Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Pilikwe

For one person, living is cheaper in Pilikwe: $568 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Pilikwe
Learn more

Pilikwe Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Pilikwe

🇧🇼 Botswana

$568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Pilikwe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $568 in Pilikwe.

Cebu $918
Pilikwe $568

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $914 in Pilikwe.

Cebu $1,409
Pilikwe $914

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,259 in Pilikwe.

Cebu $1,900
Pilikwe $1,259

Living in Cebu is roughly 62% more expensive than in Pilikwe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Pilikwe 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$10.72 P 143

-71.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$28.91 P 386

-16.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$5.66 P 75.7

-30.74%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.27 P 30.27

10.57%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.76 P 10.21

109.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.41 P 5.42

29.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.97 P 26.34

-9.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$2.52 P 33.65

-13.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.47 P 19.65

30.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.82 P 11.00

65.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.86 P 24.84

-45.70%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.43 P 32.41

-16.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$6.42 P 85.8

53.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$4.66 P 62.3

-5.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$5.03 P 67.3

51.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$1.66 P 22.22

98.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.46 P 19.46

-4.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$2.07 P 27.61

12.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.59 P 21.31

-5.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.36 P 18.17

73.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.16 P 15.50

63.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.29 P 17.30

-7.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.95 P 12.75

-33.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$3.56 P 47.53

-15.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$4.35 P 58.1

38.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.38 P 18.43

-10.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.74 P 23.31

0.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.61 P 8.15

26.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$2.50 P 33.41

-90.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$2.86 P 38.28

55.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.34 P 17.93

-2.24%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$20.1K P 268.7K

5.67%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$20.0K P 267.7K

-4.43%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$60.2 P 804

99.85%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$18.66 P 249

-24.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$44.56 P 595

-38.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$6.29 P 84.1

-10.17%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$127 P 1,703

116.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$2,466 P 33.0K

221.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$47.79 P 639

3.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$16.52 P 221

52.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$71.6 P 956

7.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$78.2 P 1,045

-26.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

11.33

-36.45%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Pilikwe: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Pilikwe

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Pilikwe

$173 30.5% 15.9% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Pilikwe

$123 21.7% 23.7% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Pilikwe

$96 17% 2.6% $2.4

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Pilikwe

$149 26.3% 69.4% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Pilikwe

$13 * 2.2% 71.1% $31

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Pilikwe

$13 * 2.3% 15.8% $2.5

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $29.00 in Pilikwe. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $173, with Pilikwe cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇧🇼 Pilikwe

🕒 Local time

13:00 1:00 PM

07:00 7:00 AM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

1,375

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Botswana Pula BWP P

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 BWP = 7.48 USD

100 BWP = 6.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BWP, 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).

Botswana Pula exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 13.36 BWP (100 BWP = 7.48 USD). 1 EUR = 15.02 BWP (100 BWP = 6.66 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Pilikwe 11,130 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Pilikwe

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 Pilikwe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pilikwe is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 62% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $852 in Pilikwe 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $568 in Pilikwe – a 62% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Pilikwe gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Pilikwe 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 Pilikwe 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 Pilikwe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.