Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Phoenix

For one person, living is cheaper in Phoenix: $823 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Phoenix
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Phoenix Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Phoenix

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Phoenix

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $823 in Phoenix.

Cebu $918
Phoenix $823

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,303 in Phoenix.

Cebu $1,409
Phoenix $1,303

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,783 in Phoenix.

Cebu $1,900
Phoenix $1,783

Living in Cebu is roughly 12% more expensive than in Phoenix, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Phoenix 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$2.12 MUR 99.7

45.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$31.62 MUR 1,489

-23.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.31 MUR 344

-46.37%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$5.18 MUR 244

-51.54%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.60 MUR 28.29

165.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.55 MUR 25.79

-3.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.05 MUR 96.4

-13.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$5.29 MUR 249

-58.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.44 MUR 68.0

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.40 MUR 19.01

240.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$2.16 MUR 101

-53.24%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$4.91 MUR 231

-58.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$8.21 MUR 387

-46.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$6.45 MUR 304

17.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$7.50 MUR 353

-56.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$3.88 MUR 183

-64.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$4.58 MUR 215

-49.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.49 MUR 70.0

0.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.85 MUR 40.12

177.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.86 MUR 40.69

120.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.72 MUR 34.03

65.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.76 MUR 35.76

-17.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$10.39 MUR 489

-41.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$2.04 MUR 95.9

-39.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$1.08 MUR 50.7

-76.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$10.33 MUR 486

22.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$1.46 MUR 68.7

-84.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.33 MUR 62.5

-1.50%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

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

$120 ₱7,569

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

$14.00 ₱882

$14.01 MUR 659

-0.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$24.77 MUR 1,166

11.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$25.58 MUR 1,204

26.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$5.21 MUR 245

8.45%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$53.3 MUR 2,511

-7.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$52.7 MUR 2,481

-52.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$526 MUR 24.8K

-5.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$311 MUR 14.6K

-0.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$831 MUR 39.1K

29.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$535 MUR 25.2K

14.91%

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

$959 MUR 45.1K

-63.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

44.00%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phoenix: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Phoenix

$311 37.8% 0.7% $2.3

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Phoenix

$241 * 29.3% 17% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Phoenix

$39 * 4.7% 76% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Phoenix

$48 * 5.8% 49.2% $46

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Phoenix

$126 15.4% 43.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Phoenix

$36 4.4% 17.4% $7.6

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Phoenix

$22 * 2.7% 40.8% $6.4

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 $526 in Phoenix. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phoenix pays 177% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $32.00 in Phoenix for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $241 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇲🇺 Phoenix

🕒 Local time

21:04 9:04 PM

17:04 5:04 PM

4 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

115,289

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, 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).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Phoenix 8,020 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Phoenix

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 Phoenix: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phoenix is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and utilities. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 177% lower in Phoenix. 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: $500 in Cebu versus $526 in Phoenix. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Cebu pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $823 in Phoenix – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $823 in Phoenix versus $918 in Cebu, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Phoenix but tight or insufficient in Cebu. The gap between the two cities makes Phoenix the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phoenix 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 Phoenix 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 Phoenix gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.