

10:48 10:48 AM

08:33 8:33 AM

2 h 15 min behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

975,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

1,000 NPR = 6.46 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NPR, 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).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 155 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.46 USD). 1 EUR = 174 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.76 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

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Between locations

Cebu Kathmandu 4,470 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
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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 Kathmandu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kathmandu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 94% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Cebu, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $506 in Cebu versus $216 in Kathmandu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $481 in Kathmandu – a 94% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kathmandu runs roughly 31% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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

For families, Kathmandu 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 Kathmandu 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 Kathmandu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 94% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.