Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Magelang

For one person, living is cheaper in Magelang: $522 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Magelang
Learn more

Magelang Living Index

Jump to prices

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Magelang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Magelang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $522 in Magelang.

Cebu $934
Magelang $522

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Cebu versus $829 in Magelang.

Cebu $1,423
Magelang $829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,913 in Cebu versus $1,136 in Magelang.

Cebu $1,913
Magelang $1,136

Living in Cebu is roughly 79% more expensive than in Magelang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 31% lower, Magelang 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ₱243

$1.41 Rp 25.6K

168.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.33 ₱1,493

$8.48 Rp 153.9K

175.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.94 ₱252

$2.54 Rp 46.1K

55.12%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₱163

$0.74 Rp 13.3K

243.24%

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

$1.57 ₱100

$0.32 Rp 5,749

390.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₱29.87

$0.17 Rp 3,098

176.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ₱113

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

36.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₱142

$2.65 Rp 48.0K

-16.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.03 Rp 18.7K

84.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱87.3

$1.13 Rp 20.5K

20.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.9

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

25.33%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

68.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 ₱621

$6.45 Rp 117.1K

50.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 ₱276

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

91.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 ₱481

$6.95 Rp 126.1K

8.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱212

$2.03 Rp 36.8K

63.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ₱87.6

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

23.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱150

$1.24 Rp 22.6K

88.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱95.5

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

73.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱147

$1.00 Rp 18.2K

130.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ₱120

$1.34 Rp 24.2K

39.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱70.4

$0.80 Rp 14.5K

37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱40.42

$0.36 Rp 6,478

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 ₱183

$1.92 Rp 34.8K

48.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.08 ₱389

$16.50 Rp 299.4K

-63.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.6

$1.53 Rp 27.7K

-16.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱110

$2.12 Rp 38.4K

-18.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱14.01

$0.29 Rp 5,325

-24.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱790

$11.28 Rp 204.7K

9.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱47.60

$0.43 Rp 7,755

72.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.10

$0.32 Rp 5,787

-31.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 ₱274

$2.18 Rp 39.5K

96.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱83.8

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

79.45%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$25.4K Rp 460.5M

-18.18%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$28.0K Rp 507.7M

-31.93%

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

$118 ₱7,577

$46.08 Rp 836.0K

156.97%

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

$15.76 ₱1,009

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

297.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.33 ₱1,813

$19.56 Rp 354.9K

44.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.94 ₱2,108

$13.49 Rp 244.7K

144.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.49 ₱415

$3.64 Rp 66.0K

78.30%

Cinema Ticket

$5.45 ₱349

$2.54 Rp 46.1K

114.57%

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

$276 ₱17.6K

$43.82 Rp 795.1K

529.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,789 ₱498.4K

$3,925 Rp 71.2M

98.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.18 ₱3,083

$19.01 Rp 345.0K

153.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.47 ₱1,566

$19.05 Rp 345.6K

28.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 ₱4,817

$57.2 Rp 1.0M

31.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ₱3,713

$51.7 Rp 937.3K

12.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 ₱30.5K

$226 Rp 4.1M

110.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.6K

$146 Rp 2.7M

119.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 ₱61.6K

$561 Rp 10.2M

71.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₱40.0K

$361 Rp 6.6M

73.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,551 ₱291.2K

$1,159 Rp 21.0M

292.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,028 ₱193.8K

$800 Rp 14.5M

278.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$333 ₱21.3K

$170 Rp 3.1M

96.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

7.5

-4.00%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Magelang: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$322 34.5%

Magelang

$146 28.1% 54.5% $175

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$204 21.8%

Magelang

$165 31.6% 19% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.4%

Magelang

$70 13.3% 57.2% $93

Eating Out

Cebu

$94 10.1%

Magelang

$41 8% 55.9% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$93 9.9%

Magelang

$66 12.7% 28.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Magelang

$19 3.6% 57.7% $25

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.6%

Magelang

$14 2.8% 3.9% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $477 in Cebu and $226 in Magelang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 96% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Cebu vs $8 in Magelang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $165 per month, with Magelang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇩 Magelang

🕒 Local time

01:22 1:22 AM

00:22 12:22 AM

1 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

118,227

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.52 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,281 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Magelang 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Magelang

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 Magelang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Magelang is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 79% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 96% 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: $477 in Cebu versus $226 in Magelang. 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 $522 in Magelang – a 79% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Magelang runs roughly 9% 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 Magelang gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Magelang 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 Magelang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.