Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Mortsel

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $2,130 in Mortsel, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Mortsel
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Mortsel Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Mortsel

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Mortsel

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $2,130 in Mortsel.

Cebu $915
Mortsel $2,130

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $3,214 in Mortsel.

Cebu $1,418
Mortsel $3,214

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $4,298 in Mortsel.

Cebu $1,921
Mortsel $4,298

Living in Cebu costs roughly 57% less than in Mortsel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 33% below, Mortsel is 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$21.95 €19.53

-86.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$106 €94.6

-77.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$13.26 €11.80

-69.91%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$4.24 €3.77

-41.04%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$3.38 €3.01

-54.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$2.92 €2.60

-82.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$5.33 €4.74

-66.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$5.62 €5.00

-61.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.35 €1.20

48.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$2.75 €2.45

-50.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$2.16 €1.92

-52.31%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$3.99 €3.55

-49.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$17.39 €15.47

-41.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$11.95 €10.63

-62.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$23.09 €20.54

-66.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$2.77 €2.47

19.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$2.33 €2.07

-37.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$2.64 €2.35

-12.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$2.85 €2.53

-47.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$2.16 €1.92

8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$1.88 €1.67

3.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$1.36 €1.21

-14.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$1.01 €0.90

-32.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$13.18 €11.72

-77.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$8.79 €7.82

-29.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$1.95 €1.74

-36.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$2.26 €2.01

-23.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$3.02 €2.69

-92.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

$59.0 €52.5

-79.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$5.56 €4.95

-85.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$2.73 €2.43

-91.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$24.72 €21.98

-81.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$2.05 €1.82

-35.61%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$35.5K €31.6K

-40.83%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$33.6K €29.9K

-42.21%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$221 €197

-46.48%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$20.75 €18.46

-31.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$46.34 €41.22

-40.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$35.60 €31.66

-9.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

$19.83 €17.64

-67.22%

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$15.09 €13.42

-64.21%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$565 €502

-51.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$21.0K €18.7K

-62.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$110 €98.0

-55.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$47.79 €42.51

-48.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$104 €92.7

-26.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$148 €132

-60.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$914 €813

-44.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$812 €722

-62.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$1,406 €1,251

-23.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$1,194 €1,062

-47.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

$4,134 €3,677

-30.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

$2,946 €2,620

-36.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

$2,323 €2,066

-85.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

3.46

108.09%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mortsel: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Mortsel

$812 38.1% 167% $507

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Mortsel

$359 16.9% 71.3% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Mortsel

$289 13.6% 80.1% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Mortsel

$185 8.7% 95.9% $90

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Mortsel

$329 15.5% 275% $242

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Mortsel

$66 3.1% 52.6% $23

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Mortsel

$90 4.2% 496% $75

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $503 in Cebu and $914 in Mortsel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mortsel pays 592% 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 $106 in Mortsel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $359 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇧🇪 Mortsel

🕒 Local time

06:17 6:17 AM

00:17 12:17 AM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

24,525

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Mortsel 11,060 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Mortsel

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 Mortsel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 133% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 592% lower in Mortsel. 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: $503 in Cebu versus $914 in Mortsel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $915 per month in Cebu versus $2,130 in Mortsel – a 133% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 378% less than in Mortsel. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $915 in Cebu versus $2,130 in Mortsel, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Mortsel. 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 Mortsel, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Mortsel 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 133% less than in Mortsel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.