Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Manila Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Manila

🙂 Solo nomad: Cebu is 0.1% cheaper than Manila without rent, and 7.2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Cebu is 1% cheaper than Manila without rent, and 15.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Manila
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.40 ₱257
$5.46 ₱319
-19.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.09 ₱1,409
$27.09 ₱1,585
-11.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.51 ₱264
$4.38 ₱256
2.97%
Cappuccino
$2.60 ₱152
$2.74 ₱160
-5.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.80 ₱46.87
$0.92 ₱53.5
-13.04%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.43 ₱25.10
$0.54 ₱31.54
-20.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.58 ₱92.2
$1.53 ₱89.2
3.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 ₱122
$2.69 ₱158
-22.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Manila
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.22 ₱130
$1.90 ₱111
16.84%
White Bread (500g)
$1.50 ₱87.9
$1.40 ₱81.7
7.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.13 ₱66.0
$1.04 ₱61.1
8.65%
Eggs
$2.34 ₱137
$2.07 ₱121
13.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.75 ₱746
$9.64 ₱564
32.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.38 ₱314
$5.19 ₱304
3.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.87 ₱461
$8.57 ₱502
-8.17%
Apples (1kg)
$3.61 ₱211
$3.47 ₱203
4.03%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 ₱85.1
$1.74 ₱102
-16.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.29 ₱192
$3.47 ₱203
-5.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 ₱134
$2.42 ₱141
-5.37%
Potato (1kg)
$2.56 ₱150
$2.67 ₱156
-4.12%
Onion (1kg)
$2.45 ₱143
$3.06 ₱179
-19.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.00 ₱58.3
$2.02 ₱118
-50.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.85 ₱49.68
$0.64 ₱37.24
32.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.13 ₱183
$3.43 ₱201
-8.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.84 ₱400
$10.13 ₱593
-32.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 ₱70.5
$1.51 ₱88.4
-19.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.33 ₱136
$2.11 ₱124
10.43%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Manila
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 ₱15.19
$0.52 ₱30.30
-50.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.06 ₱881
$12.16 ₱711
23.85%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.81 ₱47.67
$0.85 ₱49.77
-4.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.23 ₱13.41
$0.27 ₱15.87
-14.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.68 ₱157
$2.10 ₱123
27.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 ₱67.4
$1.17 ₱68.2
-1.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.2K ₱1.8M
$26.4K ₱1.5M
14.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.4K ₱1.6M
$22.4K ₱1.3M
22.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Manila
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$99.0 ₱5,790
$137 ₱8,041
-28.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.23 ₱2,003
$21.63 ₱1,265
58.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.40 ₱1,778
$27.23 ₱1,593
11.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Manila
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.37 ₱1,952
$42.07 ₱2,461
-20.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.07 ₱472
$6.78 ₱397
19.03%
Cinema Ticket
$5.84 ₱341
$6.81 ₱398
-14.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Manila
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$235 ₱13.8K
$352 ₱20.6K
-33.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,954 ₱231.3K
$11.5K ₱672.8K
-65.62%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Manila
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.2 ₱3,053
$47.19 ₱2,760
10.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$22.81 ₱1,335
$34.63 ₱2,026
-34.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.1 ₱4,393
$82.2 ₱4,811
-8.69%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$55.7 ₱3,261
$47.17 ₱2,759
18.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Manila
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$516 ₱30.2K
$499 ₱29.2K
3.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$209 ₱12.2K
$272 ₱15.9K
-23.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$789 ₱46.2K
$1,739 ₱101.7K
-54.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$396 ₱23.2K
$625 ₱36.6K
-36.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,151 ₱184.4K
$4,647 ₱271.9K
-32.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,024 ₱118.4K
$2,691 ₱157.4K
-24.78%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Manila
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$396 ₱23.2K
$485 ₱28.4K
-18.40%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8
7.52
6.38%

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

Last update for Cebu: March 1, 2026

Last update for Manila: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities