Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Lake Balaton

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,111 in Lake Balaton, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Lake Balaton
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Lake Balaton Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Lake Balaton

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,111

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Lake Balaton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,111 in Lake Balaton.

Cebu $918
Lake Balaton $1,111

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,676 in Lake Balaton.

Cebu $1,409
Lake Balaton $1,676

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,241 in Lake Balaton.

Cebu $1,900
Lake Balaton $2,241

Living in Cebu costs roughly 17% less than in Lake Balaton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Lake Balaton 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$8.69 Ft 2,839

-64.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,519

$46.35 Ft 15.1K

-47.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱246

$8.57 Ft 2,799

-54.26%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱157

$2.01 Ft 658

24.88%

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

$1.59 ₱99.8

$1.40 Ft 458

13.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.31

$1.00 Ft 328

-47.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.85 Ft 606

-3.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$2.17 Ft 710

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱120

$1.07 Ft 350

79.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.1

$1.49 Ft 488

-8.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.3

$1.84 Ft 602

-45.11%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱127

$2.65 Ft 865

-23.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱619

$9.16 Ft 2,994

7.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱276

$6.00 Ft 1,960

-26.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱477

$11.84 Ft 3,871

-35.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱207

$1.78 Ft 582

85.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.4

$1.89 Ft 617

-26.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱146

$1.99 Ft 650

17.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱93.9

$2.91 Ft 952

-48.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.10 Ft 359

114.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.17 Ft 384

62.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.6

$1.48 Ft 485

-19.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.56

$0.52 Ft 169

21.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

$6.71 Ft 2,194

-55.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱378

$5.79 Ft 1,893

4.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.4

$1.02 Ft 335

20.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.47 Ft 480

19.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.80

$1.18 Ft 386

-78.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱793

$24.74 Ft 8,086

-48.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.43

$2.89 Ft 944

-73.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.48

$1.15 Ft 377

-80.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱279

$16.93 Ft 5,533

-73.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.5

$1.69 Ft 551

-22.49%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$26.2K Ft 8.6M

-18.83%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$30.7K Ft 10.0M

-37.57%

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

$120 ₱7,541

$144 Ft 47.1K

-16.59%

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

$14.00 ₱878

$26.54 Ft 8,672

-47.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,727

$19.77 Ft 6,462

39.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,028

$46.98 Ft 15.4K

-31.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱417

$16.97 Ft 5,546

-60.81%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱354

$7.61 Ft 2,486

-25.76%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$297 Ft 97.2K

-7.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱496.6K

$6,637 Ft 2.2M

19.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,094

$69.7 Ft 22.8K

-29.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,583

$26.93 Ft 8,802

-6.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,827

$71.1 Ft 23.2K

8.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,587

$79.5 Ft 26.0K

-28.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.3K

$448 Ft 146.3K

11.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$350 Ft 114.3K

-11.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.6K

$631 Ft 206.2K

70.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.6K

$529 Ft 173.0K

16.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.0K

$2,931 Ft 957.9K

-1.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.2K

$2,328 Ft 760.9K

-17.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

7.4

-2.70%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lake Balaton: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Lake Balaton

$350 31.5% 13.3% $41

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Lake Balaton

$217 19.5% 5.3% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Lake Balaton

$190 17.1% 17.7% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Lake Balaton

$111 10% 18.4% $17

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Lake Balaton

$143 12.8% 61.6% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Lake Balaton

$62 5.6% 42.6% $19

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Lake Balaton

$38 3.4% 145% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $448 in Lake Balaton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $46.00 in Lake Balaton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $217 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇭🇺 Lake Balaton

🕒 Local time

20:37 8:37 PM

14:37 2:37 PM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

275,000

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.43 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.02 PHP (100 PHP = 1.43 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 327 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Lake Balaton 10,360 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Lake Balaton

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 Lake Balaton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 21% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $1,667 in Lake Balaton to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $448 in Lake Balaton. 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 $1,111 in Lake Balaton – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 96% less than in Lake Balaton. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,111 in Lake Balaton, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Lake Balaton. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lake Balaton, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Lake Balaton 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Lake Balaton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.