Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Kolkata (Calcutta)

For one person, living is cheaper in Kolkata (Calcutta): $417 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
21

Cost of Living Index in Kolkata (Calcutta)
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Kolkata (Calcutta) Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Kolkata (Calcutta)

🇮🇳 India

$417

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Kolkata (Calcutta)

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 Kolkata (Calcutta) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $417 in Kolkata (Calcutta).

Cebu $934
Kolkata (Calcutta) $417

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $669 in Kolkata (Calcutta).

Cebu $1,415
Kolkata (Calcutta) $669

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $922 in Kolkata (Calcutta).

Cebu $1,896
Kolkata (Calcutta) $922

Living in Cebu is roughly 124% more expensive than in Kolkata (Calcutta), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Kolkata (Calcutta) 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱190

$2.04 ₹198

48.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,473

$14.78 ₹1,430

58.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱256

$4.26 ₹412

-3.99%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$1.64 ₹159

53.66%

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

$1.54 ₱96.9

$0.48 ₹46.58

220.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.98

$0.12 ₹11.89

308.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

$1.90 ₹184

-5.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$3.13 ₹303

-27.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$0.72 ₹69.3

170.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.7

$0.46 ₹44.25

210.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱63.8

$0.68 ₹65.5

50.00%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$1.03 ₹99.3

100.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱615

$5.31 ₹514

84.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱289

$3.04 ₹295

51.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱483

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱207

$2.38 ₹230

39.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱90.9

$0.79 ₹76.7

83.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.39 ₹134

69.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.4

$0.61 ₹59.2

152.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$0.30 ₹29.22

686.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$0.40 ₹38.88

397.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

$0.35 ₹33.52

228.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.15

$0.26 ₹24.88

157.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

$4.92 ₹476

-39.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

$10.34 ₹1,001

-38.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

$1.74 ₹168

-24.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

$2.70 ₹261

-35.93%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.34 ₹614

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

$0.14 ₹13.90

78.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

$3.19 ₹309

296.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

$0.76 ₹73.5

-2.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$0.32 ₹31.19

-34.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

$1.52 ₹147

184.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$1.08 ₹105

23.15%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$15.8K ₹1.5M

37.70%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$22.7K ₹2.2M

-14.53%

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

$121 ₱7,563

$52.5 ₹5,076

129.90%

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

$14.45 ₱907

$5.10 ₹494

183.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,774

$7.13 ₹690

296.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

$15.73 ₹1,523

107.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

$10.52 ₹1,018

-39.26%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

$3.33 ₹322

63.96%

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

$273 ₱17.1K

$45.81 ₹4,433

496.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

$2,090 ₹202.2K

290.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

$26.12 ₹2,528

89.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

$25.89 ₹2,506

-3.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

$35.62 ₹3,448

115.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,717

$27.81 ₹2,691

113.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.7K

$151 ₹14.6K

235.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$95.4 ₹9,229

224.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.0K

$399 ₹38.6K

163.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

$204 ₹19.8K

202.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

$1,119 ₹108.3K

160.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

$590 ₹57.1K

216.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

$382 ₹36.9K

-10.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

9.04

-20.35%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kolkata (Calcutta): October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$95 22.5% 69.2% $214

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$116 27.4% 44.9% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$65 15.3% 60.4% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$52 12.3% 45.1% $43

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$67 15.8% 24.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$22 5.3% 48.6% $21

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$6.1 1.5% 60.2% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $151 in Kolkata (Calcutta). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kolkata (Calcutta) pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Cebu vs $15.00 in Kolkata (Calcutta) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $116 per month, with Kolkata (Calcutta) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇳 Kolkata (Calcutta)

🕒 Local time

15:10 3:10 PM

12:40 12:40 PM

2 h 30 min behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

4,486,679

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Kolkata (Calcutta) 4,020 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Kolkata (Calcutta)

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 Kolkata (Calcutta): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kolkata (Calcutta) is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 124% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Kolkata (Calcutta). 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 $151 in Kolkata (Calcutta). 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 $417 in Kolkata (Calcutta) – a 124% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kolkata (Calcutta) runs roughly 297% 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 Kolkata (Calcutta) gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Kolkata (Calcutta) 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 Kolkata (Calcutta) 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 Kolkata (Calcutta) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 124% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.