Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Las Terrenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Las Terrenas: $873 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $540 less a year. The total is higher in Cebu despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Las Terrenas
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Las Terrenas Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Las Terrenas

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$873

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Las Terrenas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $873 in Las Terrenas.

Cebu $918
Las Terrenas $873

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,843 in Las Terrenas.

Cebu $1,409
Las Terrenas $1,843

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,813 in Las Terrenas.

Cebu $1,900
Las Terrenas $2,813

Living in Cebu is roughly 5% more expensive than in Las Terrenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Las Terrenas 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$8.27 DOP 506

-62.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$41.34 DOP 2,532

-41.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$5.09 DOP 312

-22.99%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.02 DOP 62.7

146.08%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.67 DOP 40.74

137.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.40 DOP 24.74

32.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.52 DOP 154

-29.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.86 DOP 237

-43.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$0.99 DOP 60.5

93.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.13 DOP 69.1

20.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.07 DOP 65.7

-5.61%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.19 DOP 72.7

70.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$6.09 DOP 373

61.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$3.50 DOP 215

25.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$4.66 DOP 286

63.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.25 DOP 138

46.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$0.63 DOP 38.64

120.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$2.17 DOP 133

7.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$2.23 DOP 137

-32.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$2.18 DOP 134

8.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.07 DOP 65.4

77.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.94 DOP 57.3

26.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.98 DOP 59.9

-35.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$4.71 DOP 289

-36.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$7.04 DOP 431

-14.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$2.35 DOP 144

-47.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.96 DOP 120

-10.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$2.51 DOP 154

-69.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$3.27 DOP 200

-92.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.14 DOP 70.0

14.91%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$19.7K DOP 1.2M

7.85%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$24.2K DOP 1.5M

-20.99%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$50.4 DOP 3,084

138.79%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$9.94 DOP 609

40.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$19.91 DOP 1,220

38.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$5.00 DOP 306

13.00%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$100 DOP 6,143

174.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$5,338 DOP 327.0K

48.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$27.30 DOP 1,672

80.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$44.76 DOP 2,742

-43.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$62.9 DOP 3,856

22.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$66.6 DOP 4,079

-14.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$770 DOP 47.2K

-35.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$386 DOP 23.7K

-20.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$1,654 DOP 101.3K

-34.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$1,641 DOP 100.5K

-62.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$1,789 DOP 109.6K

61.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$408 DOP 25.0K

-15.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

-34.55%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Las Terrenas: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Las Terrenas

$386 44.3% 25.1% $78

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Las Terrenas

$169 19.3% 18.1% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Las Terrenas

$80 9.2% 50.4% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Las Terrenas

$91 10.4% 3.4% $3.2

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Las Terrenas

$118 13.6% 34% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Las Terrenas

$10 * 1.1% 77.1% $34

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Las Terrenas

$19 * 2.2% 21.1% $3.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $770 in Las Terrenas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Las Terrenas pays 18% 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 $41.00 in Las Terrenas. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $169, with Las Terrenas cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇩🇴 Las Terrenas

🕒 Local time

00:56 12:56 AM

12:56 12:56 PM

12 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

7,713

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, 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).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Las Terrenas 16,410 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Las Terrenas

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 Las Terrenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Las Terrenas is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Las Terrenas. 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 $770 in Las Terrenas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $873 in Las Terrenas – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $873 in Las Terrenas versus $918 in Cebu, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Las Terrenas but tight or insufficient in Cebu. The gap between the two cities makes Las Terrenas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Las Terrenas 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 Las Terrenas 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 Las Terrenas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.