Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Maasin City

For one person, living is cheaper in Maasin City: $755 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Maasin City
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Maasin City Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Maasin City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$755

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Maasin City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $755 in Maasin City.

Cebu $918
Maasin City $755

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,132 in Maasin City.

Cebu $1,409
Maasin City $1,132

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,508 in Maasin City.

Cebu $1,900
Maasin City $1,508

Living in Cebu is roughly 22% more expensive than in Maasin City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Maasin City 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$3.11 ₱196

-0.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$23.45 ₱1,476

3.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$3.86 ₱243

1.55%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.57 ₱162

-2.33%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$1.58 ₱99.6

0.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.49 ₱30.61

8.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.72 ₱108

3.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$2.21 ₱139

-1.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.96 ₱123

-2.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.18 ₱74.3

15.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$0.91 ₱57.3

10.99%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.86 ₱117

9.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$9.92 ₱625

-0.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$4.41 ₱277

-0.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$7.35 ₱463

3.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$1.62 ₱102

103.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$0.67 ₱41.93

107.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.58 ₱99.2

47.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.54 ₱97.2

-2.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$2.34 ₱148

0.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.91 ₱120

-0.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.20 ₱75.9

-0.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.67 ₱42.21

-5.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$3.02 ₱190

-0.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$6.33 ₱398

-4.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.23 ₱77.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.72 ₱108

1.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.24 ₱15.18

4.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$12.06 ₱760

4.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.74 ₱46.38

4.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.23 ₱14.49

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$1.92 ₱121

132.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.37 ₱86.0

-4.38%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$20.9K ₱1.3M

1.41%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

-0.99%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$122 ₱7,695

-1.63%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$14.04 ₱884

-0.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$27.70 ₱1,744

-0.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$30.38 ₱1,913

6.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$4.24 ₱267

56.84%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$5.53 ₱348

2.17%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$135 ₱8,488

104.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$7,885 ₱496.4K

0.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$32.99 ₱2,077

49.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$19.59 ₱1,233

28.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$76.0 ₱4,786

1.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$56.9 ₱3,581

0.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$269 ₱17.0K

85.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$174 ₱11.0K

77.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$474 ₱29.8K

127.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$301 ₱19.0K

104.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$2,140 ₱134.7K

34.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$977 ₱61.5K

96.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$125 ₱7,886

176.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Maasin City: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Maasin City

$174 23.1% 43.6% $135

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Maasin City

$188 25% 8.5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Maasin City

$164 21.7% 1.3% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Maasin City

$83 11.1% 11.1% $10

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Maasin City

$89 11.7% 0.3% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Maasin City

$41 5.5% 5% $2.2

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Maasin City

$15 2% 4.2% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $269 in Maasin City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 176% 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 $23.00 in Maasin City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $188 per month, with Maasin City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇵🇭 Maasin City

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

Same time as Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

85,560

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Cebu Maasin City 100 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 Maasin City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maasin City is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 22% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 176% 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: $500 in Cebu versus $269 in Maasin City. 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 $755 in Maasin City – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Maasin City runs roughly 5% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Maasin City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Maasin City 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 Maasin City 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 Maasin City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.