Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Madaba

For one person, living is cheaper in Madaba: $765 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Madaba
Learn more

Madaba Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Madaba

🇯🇴 Jordan

$765

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Madaba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $765 in Madaba.

Cebu $918
Madaba $765

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,349 in Madaba.

Cebu $1,409
Madaba $1,349

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,932 in Madaba.

Cebu $1,900
Madaba $1,932

Living in Cebu is roughly 20% more expensive than in Madaba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Madaba 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$5.54 JOD 3.92

-44.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$49.14 JOD 34.79

-50.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$6.44 JOD 4.56

-39.13%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$3.56 JOD 2.52

-29.49%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.61 JOD 0.43

160.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.61 JOD 0.43

-13.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$4.36 JOD 3.08

-59.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$6.85 JOD 4.85

-68.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.39 JOD 0.99

38.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.66 JOD 0.47

106.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.57 JOD 1.11

-35.67%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.72 JOD 1.22

18.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$4.32 JOD 3.06

128.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$5.56 JOD 3.94

-21.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$12.75 JOD 9.02

-40.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.66 JOD 1.88

24.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.44 JOD 1.02

-3.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.78 JOD 1.26

30.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.73 JOD 0.52

105.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.73 JOD 0.51

223.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.69 JOD 0.49

175.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.34 JOD 0.24

250.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.55 JOD 0.39

14.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$2.13 JOD 1.51

40.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$20.90 JOD 14.80

-71.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$4.86 JOD 3.44

-74.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$5.03 JOD 3.56

-65.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.88 JOD 0.62

-71.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$71.6 JOD 50.7

-82.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.58 JOD 0.41

32.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$1.39 JOD 0.98

-83.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$7.16 JOD 5.07

-37.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.43 JOD 1.02

-8.39%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$35.4K JOD 25.1K

-40.06%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$34.9K JOD 24.7K

-45.14%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$69.2 JOD 49.02

73.64%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$13.83 JOD 9.79

1.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$20.89 JOD 14.79

31.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$28.60 JOD 20.25

13.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$69.2 JOD 49.02

-90.40%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$11.25 JOD 7.97

-49.78%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$41.99 JOD 29.73

555.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$9,676 JOD 6,851

-18.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$63.2 JOD 44.72

-21.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$57.0 JOD 40.32

-55.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$69.9 JOD 49.48

10.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$43.11 JOD 30.52

32.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$210 JOD 149

137.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$42.56 JOD 30.13

625.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$419 JOD 297

157.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$210 JOD 149

192.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$495 JOD 351

-30.16%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Madaba: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Madaba

$43 5.6% 86.2% $266

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Madaba

$233 30.5% 13.2% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Madaba

$104 13.6% 35.7% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Madaba

$105 13.7% 11.7% $11

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Madaba

$147 19.2% 66.2% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Madaba

$51 6.7% 17.2% $7.5

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Madaba

$83 10.8% 431% $67

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $210 in Madaba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madaba pays 43% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $49.00 in Madaba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $233 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇯🇴 Madaba

🕒 Local time

11:20 11:20 AM

06:20 6:20 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

65,000

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Madaba 9,230 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Madaba

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 Madaba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madaba is cheaper overall, especially in utilities. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Madaba. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $210 in Madaba. 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 $765 in Madaba – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Madaba runs roughly 467% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Madaba gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Madaba 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 Madaba 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 Madaba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.