Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Kukes

For one person, living is cheaper in Kukes: $742 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Kukes
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Kukes Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Kukes

🇦🇱 Albania

$742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Kukes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $742 in Kukes.

Cebu $918
Kukes $742

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,109 in Kukes.

Cebu $1,409
Kukes $1,109

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,475 in Kukes.

Cebu $1,900
Kukes $1,475

Living in Cebu is roughly 24% more expensive than in Kukes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Kukes 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$3.69 ALL 297

-16.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$22.05 ALL 1,776

9.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.36 ALL 593

-46.74%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.50 ALL 121

67.33%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$1.38 ALL 111

15.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.64 ALL 51.4

-17.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.88 ALL 152

-5.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$2.22 ALL 178

-2.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.61 ALL 129

19.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.84 ALL 67.8

61.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$2.01 ALL 162

-49.75%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.61 ALL 210

-22.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$9.36 ALL 754

5.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$7.31 ALL 589

-39.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$10.53 ALL 848

-27.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$0.95 ALL 76.5

247.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.88 ALL 151

-26.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.02 ALL 81.9

128.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.60 ALL 129

-6.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.77 ALL 62.0

206.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.07 ALL 86.1

77.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.06 ALL 85.3

12.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.69 ALL 55.6

-8.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$4.23 ALL 341

-29.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$7.13 ALL 574

-15.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.12 ALL 90.3

9.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.60 ALL 129

9.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.48 ALL 38.41

-47.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$19.03 ALL 1,533

-33.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$3.61 ALL 290

-78.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$3.72 ALL 299

-93.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$4.88 ALL 393

-8.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$2.18 ALL 176

-39.91%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$33.5K ALL 2.7M

-36.55%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$24.8K ALL 2.0M

-22.78%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$61.4 ALL 4,944

95.85%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$16.45 ALL 1,325

-14.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$17.19 ALL 1,384

60.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$55.8 ALL 4,490

-42.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$12.42 ALL 1,000

-46.46%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$3.71 ALL 299

52.29%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$96.7 ALL 7,789

184.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$37.17 ALL 2,993

32.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$27.07 ALL 2,180

-6.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$49.30 ALL 3,970

56.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$43.58 ALL 3,509

31.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$231 ALL 18.6K

116.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$171 ALL 13.8K

80.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$275 ALL 22.1K

292.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$212 ALL 17.1K

190.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$1,802 ALL 145.1K

60.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,203 ALL 96.9K

59.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$528 ALL 42.5K

-34.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

44.00%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kukes: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Kukes

$171 23.1% 44.5% $137

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Kukes

$207 27.9% 0.7% $1.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Kukes

$95 12.8% 41.3% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Kukes

$71 9.5% 24.7% $23

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Kukes

$92 12.3% 3.7% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Kukes

$63 8.5% 44.8% $20

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Kukes

$43 5.8% 177% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $231 in Kukes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kukes pays 53% 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 $22.00 in Kukes. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $207, with Cebu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇦🇱 Kukes

🕒 Local time

11:23 11:23 AM

05:23 5:23 AM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

47,985

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, 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).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Kukes 10,330 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Kukes

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 Kukes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kukes is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and utilities. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 53% lower in Kukes. 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 $231 in Kukes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $742 in Kukes – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kukes runs roughly 51% 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 Kukes gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Kukes 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 Kukes 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 Kukes gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.