Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Oita

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,279 in Oita, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Oita
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,279
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Oita

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,279 in Oita.

  • Cebu $918
  • Oita $1,279

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $2,015 in Oita.

  • Cebu $1,409
  • Oita $2,015

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,750 in Oita.

  • Cebu $1,900
  • Oita $2,750

Living in Cebu costs roughly 28% less than in Oita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Oita 5% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Oita
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.09 ₱194
$7.34 ¥1,159
-57.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.22 ₱1,525
$43.25 ¥6,833
-44.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.92 ₱247
$5.83 ¥921
-32.76%
Cappuccino
$2.51 ₱158
$3.75 ¥592
-33.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 ₱100
$1.00 ¥158
59.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 ₱33.43
$0.72 ¥114
-26.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.78 ₱112
$3.76 ¥595
-52.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 ₱137
$2.16 ¥342
0.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Oita
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.92 ₱121
$1.55 ¥245
23.87%
White Bread (500g)
$1.36 ₱85.4
$1.86 ¥294
-26.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.01 ₱63.5
$6.62 ¥1,046
-84.74%
Eggs
$2.03 ₱128
$2.22 ¥351
-8.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.86 ₱621
$18.34 ¥2,897
-46.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.39 ₱277
$5.23 ¥826
-16.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.60 ₱479
$18.72 ¥2,957
-59.40%
Apples (1kg)
$3.30 ₱208
$3.65 ¥577
-9.59%
Banana (1kg)
$1.39 ₱87.8
$1.84 ¥291
-24.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.33 ₱147
$2.77 ¥438
-15.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ₱94.3
$3.30 ¥522
-54.55%
Potato (1kg)
$2.36 ₱149
$2.14 ¥338
10.28%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 ₱119
$2.55 ¥402
-25.49%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 ₱74.9
$1.03 ¥162
15.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63 ₱39.71
$0.92 ¥145
-31.52%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00 ₱189
$3.80 ¥600
-21.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.03 ₱379
$6.13 ¥968
-1.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 ₱77.7
$1.71 ¥270
-28.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₱110
$1.84 ¥290
-4.89%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Oita
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 ₱15.86
$1.69 ¥267
-85.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.64 ₱796
$52.2 ¥8,243
-75.77%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.77 ₱48.62
$3.84 ¥607
-79.95%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.23 ₱14.53
$2.09 ¥330
-89.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.46 ₱281
$17.75 ¥2,804
-74.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ₱82.8
$1.07 ¥169
22.43%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ₱1.3M
$21.5K ¥3.4M
-1.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.1K ₱1.2M
$17.2K ¥2.7M
11.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Oita
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 ₱7,569
$214 ¥33.8K
-43.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.00 ₱882
$24.58 ¥3,884
-43.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.54 ₱1,734
$33.56 ¥5,302
-17.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Oita
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.33 ₱2,035
$51.4 ¥8,122
-37.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.65 ₱419
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.65 ₱356
$11.13 ¥1,758
-49.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Oita
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$275 ₱17.3K
$126 ¥19.9K
118.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,918 ₱498.5K
$12.4K ¥2.0M
-36.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Oita
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.33 ₱3,106
$48.61 ¥7,679
1.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.24 ₱1,589
$25.85 ¥4,083
-2.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.0 ₱4,846
$66.3 ¥10.5K
16.11%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.2 ₱3,601
$47.05 ¥7,433
21.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Oita
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$500 ₱31.5K
$464 ¥73.3K
7.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ₱19.4K
$310 ¥49.0K
-0.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 ₱67.9K
$1,229 ¥194.2K
-12.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$615 ₱38.7K
$718 ¥113.4K
-14.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,886 ₱181.7K
$3,620 ¥571.9K
-20.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,917 ₱120.7K
$1,555 ¥245.6K
23.27%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Oita
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$346 ₱21.8K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
1.97
265.48%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Oita: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$309
Oita
$310 0.4% $1.3
Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$206
Oita
$315 52.9% $109
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$162
Oita
$272 68% $110
Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94
Oita
$85 10% $9.4
Eating Out
Cebu
$88
Oita
$151 71.3% $63
Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44
Oita
$74 68.9% $30
Getting Around
Cebu
$16
Oita
$73 370% $58

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $464 in Oita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $43.00 in Oita for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $315 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cebu
🇯🇵 Oita
🕒 Local time
22:28 10:28 PM
23:28 11:28 PM
1 h ahead of Cebu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
964,169
475,614
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

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).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cebu Oita 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Cebu
  • Oita

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 Oita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Oita cheaper than Cebu?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 39% 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 $1,919 in Oita 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 Oita?
Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $464 in Oita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Oita?
All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $1,279 in Oita – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 313% less than in Oita. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Cebu or in Oita?
At $918 in Cebu versus $1,279 in Oita, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Oita. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Cebu or Oita more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Oita, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Cebu or Oita?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Oita 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 39% less than in Oita. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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