Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Legazpi

For one person, living is cheaper in Legazpi: $709 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Legazpi
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Legazpi Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Legazpi

🇵🇭 Philippines

$709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Legazpi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $709 in Legazpi.

Cebu $934
Legazpi $709

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Cebu versus $1,094 in Legazpi.

Cebu $1,423
Legazpi $1,094

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,913 in Cebu versus $1,480 in Legazpi.

Cebu $1,913
Legazpi $1,480

Living in Cebu is roughly 32% more expensive than in Legazpi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 31% lower, Legazpi 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ₱242

$3.86 ₱247

-1.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.33 ₱1,491

$16.72 ₱1,068

39.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.94 ₱252

$2.83 ₱181

39.22%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₱163

$2.19 ₱140

15.98%

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

$1.57 ₱100

$0.64 ₱40.79

145.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₱29.82

$0.34 ₱21.43

38.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ₱113

$1.19 ₱75.8

48.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₱142

$2.13 ₱136

4.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.58 ₱101

20.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱87.1

$1.09 ₱69.6

24.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.8

$0.95 ₱60.7

-1.05%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$2.60 ₱166

-23.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 ₱620

$5.53 ₱353

75.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 ₱276

$4.08 ₱261

5.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 ₱480

$6.82 ₱436

10.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱211

$2.29 ₱146

44.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ₱87.5

$1.56 ₱99.6

-12.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱149

$2.41 ₱154

-2.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱95.4

$1.17 ₱74.6

27.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱147

$2.04 ₱130

12.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ₱120

$2.27 ₱145

-17.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱70.3

$1.08 ₱69.3

1.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱40.36

$0.53 ₱34.02

18.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 ₱183

$2.96 ₱189

-3.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.08 ₱389

$7.39 ₱472

-17.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.4

$1.04 ₱66.2

22.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱110

$1.94 ₱124

-11.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.99

$0.18 ₱11.32

22.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱788

$11.82 ₱755

4.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱47.53

$0.75 ₱47.69

-1.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.08

$0.23 ₱14.71

-4.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 ₱273

$1.83 ₱117

133.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱83.7

$1.16 ₱74.0

12.93%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$23.9K ₱1.5M

-13.18%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$18.1K ₱1.2M

5.40%

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

$118 ₱7,565

$119 ₱7,577

-0.16%

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

$15.76 ₱1,007

$15.23 ₱973

3.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.33 ₱1,810

$30.18 ₱1,928

-6.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.94 ₱2,105

$31.32 ₱2,001

5.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.49 ₱415

$5.23 ₱334

24.09%

Cinema Ticket

$5.45 ₱348

$5.23 ₱334

4.21%

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

$276 ₱17.6K

$129 ₱8,226

114.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,789 ₱497.7K

$7,669 ₱490.0K

1.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.18 ₱3,078

$32.40 ₱2,070

48.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.47 ₱1,564

$18.79 ₱1,201

30.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 ₱4,810

$95.5 ₱6,103

-21.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ₱3,707

$54.5 ₱3,481

6.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 ₱30.5K

$193 ₱12.3K

147.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.6K

$138 ₱8,838

132.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 ₱61.5K

$515 ₱32.9K

87.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₱40.0K

$316 ₱20.2K

97.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,551 ₱290.8K

$2,906 ₱185.7K

56.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,028 ₱193.5K

$1,050 ₱67.1K

188.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$333 ₱21.3K

$264 ₱16.8K

26.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

10.12

-28.85%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Legazpi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$322 34.5%

Legazpi

$138 19.5% 57% $183

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$204 21.8%

Legazpi

$180 25.4% 11.7% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.4%

Legazpi

$164 23.2% 0.9% $1.5

Eating Out

Cebu

$94 10.1%

Legazpi

$80 11.3% 15.3% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$93 9.9%

Legazpi

$91 12.8% 2.3% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Legazpi

$42 5.9% 4.7% $2.1

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.6%

Legazpi

$14 2% 4.2% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $477 in Cebu and $193 in Legazpi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 26% 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 in Cebu vs $17 in Legazpi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $180 per month, with Legazpi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇵🇭 Legazpi

🕒 Local time

05:34 5:34 AM

Same time as Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

209,533

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Cebu Legazpi 320 km

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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 Legazpi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Legazpi is about 24% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 26% 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: $477 in Cebu versus $193 in Legazpi. 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 $709 in Legazpi – Legazpi is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Legazpi runs roughly 4% less than in Cebu. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Legazpi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Legazpi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Legazpi 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.