Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Msaken

For one person, living is cheaper in Msaken: $646 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Msaken
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Msaken Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Msaken

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Msaken

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $646 in Msaken.

Cebu $918
Msaken $646

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,020 in Msaken.

Cebu $1,409
Msaken $1,020

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,394 in Msaken.

Cebu $1,900
Msaken $1,394

Living in Cebu is roughly 42% more expensive than in Msaken, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Msaken 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$4.93 TND 14.76

-37.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$21.88 TND 65.5

10.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$5.86 TND 17.55

-33.11%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.03 TND 3.08

143.69%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.80 TND 2.39

98.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.37 TND 1.11

43.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.71 TND 5.11

4.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$2.13 TND 6.38

1.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$0.48 TND 1.45

300.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.30 TND 0.90

353.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.71 TND 5.12

-40.94%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.76 TND 5.26

15.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$13.69 TND 41.00

-27.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$5.65 TND 16.93

-22.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$14.36 TND 43.00

-47.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.04 TND 6.10

61.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$3.60 TND 10.78

-61.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.11 TND 3.33

109.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.81 TND 2.43

85.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.86 TND 2.59

174.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.63 TND 1.88

201.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.40 TND 1.20

197.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.32 TND 0.95

96.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$3.76 TND 11.26

-20.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$5.94 TND 17.78

1.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.07 TND 3.20

14.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.31 TND 3.92

33.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.34 TND 1.02

-26.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.32 TND 0.96

140.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.32 TND 0.96

-28.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$3.91 TND 11.71

14.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.86 TND 2.58

52.33%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$38.9K TND 116.4K

-45.35%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$35.6K TND 106.8K

-46.29%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$59.7 TND 179

101.42%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$9.20 TND 27.56

52.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$20.21 TND 60.5

36.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$21.29 TND 63.8

51.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$5.92 TND 17.73

-4.56%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$91.9 TND 275

199.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$3,156 TND 9,452

150.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$43.28 TND 130

13.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$58.7 TND 176

-57.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$117 TND 351

-34.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$86.0 TND 258

-33.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$108 TND 325

360.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$93.1 TND 279

231.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$203 TND 607

431.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$150 TND 450

309.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$244 TND 731

41.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

10.67

-32.52%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Msaken: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Msaken

$93 14.4% 69.9% $216

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Msaken

$203 31.5% 1.2% $2.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Msaken

$89 13.8% 44.9% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Msaken

$137 21.3% 46.3% $44

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Msaken

$87 13.4% 1.6% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Msaken

$33 5.1% 24% $10

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Msaken

$3.3 * 0.5% 78.9% $12

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 $108 in Msaken. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 42% 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 $22.00 in Msaken for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $203 per month, with Msaken cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇹🇳 Msaken

🕒 Local time

09:06 9:06 AM

02:06 2:06 AM

7 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

56,000

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, 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).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Msaken 11,370 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Msaken

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 Msaken: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Msaken is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 42% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 42% 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 $108 in Msaken. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $646 in Msaken – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

For families, Msaken 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 Msaken 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 Msaken gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.