Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Olten

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $3,049 in Olten, rent and utilities included – about $25,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Olten
Learn more

Olten Living Index

Jump to prices

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Olten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Olten

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $3,049 in Olten.

Cebu $915
Olten $3,049

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $4,812 in Olten.

Cebu $1,418
Olten $4,812

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $6,576 in Olten.

Cebu $1,921
Olten $6,576

Living in Cebu costs roughly 70% less than in Olten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 33% below, Olten is 125% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$33.18 CHF 27.33

-90.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$122 CHF 100

-80.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$17.69 CHF 14.57

-77.44%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$6.29 CHF 5.18

-60.25%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$5.51 CHF 4.54

-72.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$5.21 CHF 4.29

-90.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$9.22 CHF 7.59

-80.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$7.52 CHF 6.19

-71.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$2.11 CHF 1.73

-5.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$3.87 CHF 3.19

-64.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$3.81 CHF 3.14

-72.97%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$8.37 CHF 6.90

-75.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$26.10 CHF 21.50

-60.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$26.77 CHF 22.05

-83.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$46.34 CHF 38.16

-83.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$4.02 CHF 3.31

-17.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$2.69 CHF 2.22

-45.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$2.97 CHF 2.45

-21.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$4.69 CHF 3.86

-68.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$2.49 CHF 2.05

-6.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-9.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$2.55 CHF 2.10

-54.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$1.29 CHF 1.06

-47.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$10.85 CHF 8.93

-72.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$14.12 CHF 11.63

-55.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$2.79 CHF 2.30

-55.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$3.25 CHF 2.68

-46.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$5.30 CHF 4.37

-95.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

$107 CHF 88.3

-88.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$8.39 CHF 6.91

-90.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$4.53 CHF 3.73

-95.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$90.2 CHF 74.3

-94.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-38.89%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-46.89%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

-50.63%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$275 CHF 227

-56.95%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$32.97 CHF 27.15

-56.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$47.51 CHF 39.13

-42.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$80.2 CHF 66.1

-59.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$21.01 CHF 17.30

-74.30%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$3,608 CHF 2,971

-92.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

-81.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$143 CHF 118

-65.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$59.3 CHF 48.81

-58.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$167 CHF 137

-53.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$210 CHF 173

-72.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$1,210 CHF 997

-58.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$1,035 CHF 852

-70.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$1,968 CHF 1,621

-45.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$1,948 CHF 1,605

-67.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

$5,837 CHF 4,808

-94.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

2.07

247.83%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Olten: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Olten

$1K 34% 240% $730

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Olten

$617 20.3% 195% $408

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Olten

$356 11.7% 122% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Olten

$261 8.6% 177% $166

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Olten

$498 16.3% 468% $410

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Olten

$122 4% 184% $79

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Olten

$160 5.2% 953% $144

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $503 in Cebu and $1,210 in Olten. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Olten pays 1638% 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 $122 in Olten for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $617 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇨🇭 Olten

🕒 Local time

06:17 6:17 AM

00:17 12:17 AM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

17,280

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Olten 11,040 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Olten

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 Olten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 233% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 1638% lower in Olten. 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 $1,210 in Olten. 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 $3,049 in Olten – a 233% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 769% less than in Olten. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $915 in Cebu versus $3,049 in Olten, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Olten. 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 Olten, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Olten 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 233% less than in Olten. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.