Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Malaybalay

For one person, living is cheaper in Malaybalay: $739 a month against $943 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Malaybalay
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Malaybalay Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$943

/mo nomad

Malaybalay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Malaybalay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $943 in Cebu versus $739 in Malaybalay.

Cebu $943
Malaybalay $739

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,437 in Cebu versus $1,140 in Malaybalay.

Cebu $1,437
Malaybalay $1,140

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,930 in Cebu versus $1,542 in Malaybalay.

Cebu $1,930
Malaybalay $1,542

Living in Cebu is roughly 28% more expensive than in Malaybalay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Malaybalay 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 ₱247

$4.55 ₱289

-14.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.22 ₱1,476

$16.36 ₱1,040

41.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.90 ₱248

$3.49 ₱222

11.75%

Cappuccino

$2.56 ₱163

$2.14 ₱136

19.63%

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

$1.60 ₱102

$0.45 ₱28.56

255.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.35

$0.32 ₱20.47

59.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 ₱112

$1.18 ₱75.3

49.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ₱137

$2.06 ₱131

4.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 ₱126

$1.97 ₱125

1.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱87.1

$1.10 ₱70.1

24.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ₱60.4

$0.84 ₱53.5

13.10%

Eggs

$2.02 ₱128

$1.90 ₱121

6.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 ₱612

$6.31 ₱401

52.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 ₱277

$4.55 ₱289

-4.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱490

$9.02 ₱573

-14.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱210

$2.70 ₱171

22.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 ₱80.5

$1.11 ₱70.6

14.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱149

$2.39 ₱152

-2.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 ₱96.3

$1.14 ₱72.3

32.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 ₱142

$1.90 ₱121

17.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 ₱123

$3.29 ₱209

-41.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ₱75.2

$1.24 ₱78.8

-4.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ₱41.33

$0.67 ₱42.60

-2.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 ₱184

$2.41 ₱153

19.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱404

$7.89 ₱501

-19.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱80.8

$1.22 ₱77.5

4.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₱104

$1.66 ₱106

-1.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.56

$0.24 ₱15.27

-4.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.24 ₱778

$12.31 ₱783

-0.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 ₱52.0

$0.79 ₱50.4

3.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.69

$0.24 ₱15.32

-16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.32 ₱275

$1.91 ₱121

126.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ₱87.6

$1.26 ₱80.3

9.52%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$21.2K ₱1.4M

-0.16%

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

$19.3K ₱1.2M

$18.7K ₱1.2M

3.02%

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

$124 ₱7,893

$104 ₱6,590

19.77%

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

$15.93 ₱1,013

$19.05 ₱1,211

-16.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 ₱1,785

$30.84 ₱1,961

-8.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.41 ₱2,124

$31.24 ₱1,987

6.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.40 ₱407

$5.12 ₱325

25.00%

Cinema Ticket

$5.85 ₱372

$4.80 ₱305

21.87%

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

$271 ₱17.2K

$105 ₱6,703

156.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,060 ₱512.4K

$7,393 ₱470.1K

9.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.31 ₱3,072

$32.03 ₱2,036

50.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.56 ₱1,562

$19.04 ₱1,211

28.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 ₱4,904

$71.0 ₱4,513

8.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.5 ₱3,593

$59.6 ₱3,792

-5.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 ₱31.5K

$250 ₱15.9K

97.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.5K

$166 ₱10.5K

93.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$990 ₱63.0K

$485 ₱30.8K

104.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₱39.9K

$354 ₱22.5K

77.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,459 ₱283.5K

$2,659 ₱169.1K

67.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,030 ₱192.6K

$1,116 ₱71.0K

171.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$343 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

8.31

-13.36%

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

Last update for Cebu: November 2, 2026

Last update for Malaybalay: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$322 34.1%

Malaybalay

$166 22.4% 48.4% $156

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 21.8%

Malaybalay

$196 26.5% 4.6% $9.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$168 17.8%

Malaybalay

$154 20.8% 8.7% $15

Eating Out

Cebu

$95 10.1%

Malaybalay

$86 11.6% 9.8% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$93 9.9%

Malaybalay

$82 11.1% 12% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$45 4.8%

Malaybalay

$41 5.5% 9.4% $4.3

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.6%

Malaybalay

$15 2.1% 2% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $495 in Cebu and $250 in Malaybalay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23 in Cebu vs $16 in Malaybalay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $196 per month, with Malaybalay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇵🇭 Malaybalay

🕒 Local time

07:55 7:55 AM

Same time as Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

190,712

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Malaybalay 270 km

From you

Cebu
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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 Malaybalay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malaybalay is about 22% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,415 in Cebu and $1,109 in Malaybalay 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: $495 in Cebu versus $250 in Malaybalay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $943 per month in Cebu versus $739 in Malaybalay – Malaybalay is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Malaybalay 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.