Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Mokpo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,431 in Mokpo, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Mokpo
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,431
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Mokpo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,431 in Mokpo.

  • Cebu $918
  • Mokpo $1,431

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $2,222 in Mokpo.

  • Cebu $1,409
  • Mokpo $2,222

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $3,013 in Mokpo.

  • Cebu $1,900
  • Mokpo $3,013

Living in Cebu costs roughly 36% less than in Mokpo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 32% below, Mokpo is 6% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Mokpo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.09 ₱194
$7.49 ₩9,959
-58.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.22 ₱1,525
$34.10 ₩45.3K
-28.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.92 ₱247
$6.71 ₩8,920
-41.58%
Cappuccino
$2.51 ₱158
$3.70 ₩4,916
-32.16%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 ₱100
$1.61 ₩2,138
-1.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 ₱33.43
$0.71 ₩943
-25.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.78 ₱112
$3.50 ₩4,657
-49.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 ₱137
$4.42 ₩5,873
-50.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Mokpo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.92 ₱121
$2.26 ₩3,002
-15.04%
White Bread (500g)
$1.36 ₱85.4
$3.08 ₩4,097
-55.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.01 ₱63.5
$2.78 ₩3,694
-63.67%
Eggs
$2.03 ₱128
$2.68 ₩3,560
-24.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.86 ₱621
$11.07 ₩14.7K
-10.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.39 ₱277
$7.84 ₩10.4K
-44.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.60 ₱479
$21.31 ₩28.3K
-64.34%
Apples (1kg)
$3.30 ₱208
$7.70 ₩10.2K
-57.14%
Banana (1kg)
$1.39 ₱87.8
$3.46 ₩4,604
-59.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.33 ₱147
$7.24 ₩9,631
-67.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ₱94.3
$6.00 ₩7,972
-75.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.36 ₱149
$3.62 ₩4,812
-34.81%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 ₱119
$2.57 ₩3,422
-26.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 ₱74.9
$2.76 ₩3,671
-56.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63 ₱39.71
$1.33 ₩1,769
-52.63%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00 ₱189
$3.32 ₩4,411
-9.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.03 ₱379
$18.35 ₩24.4K
-67.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 ₱77.7
$2.26 ₩3,008
-45.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₱110
$3.53 ₩4,690
-50.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Mokpo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 ₱15.86
$1.09 ₩1,452
-77.06%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.64 ₱796
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.77 ₱48.62
$3.37 ₩4,476
-77.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.23 ₱14.53
$0.61 ₩815
-62.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.46 ₱281
$12.76 ₩17.0K
-65.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ₱82.8
$1.40 ₩1,864
-6.43%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ₱1.3M
$29.1K ₩38.7M
-26.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.1K ₱1.2M
$33.2K ₩44.2M
-42.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Mokpo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 ₱7,569
$200 ₩266.0K
-39.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.00 ₱882
$36.71 ₩48.8K
-61.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.54 ₱1,734
$22.40 ₩29.8K
22.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Mokpo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.33 ₱2,035
$53.0 ₩70.4K
-38.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.65 ₱419
$11.81 ₩15.7K
-43.69%
Cinema Ticket
$5.65 ₱356
$11.12 ₩14.8K
-49.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Mokpo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$275 ₱17.3K
$530 ₩704.7K
-48.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,918 ₱498.5K
$21.5K ₩28.6M
-63.23%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Mokpo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.33 ₱3,106
$64.9 ₩86.3K
-24.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.24 ₱1,589
$63.2 ₩84.1K
-60.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.0 ₱4,846
$74.3 ₩98.8K
3.58%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.2 ₱3,601
$99.2 ₩131.9K
-42.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Mokpo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$500 ₱31.5K
$482 ₩640.5K
3.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ₱19.4K
$362 ₩481.3K
-14.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 ₱67.9K
$1,169 ₩1.6M
-7.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$615 ₱38.7K
$750 ₩997.3K
-17.98%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,886 ₱181.7K
$7,033 ₩9.4M
-58.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,917 ₱120.7K
$5,549 ₩7.4M
-65.46%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Mokpo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$346 ₱21.8K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
4.1
75.61%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mokpo: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$309
Mokpo
$362 17.2% $53
Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$206
Mokpo
$428 108% $222
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$162
Mokpo
$259 60.2% $97
Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94
Mokpo
$136 44.5% $42
Eating Out
Cebu
$88
Mokpo
$160 81.3% $72
Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44
Mokpo
$75 72.4% $32
Getting Around
Cebu
$16
Mokpo
$11 * 30.6% $4.8

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 $482 in Mokpo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $34.00 in Mokpo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $428 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cebu
🇰🇷 Mokpo
🕒 Local time
13:03 1:03 PM
14:03 2:03 PM
1 h ahead of Cebu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
964,169
237,739
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

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).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cebu Mokpo 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cebu
  • Mokpo

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 Mokpo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mokpo cheaper than Cebu?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 56% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $2,146 in Mokpo 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.
What is the rent difference between Cebu and Mokpo?
Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $482 in Mokpo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Cebu and in Mokpo?
Supermarket bills run roughly 108% higher in Mokpo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Mokpo?
All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $1,431 in Mokpo – a 56% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Cebu or in Mokpo?
At $918 in Cebu versus $1,431 in Mokpo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Mokpo. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Cebu or Mokpo more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Mokpo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Cebu or Mokpo?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Mokpo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Mokpo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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