Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Polonnaruwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Polonnaruwa: $506 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Polonnaruwa
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Polonnaruwa Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Polonnaruwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Polonnaruwa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $506 in Polonnaruwa.

Cebu $918
Polonnaruwa $506

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $821 in Polonnaruwa.

Cebu $1,409
Polonnaruwa $821

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,136 in Polonnaruwa.

Cebu $1,900
Polonnaruwa $1,136

Living in Cebu is roughly 81% more expensive than in Polonnaruwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Polonnaruwa 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$4.44 LKR 1,472

-30.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$24.02 LKR 7,957

0.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.53 LKR 2,495

-47.94%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.39 LKR 792

5.02%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.68 LKR 226

133.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.25 LKR 82.6

112.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.17 LKR 718

-17.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.10 LKR 1,026

-30.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.56 LKR 516

23.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.57 LKR 190

138.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$0.76 LKR 250

32.89%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.59 LKR 526

27.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$13.60 LKR 4,505

-27.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$4.88 LKR 1,618

-10.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$7.63 LKR 2,527

-0.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$6.68 LKR 2,213

-50.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$0.79 LKR 260

75.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$4.58 LKR 1,517

-49.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.21 LKR 402

23.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.04 LKR 343

126.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.82 LKR 271

131.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.87 LKR 288

36.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.43 LKR 143

46.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$10.41 LKR 3,447

-71.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$13.63 LKR 4,515

-55.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.98 LKR 657

-37.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$3.06 LKR 1,014

-42.81%

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

$0.40 LKR 133

92.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.37 LKR 123

-37.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$0.87 LKR 288

412.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.37 LKR 455

-4.38%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$36.3K LKR 12.0M

-41.52%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$41.1K LKR 13.6M

-53.43%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$53.9 LKR 17.8K

123.23%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$4.26 LKR 1,412

228.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$20.44 LKR 6,770

34.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$4.48 LKR 1,485

26.12%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$38.00 LKR 12.6K

624.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$1,192 LKR 394.8K

564.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$17.97 LKR 5,953

174.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$16.63 LKR 5,508

51.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$79.8 LKR 26.4K

-3.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$42.13 LKR 14.0K

35.77%

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

12.69

-43.26%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Polonnaruwa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Polonnaruwa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Polonnaruwa

$238 47.1% 15.6% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Polonnaruwa

$79 15.5% 51.4% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Polonnaruwa

$70 13.9% 25% $23

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Polonnaruwa

$108 21.3% 21.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Polonnaruwa

$9 * 1.8% 79.4% $35

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Polonnaruwa

$2.3 * 0.5% 85.5% $13

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 $24.00 in Polonnaruwa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $238 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇱🇰 Polonnaruwa

🕒 Local time

23:58 11:58 PM

21:28 9:28 PM

2 h 30 min behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

15,000

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, 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).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Polonnaruwa 4,710 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Polonnaruwa

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 Polonnaruwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Polonnaruwa is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and utilities. The 81% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $759 in Polonnaruwa 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.

Shoppers in Cebu pay roughly 16% 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 $506 in Polonnaruwa – a 81% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Polonnaruwa gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Polonnaruwa 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 Polonnaruwa 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 Polonnaruwa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.