Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Madurai

For one person, living is cheaper in Madurai: $405 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
20

Cost of Living Index in Madurai
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Madurai Living Index

Jump to prices

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Madurai

🇮🇳 India

$405

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Madurai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $405 in Madurai.

Cebu $934
Madurai $405

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $658 in Madurai.

Cebu $1,415
Madurai $658

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $910 in Madurai.

Cebu $1,896
Madurai $910

Living in Cebu is roughly 131% more expensive than in Madurai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Madurai 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱190

$1.64 ₹159

84.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,473

$10.57 ₹1,023

122.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱256

$4.23 ₹410

-3.31%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$2.26 ₹219

11.50%

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

$1.54 ₱96.9

$0.53 ₹51.6

190.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.98

$0.24 ₹23.31

104.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

$2.04 ₹197

-12.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$3.61 ₹349

-37.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$0.57 ₹55.2

242.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.7

$0.52 ₹50.8

175.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱63.8

$0.68 ₹65.7

50.00%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$0.83 ₹80.7

148.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱615

$6.08 ₹588

61.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱289

$3.09 ₹299

49.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱483

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱207

$2.85 ₹276

16.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱90.9

$0.73 ₹70.4

98.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.67 ₹161

41.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.4

$0.53 ₹51.0

190.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$0.64 ₹62.3

268.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$0.69 ₹66.4

188.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

$0.63 ₹61.4

82.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.15

$0.28 ₹26.80

139.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

$4.88 ₹473

-38.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

$10.45 ₹1,011

-39.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

$2.04 ₹197

-35.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

$4.48 ₹434

-61.38%

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

$10.14 ₹981

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

$0.22 ₹21.30

13.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

$10.49 ₹1,015

20.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

$1.16 ₹112

-36.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$0.33 ₹31.83

-36.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

$1.27 ₹123

240.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$1.05 ₹101

26.67%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$18.4K ₹1.8M

18.40%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$24.0K ₹2.3M

-19.19%

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

$121 ₱7,563

$22.71 ₹2,198

430.96%

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

$14.45 ₱907

$4.68 ₹453

208.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,774

$7.27 ₹704

289.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

$15.81 ₹1,530

106.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

$6.53 ₹632

-2.14%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

$2.53 ₹245

115.81%

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

$273 ₱17.1K

$42.00 ₹4,064

550.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

$1,542 ₹149.3K

428.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

$25.25 ₹2,444

96.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

$25.27 ₹2,446

-1.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

$53.7 ₹5,194

42.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,717

$32.71 ₹3,166

81.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.7K

$142 ₹13.7K

256.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$80.5 ₹7,787

284.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.0K

$300 ₹29.1K

250.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

$201 ₹19.4K

208.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

$1,112 ₹107.6K

162.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

$486 ₹47.0K

284.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

$355 ₹34.3K

-3.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

9.59

-24.92%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Madurai: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Madurai

$80 19.5% 74% $229

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Madurai

$128 31% 39.3% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Madurai

$35 8.4% 78.8% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Madurai

$62 14.9% 34.9% $33

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Madurai

$73 17.8% 16.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Madurai

$21 5.1% 52.1% $23

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Madurai

$14 3.4% 8.2% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $142 in Madurai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madurai pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Cebu vs $11.00 in Madurai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $128 per month, with Madurai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇳 Madurai

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

09:19 9:19 AM

2 h 30 min behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

1,700,000

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Madurai 5,010 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Madurai

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 Madurai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madurai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 131% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Madurai. 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: $506 in Cebu versus $142 in Madurai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $405 in Madurai – a 131% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Madurai runs roughly 21% 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 Madurai gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Madurai 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 Madurai 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 Madurai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 131% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.