Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Pasig

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasig: $716 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Pasig
Learn more

Pasig Living Index

Jump to prices

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Pasig

🇵🇭 Philippines

$716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Pasig

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $716 in Pasig.

Cebu $934
Pasig $716

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Cebu versus $1,199 in Pasig.

Cebu $1,423
Pasig $1,199

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,913 in Cebu versus $1,682 in Pasig.

Cebu $1,913
Pasig $1,682

Living in Cebu is roughly 30% more expensive than in Pasig, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 31% lower, Pasig 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ₱242

$3.88 ₱248

-2.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.33 ₱1,491

$26.26 ₱1,678

-11.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.94 ₱252

$2.74 ₱175

43.80%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₱163

$2.20 ₱140

15.45%

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

$1.57 ₱100

$0.65 ₱41.28

141.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₱29.82

$0.33 ₱21.09

42.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ₱113

$1.14 ₱73.0

55.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₱142

$2.34 ₱149

-5.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.69 ₱108

12.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱87.1

$1.10 ₱70.4

23.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.8

$1.00 ₱63.6

-6.00%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 ₱620

$5.63 ₱360

72.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 ₱276

$3.41 ₱218

26.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 ₱480

$7.69 ₱491

-2.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱211

$3.08 ₱197

7.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ₱87.5

$1.52 ₱96.9

-9.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱149

$2.83 ₱181

-17.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱95.4

$1.73 ₱111

-13.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱147

$2.25 ₱144

2.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ₱120

$2.65 ₱169

-29.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱70.3

$2.14 ₱136

-48.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱40.36

$0.59 ₱37.41

6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 ₱183

$2.91 ₱186

-1.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.08 ₱389

$9.57 ₱612

-36.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.4

$1.30 ₱82.8

-2.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱110

$2.04 ₱130

-15.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.99

$0.48 ₱30.73

-54.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱788

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱47.53

$0.77 ₱49.10

-3.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.08

$0.23 ₱14.74

-4.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 ₱273

$1.93 ₱123

121.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱83.7

$1.22 ₱78.2

7.38%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$21.4K ₱1.4M

-2.84%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$18.7K ₱1.2M

2.07%

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

$118 ₱7,565

$119 ₱7,635

-0.90%

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

$15.76 ₱1,007

$16.99 ₱1,085

-7.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.33 ₱1,810

$24.01 ₱1,534

17.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.94 ₱2,105

$29.49 ₱1,884

11.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.49 ₱415

Cinema Ticket

$5.45 ₱348

$6.14 ₱393

-11.24%

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

$276 ₱17.6K

$131 ₱8,373

110.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,789 ₱497.7K

$8,921 ₱570.0K

-12.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.18 ₱3,078

$33.15 ₱2,118

45.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.47 ₱1,564

$27.27 ₱1,742

-10.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 ₱4,810

$69.6 ₱4,446

8.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ₱3,707

$54.9 ₱3,505

5.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 ₱30.5K

$323 ₱20.7K

47.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.6K

$148 ₱9,467

117.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 ₱61.5K

$504 ₱32.2K

90.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₱40.0K

$476 ₱30.4K

31.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,551 ₱290.8K

$3,203 ₱204.6K

42.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,028 ₱193.5K

$2,511 ₱160.4K

20.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$333 ₱21.3K

$512 ₱32.7K

-34.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

6.75

6.67%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Pasig: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$322 34.5%

Pasig

$148 20.7% 54% $174

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$204 21.8%

Pasig

$199 27.8% 2.4% $5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.4%

Pasig

$160 22.4% 1.2% $2

Eating Out

Cebu

$94 10.1%

Pasig

$80 11.2% 15% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$93 9.9%

Pasig

$83 11.6% 10.2% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Pasig

$42 5.8% 4.7% $2.1

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.6%

Pasig

$3.9 * 0.5% 74.4% $11

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 $477 in Cebu and $323 in Pasig. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pasig pays 54% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23 in Cebu vs $26 in Pasig. Groceries flip the comparison at $204 vs $199, with Pasig cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇵🇭 Pasig

🕒 Local time

05:34 5:34 AM

Same time as Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

803,159

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Pasig 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Pasig

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 Pasig: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pasig is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Cebu. 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: $477 in Cebu versus $323 in Pasig. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cebu – a meal for two runs $23 versus $26 in Pasig. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $276 in Cebu versus $131 in Pasig. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Pasig are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.