Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Machilipatnam

For one person, living is cheaper in Machilipatnam: $374 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Machilipatnam
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Machilipatnam Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Machilipatnam

🇮🇳 India

$374

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Machilipatnam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $374 in Machilipatnam.

Cebu $915
Machilipatnam $374

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $588 in Machilipatnam.

Cebu $1,418
Machilipatnam $588

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $802 in Machilipatnam.

Cebu $1,921
Machilipatnam $802

Living in Cebu is roughly 145% more expensive than in Machilipatnam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 33% lower, Machilipatnam 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$2.10 ₹199

45.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$8.48 ₹805

183.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$4.67 ₹444

-14.56%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$1.68 ₹160

48.81%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$0.32 ₹30.40

381.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$0.11 ₹10.41

354.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.06 ₹195

-13.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$3.02 ₹287

-28.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$0.68 ₹64.4

194.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$0.56 ₹53.5

144.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$0.63 ₹60.0

63.49%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$0.79 ₹75.2

156.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$5.54 ₹526

84.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$3.07 ₹291

44.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$2.41 ₹229

37.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$0.63 ₹59.5

131.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$1.08 ₹103

114.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$0.37 ₹35.07

302.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$0.36 ₹33.84

550.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$0.36 ₹33.81

438.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$0.59 ₹55.9

96.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$0.30 ₹28.30

126.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$4.49 ₹427

-33.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$9.04 ₹858

-30.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$1.66 ₹158

-25.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$3.16 ₹300

-45.25%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$4.47 ₹425

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$0.25 ₹23.73

-8.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

$7.55 ₹717

63.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$1.06 ₹101

-25.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$0.17 ₹16.27

29.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$2.69 ₹255

68.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$1.08 ₹102

22.22%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$13.8K ₹1.3M

52.61%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$21.5K ₹2.0M

-9.82%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$33.24 ₹3,156

256.65%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$3.58 ₹340

297.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$5.11 ₹485

437.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$14.03 ₹1,332

130.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

$6.65 ₹631

-2.26%

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$2.62 ₹249

106.11%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$48.86 ₹4,640

464.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$1,574 ₹149.5K

399.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$22.33 ₹2,121

121.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$21.21 ₹2,014

15.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$29.81 ₹2,831

157.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$31.64 ₹3,004

86.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$121 ₹11.5K

314.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$73.3 ₹6,959

315.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$266 ₹25.2K

304.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$169 ₹16.0K

274.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

$973 ₹92.4K

194.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

$521 ₹49.5K

260.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

8.58

-16.08%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Machilipatnam: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Machilipatnam

$73 19.6% 75.9% $231

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Machilipatnam

$112 30.1% 46.4% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Machilipatnam

$42 11.2% 73.8% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Machilipatnam

$47 12.6% 49.9% $47

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Machilipatnam

$69 18.5% 21.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Machilipatnam

$19 5.2% 55.3% $24

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Machilipatnam

$10 2.8% 30.9% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $503 in Cebu and $121 in Machilipatnam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $8.00 in Machilipatnam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $112 per month, with Machilipatnam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇳 Machilipatnam

🕒 Local time

22:17 10:17 PM

19:47 7:47 PM

2 h 30 min behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

169,892

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Machilipatnam 4,670 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Machilipatnam

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 Machilipatnam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Machilipatnam is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 145% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,372 in Cebu and $561 in Machilipatnam 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $503 in Cebu versus $121 in Machilipatnam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $915 per month in Cebu versus $374 in Machilipatnam – a 145% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Machilipatnam runs roughly 63% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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

For families, Machilipatnam 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 Machilipatnam 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 Machilipatnam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 145% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.