Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Medea

For one person, living is cheaper in Medea: $452 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Medea
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Medea Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Medea

🇩🇿 Algeria

$452

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Medea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $452 in Medea.

Cebu $918
Medea $452

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $773 in Medea.

Cebu $1,409
Medea $773

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,095 in Medea.

Cebu $1,900
Medea $1,095

Living in Cebu is roughly 103% more expensive than in Medea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Medea 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$1.91 DZD 256

61.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$28.16 DZD 3,771

-13.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$3.97 DZD 532

-1.26%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$0.37 DZD 49.16

578.38%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.40 DZD 53.9

297.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.19 DZD 26.00

178.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.26 DZD 303

-21.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$2.28 DZD 305

-4.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$0.89 DZD 119

115.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.09 DZD 11.91

1411.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.14 DZD 153

-11.40%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.17 DZD 157

73.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$8.02 DZD 1,074

22.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$3.85 DZD 515

14.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$14.49 DZD 1,941

-47.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.00 DZD 268

65.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$2.77 DZD 370

-49.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.08 DZD 144

115.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.55 DZD 73.0

172.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.57 DZD 76.3

314.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.49 DZD 65.0

287.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.80 DZD 108

48.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.27 DZD 36.50

133.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$2.07 DZD 277

44.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$6.59 DZD 882

-8.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.27 DZD 170

-3.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.91 DZD 256

-8.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.21 DZD 28.23

19.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$6.77 DZD 906

86.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.54 DZD 72.6

42.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.46 DZD 62.2

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$5.54 DZD 741

-19.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.36 DZD 47.76

263.89%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$18.9K DZD 2.5M

12.19%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$34.9K DZD 4.7M

-45.15%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$18.45 DZD 2,470

551.65%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$7.91 DZD 1,059

76.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$12.23 DZD 1,638

125.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$22.02 DZD 2,948

46.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$1.89 DZD 254

251.85%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$3.29 DZD 440

71.73%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$38.35 DZD 5,134

617.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$6,214 DZD 831.9K

27.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$19.56 DZD 2,619

152.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$31.40 DZD 4,204

-19.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$30.44 DZD 4,075

152.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$53.5 DZD 7,159

6.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$146 DZD 19.6K

241.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$91.4 DZD 12.2K

237.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$273 DZD 36.6K

294.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$192 DZD 25.7K

220.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$969 DZD 129.8K

197.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,029 DZD 137.8K

86.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$310 DZD 41.6K

11.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

44.00%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medea: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Medea

$91 20.3% 70.4% $217

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Medea

$172 38.1% 16.5% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Medea

$39 8.5% 76.1% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Medea

$61 13.4% 35.4% $33

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Medea

$50 11.1% 43.5% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Medea

$29 6.3% 34.5% $15

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Medea

$10 2.3% 32.7% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $146 in Medea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 11% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $28.00 in Medea. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $172, with Medea cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇩🇿 Medea

🕒 Local time

17:05 5:05 PM

10:05 10:05 AM

7 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

138,355

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 134 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Medea 11,980 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Medea

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 Medea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medea is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 103% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 11% 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: $500 in Cebu versus $146 in Medea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $452 in Medea – a 103% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Medea runs roughly 87% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Medea gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Medea 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 Medea 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 Medea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 103% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.