Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Maglaj

For one person, living costs are similar in Cebu and in Maglaj: $918 and $910 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Maglaj
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Maglaj Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Maglaj

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$910

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Maglaj

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $910 in Maglaj.

Cebu $918
Maglaj $910

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,371 in Maglaj.

Cebu $1,409
Maglaj $1,371

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,833 in Maglaj.

Cebu $1,900
Maglaj $1,833

Living in Cebu is roughly 1% more expensive than in Maglaj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Maglaj 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$6.85 BAM 11.96

-54.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,521

$37.43 BAM 65.4

-35.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱246

$6.69 BAM 11.67

-41.41%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱157

$1.63 BAM 2.85

53.99%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$1.82 BAM 3.18

-12.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.36

$1.23 BAM 2.14

-56.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.23 BAM 3.90

-20.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$2.26 BAM 3.95

-3.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.46 BAM 2.55

31.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.2

$0.92 BAM 1.61

47.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.4

$1.74 BAM 3.04

-41.95%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱127

$2.81 BAM 4.90

-27.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱620

$7.54 BAM 13.16

30.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱276

$6.72 BAM 11.73

-34.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱478

$9.84 BAM 17.18

-22.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱207

$1.15 BAM 2.01

186.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.6

$1.67 BAM 2.91

-16.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.69 BAM 2.95

37.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.1

$1.67 BAM 2.92

-10.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.16 BAM 2.03

103.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.12 BAM 1.96

69.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.7

$1.01 BAM 1.77

17.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.62

$0.83 BAM 1.44

-24.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$3.50 BAM 6.12

-14.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$6.74 BAM 11.78

-10.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.5

$1.17 BAM 2.04

5.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.15 BAM 2.01

52.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.82

$1.40 BAM 2.44

-82.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱794

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.51

$1.68 BAM 2.93

-54.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.50

$1.11 BAM 1.94

-79.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱280

$10.37 BAM 18.10

-56.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.6

$1.59 BAM 2.77

-17.61%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$30.4K BAM 53.1K

-30.08%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$21.8K BAM 38.1K

-12.28%

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

$120 ₱7,553

$91.9 BAM 160

30.88%

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

$14.00 ₱880

$18.32 BAM 31.98

-23.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,730

$28.27 BAM 49.37

-2.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,031

$32.60 BAM 56.9

-0.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱418

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱355

$4.67 BAM 8.15

20.99%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$135 BAM 237

103.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱497.4K

$3,932 BAM 6,866

101.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,099

$57.2 BAM 99.9

-13.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,586

$31.72 BAM 55.4

-20.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,835

$95.1 BAM 166

-19.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,593

$129 BAM 226

-55.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.4K

$338 BAM 591

47.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$253 BAM 442

21.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.7K

$512 BAM 894

110.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$356 BAM 621

73.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.3K

$2,429 BAM 4,241

18.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.4K

$1,764 BAM 3,080

8.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.7K

$741 BAM 1,294

-53.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

4.3

67.44%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Maglaj: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Maglaj

$253 27.8% 18% $56

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Maglaj

$200 22% 2.9% $5.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Maglaj

$138 15.2% 14.4% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Maglaj

$141 15.5% 50.2% $47

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Maglaj

$122 13.5% 38.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Maglaj

$42 4.6% 3.9% $1.7

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Maglaj

$13 * 1.4% 17.7% $2.8

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $338 in Maglaj. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Maglaj pays 114% 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 $37.00 in Maglaj. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $200, with Maglaj cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇧🇦 Maglaj

🕒 Local time

20:42 8:42 PM

14:42 2:42 PM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

7,000

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 62.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.39 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Maglaj 10,430 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Maglaj

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 Maglaj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maglaj is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 114% lower in Maglaj. 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 $338 in Maglaj. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $910 in Maglaj – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

For families, Maglaj 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 Maglaj 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 Maglaj gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.