Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Ma'an

For one person, living is cheaper in Ma'an: $834 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $970 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Ma'an
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Ma'an Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Ma'an

🇯🇴 Jordan

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Ma'an

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $834 in Ma'an.

Cebu $915
Ma'an $834

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $1,381 in Ma'an.

Cebu $1,418
Ma'an $1,381

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $1,927 in Ma'an.

Cebu $1,921
Ma'an $1,927

Living in Cebu is roughly 10% more expensive than in Ma'an, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 33% lower, Ma'an 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$7.10 JOD 5.03

-57.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$70.1 JOD 49.62

-65.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$7.24 JOD 5.13

-44.89%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$4.39 JOD 3.11

-43.05%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$0.66 JOD 0.47

133.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$0.57 JOD 0.40

-12.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$8.51 JOD 6.03

-79.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$10.86 JOD 7.69

-80.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.57 JOD 1.11

27.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$0.66 JOD 0.47

107.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$1.57 JOD 1.11

-34.39%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.44 JOD 1.72

-16.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$9.53 JOD 6.75

7.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$6.43 JOD 4.55

-30.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$12.85 JOD 9.10

-40.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$2.64 JOD 1.87

25.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$2.05 JOD 1.45

-28.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$1.84 JOD 1.30

26.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$0.78 JOD 0.55

91.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$0.91 JOD 0.64

157.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$0.80 JOD 0.57

142.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$0.63 JOD 0.45

84.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$0.65 JOD 0.46

4.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$3.80 JOD 2.69

-21.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$21.01 JOD 14.88

-70.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$4.93 JOD 3.49

-75.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$4.99 JOD 3.54

-65.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$0.59 JOD 0.42

33.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$1.45 JOD 1.03

-84.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$6.89 JOD 4.88

-34.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$1.69 JOD 1.19

-21.89%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$35.0K JOD 24.8K

-40.04%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$34.8K JOD 24.6K

-44.20%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$129 JOD 91.3

-8.10%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$15.57 JOD 11.02

-8.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$32.59 JOD 23.07

-15.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$11.44 JOD 8.10

-52.80%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$488 JOD 346

-43.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$9,910 JOD 7,016

-20.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$62.6 JOD 44.33

-21.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$81.2 JOD 57.5

-69.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$124 JOD 87.5

-37.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$88.5 JOD 62.6

-33.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

6.81

5.73%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ma'an: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Ma'an

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Ma'an

$266 31.9% 26.7% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Ma'an

$177 21.2% 10.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Ma'an

$160 19.2% 69.9% $66

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Ma'an

$200 24% 128% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Ma'an

$23 * 2.7% 46.9% $20

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Ma'an

$7.8 * 0.9% 48.3% $7.3

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $70.0 in Ma'an for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $266 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇯🇴 Ma'an

🕒 Local time

02:26 2:26 AM

21:26 9:26 PM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

50,350

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JOD, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.796 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Ma'an 9,260 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Ma'an

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 Ma'an: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ma'an is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,372 in Cebu and $1,251 in Ma'an 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.

Shoppers in Cebu pay roughly 27% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $915 per month in Cebu versus $834 in Ma'an – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

For families, Ma'an 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 Ma'an 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 Ma'an gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.