For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,011 in Lezhe, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Lezhe despite lower rent and utilities.
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 Lezhe actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,011 in Lezhe.
Cebu $918
Lezhe $1,011
Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,537 in Lezhe.
Cebu $1,409
Lezhe $1,537
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,063 in Lezhe.
Cebu $1,900
Lezhe $2,063
🌍
Living in Cebu costs roughly 9% less than in Lezhe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.
📊
Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu32% lower, Lezhe25% lower.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Lezhe
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.09₱194
$5.39ALL 434
-42.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.22₱1,525
$37.19ALL 2,995
-34.87%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$3.92₱247
$3.64ALL 293
7.69%
Cappuccino
$2.51₱158
$1.02ALL 82.4
146.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59₱100
$1.50ALL 121
6.00%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53₱33.43
$0.64ALL 51.3
-17.19%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$1.78₱112
$1.49ALL 120
19.46%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17₱137
$2.43ALL 195
-10.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Lezhe
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.92₱121
$1.90ALL 153
1.05%
White Bread(500g)
$1.36₱85.4
$0.99ALL 79.6
37.37%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$1.01₱63.5
$2.02ALL 163
-50.00%
Eggs
$2.03₱128
$2.66ALL 214
-23.68%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$9.86₱621
$10.15ALL 817
-2.86%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$4.39₱277
$8.60ALL 692
-48.95%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$7.60₱479
$14.03ALL 1,130
-45.83%
Apples(1kg)
$3.30₱208
$1.91ALL 154
72.77%
Banana(1kg)
$1.39₱87.8
$2.23ALL 179
-37.67%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.33₱147
$1.62ALL 130
43.83%
Tomato(1kg)
$1.50₱94.3
$1.59ALL 128
-5.66%
Potato(1kg)
$2.36₱149
$1.08ALL 87.0
118.52%
Onion(1kg)
$1.90₱119
$1.28ALL 103
48.44%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.19₱74.9
$1.18ALL 94.8
0.85%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63₱39.71
$0.83ALL 67.0
-24.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00₱189
$4.31ALL 347
-30.39%
Wine(Bottle)
$6.03₱379
$7.79ALL 627
-22.59%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23₱77.7
$1.72ALL 138
-28.49%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75₱110
$1.85ALL 149
-5.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Lezhe
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.25₱15.86
$0.49ALL 39.41
-48.98%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$12.64₱796
$18.93ALL 1,524
-33.23%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$0.77₱48.62
$3.73ALL 301
-79.36%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.23₱14.53
$3.82ALL 308
-93.98%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$4.46₱281
$17.97ALL 1,447
-75.18%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.31₱82.8
$2.25ALL 182
-41.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K₱1.3M
$33.2KALL 2.7M
-36.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.1K₱1.2M
$24.8KALL 2.0M
-22.65%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Lezhe
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$120₱7,569
$60.0ALL 4,833
100.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.00₱882
$16.37ALL 1,318
-14.48%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.54₱1,734
$16.98ALL 1,367
62.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Lezhe
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$32.33₱2,035
$55.3ALL 4,456
-41.58%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.65₱419
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.65₱356
$8.77ALL 706
-35.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Lezhe
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$275₱17.3K
$180ALL 14.5K
53.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$7,918₱498.5K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Lezhe
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.33₱3,106
$49.81ALL 4,011
-0.96%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.24₱1,589
$55.5ALL 4,468
-54.51%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$77.0₱4,846
$96.3ALL 7,752
-20.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.2₱3,601
$146ALL 11.8K
-60.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Lezhe
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$500₱31.5K
$482ALL 38.9K
3.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$309₱19.4K
$308ALL 24.8K
0.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,078₱67.9K
$709ALL 57.1K
52.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$615₱38.7K
$429ALL 34.6K
43.25%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$2,886₱181.7K
$1,694ALL 136.4K
70.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$1,917₱120.7K
$1,133ALL 91.2K
69.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Lezhe
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$346₱21.8K
$609ALL 49.1K
-43.24%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
7.2
5
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 Lezhe: October 12, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$309 33.6%
Lezhe
$308 30.5% ↓ 0.1%$0.4
🛒Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$206 22.4%
Lezhe
$249 24.6% ↑ 20.9%$43
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$162 17.6%
Lezhe
$93 9.2% ↓ 42.3%$68
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94 10.2%
Lezhe
$156 15.5% ↑ 66.5%$62
🍽Eating Out
Cebu
$88 9.6%
Lezhe
$87 8.6% ↓ 1.2%$1.1
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44 4.8%
Lezhe
$73 7.2% ↑ 67.1%$29
🚌Getting Around
Cebu
$16 1.7%
Lezhe
$44 4.3% ↑ 181%$28
🏠Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$615 32.4%
Lezhe
$429 20.8% ↓ 30.2%$186
🛒Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$483 25.4%
Lezhe
$582 28.2% ↑ 20.5%$99
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$176 9.3%
Lezhe
$110 5.3% ↓ 37.6%$66
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$209 11%
Lezhe
$348 16.9% ↑ 66.5%$139
🍽Eating Out
Cebu
$292 15.4%
Lezhe
$360 17.5% ↑ 23.3%$68
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$94 4.9%
Lezhe
$146 * 7.1% ↑ 55.2%$52
🚌Getting Around
Cebu
$32 1.7%
Lezhe
$88 4.3% ↑ 180%$57
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 $482 in Lezhe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Lezhe pays 76% 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: $24.00 in Cebu vs $37.00 in Lezhe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $249 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.
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 Lezhe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lezhe cheaper than Cebu?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cebu or Lezhe?
On paper, salaries run 76% lower in Lezhe. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Cebu and Lezhe?
Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $482 in Lezhe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Lezhe?
All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $1,011 in Lezhe – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 50% less than in Lezhe. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Cebu or in Lezhe?
At $918 in Cebu versus $1,011 in Lezhe, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Lezhe. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Cebu or Lezhe more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lezhe, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Cebu or Lezhe?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Lezhe are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Lezhe. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.