Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Montreux

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $3,392 in Montreux, rent and utilities included – about $29,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
165

Cost of Living Index in Montreux
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Montreux Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Montreux

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,392

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Montreux

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $3,392 in Montreux.

Cebu $918
Montreux $3,392

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $5,203 in Montreux.

Cebu $1,409
Montreux $5,203

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $7,015 in Montreux.

Cebu $1,900
Montreux $7,015

Living in Cebu costs roughly 73% less than in Montreux, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 32% below, Montreux is 151% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$30.50 CHF 25.12

-89.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$132 CHF 109

-81.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$18.41 CHF 15.16

-78.71%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$5.93 CHF 4.89

-57.67%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$4.86 CHF 4.00

-67.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$4.11 CHF 3.38

-87.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$9.83 CHF 8.10

-81.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$9.85 CHF 8.11

-77.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$2.12 CHF 1.75

-9.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$3.35 CHF 2.76

-59.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$3.23 CHF 2.66

-68.73%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$7.08 CHF 5.83

-71.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$24.74 CHF 20.37

-60.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$28.15 CHF 23.19

-84.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$39.23 CHF 32.31

-80.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$3.47 CHF 2.86

-4.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.63 CHF 1.35

-14.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$2.43 CHF 2.00

-4.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$4.62 CHF 3.81

-67.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.79 CHF 1.47

31.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.92 CHF 1.58

-1.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.96 CHF 1.61

-39.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$1.72 CHF 1.42

-63.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$10.67 CHF 8.79

-71.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$11.98 CHF 9.87

-49.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$2.70 CHF 2.22

-54.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$3.16 CHF 2.60

-44.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$4.54 CHF 3.74

-94.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$101 CHF 82.8

-87.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$7.52 CHF 6.20

-89.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$3.95 CHF 3.25

-94.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$62.4 CHF 51.4

-92.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$2.30 CHF 1.89

-43.04%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$38.2K CHF 31.4K

-44.35%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

-50.66%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$285 CHF 234

-57.77%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$36.64 CHF 30.18

-61.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$50.9 CHF 41.94

-45.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$88.5 CHF 72.9

-63.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$45.52 CHF 37.49

-85.39%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$23.83 CHF 19.63

-76.29%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$2,416 CHF 1,990

-88.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$35.8K CHF 29.5K

-77.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$137 CHF 113

-64.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$76.0 CHF 62.6

-66.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$163 CHF 134

-52.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$185 CHF 152

-69.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$1,673 CHF 1,378

-70.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$1,440 CHF 1,186

-78.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$2,879 CHF 2,371

-62.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$2,458 CHF 2,025

-74.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$15.6K CHF 12.9K

-81.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$12.1K CHF 9,982

-84.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$8,082 CHF 6,657

-95.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

1.95

269.23%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Montreux: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Montreux

$1.4K 42.5% 366% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Montreux

$570 16.8% 177% $364

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Montreux

$372 11% 130% $210

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Montreux

$252 7.4% 169% $158

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Montreux

$475 14% 438% $387

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Montreux

$136 4% 212% $92

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Montreux

$146 4.3% 838% $130

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $1,673 in Montreux. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreux pays 2236% 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 $132 in Montreux for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $570 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇨🇭 Montreux

🕒 Local time

13:26 1:26 PM

07:26 7:26 AM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

26,208

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Montreux 11,150 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Montreux

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 Montreux: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 270% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 2236% lower in Montreux. 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 $1,673 in Montreux. 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 $3,392 in Montreux – a 270% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 695% less than in Montreux. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $3,392 in Montreux, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Montreux. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Montreux, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Montreux 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 270% less than in Montreux. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.