Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Novi Sad

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,371 in Novi Sad, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Novi Sad
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Novi Sad Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Novi Sad

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Novi Sad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $1,371 in Novi Sad.

Cebu $934
Novi Sad $1,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $2,114 in Novi Sad.

Cebu $1,415
Novi Sad $2,114

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $2,856 in Novi Sad.

Cebu $1,896
Novi Sad $2,856

Living in Cebu costs roughly 32% less than in Novi Sad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 30% below, Novi Sad is 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱190

$9.93 RSD 1,035

-69.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,473

$49.70 RSD 5,177

-52.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱256

$12.00 RSD 1,250

-65.92%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$2.61 RSD 272

-3.45%

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

$1.54 ₱96.9

$2.32 RSD 242

-33.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.98

$1.83 RSD 191

-73.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

$2.91 RSD 303

-38.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$3.78 RSD 393

-40.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.40 RSD 146

39.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.7

$0.95 RSD 98.9

50.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱63.8

$2.68 RSD 279

-61.94%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$2.54 RSD 265

-18.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱615

$13.09 RSD 1,364

-25.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱289

$7.52 RSD 783

-38.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱483

$14.35 RSD 1,495

-46.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱207

$1.71 RSD 178

93.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱90.9

$1.98 RSD 206

-26.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.66 RSD 173

42.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.4

$2.55 RSD 266

-39.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.01 RSD 105

133.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$0.68 RSD 70.8

192.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

$0.96 RSD 100

19.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.15

$0.66 RSD 68.4

1.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

$4.84 RSD 504

-38.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

$7.46 RSD 777

-14.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

$0.92 RSD 95.5

42.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

$2.21 RSD 230

-21.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

$0.99 RSD 103

-74.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

$24.45 RSD 2,547

-48.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

$2.33 RSD 243

-68.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$0.93 RSD 96.6

-77.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

$10.35 RSD 1,078

-58.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$1.83 RSD 191

-27.32%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

-29.17%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$26.3K RSD 2.7M

-26.21%

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

$121 ₱7,563

$223 RSD 23.2K

-45.84%

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

$14.45 ₱907

$20.57 RSD 2,143

-29.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,774

$33.21 RSD 3,459

-14.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

$36.61 RSD 3,814

-10.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

$11.06 RSD 1,152

-42.22%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

$7.30 RSD 761

-25.21%

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

$273 ₱17.1K

$372 RSD 38.7K

-26.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

$7,710 RSD 803.2K

5.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

$119 RSD 12.4K

-58.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

$43.40 RSD 4,521

-42.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

$137 RSD 14.2K

-43.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,717

$124 RSD 12.9K

-52.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.7K

$495 RSD 51.5K

2.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$405 RSD 42.2K

-23.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.0K

$955 RSD 99.5K

10.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

$753 RSD 78.5K

-17.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

$3,527 RSD 367.4K

-17.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

$2,586 RSD 269.4K

-27.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

$1,240 RSD 129.2K

-72.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

5.21

38.20%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Novi Sad: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Novi Sad

$405 29.2% 31% $96

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Novi Sad

$244 17.6% 16.1% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Novi Sad

$276 19.9% 69.2% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Novi Sad

$190 13.7% 101% $96

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Novi Sad

$186 13.4% 110% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Novi Sad

$51 3.7% 17.5% $7.6

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Novi Sad

$35 2.6% 129% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $495 in Novi Sad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Novi Sad pays 264% 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: $23.00 in Cebu vs $50.0 in Novi Sad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $244 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇷🇸 Novi Sad

🕒 Local time

18:15 6:15 PM

12:15 12:15 PM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

260,438

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.57 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.28 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.57 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Novi Sad 10,270 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Novi Sad

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 Novi Sad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 47% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 264% lower in Novi Sad. 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: $506 in Cebu versus $495 in Novi Sad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $1,371 in Novi Sad – a 47% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 93% less than in Novi Sad. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,371 in Novi Sad, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Novi Sad. 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 Novi Sad, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Novi Sad 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 47% less than in Novi Sad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.