For one person, living is cheaper in Qazvin: $645 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.
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 Qazvin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $645 in Qazvin.
Cebu $918
Qazvin $645
Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $926 in Qazvin.
Cebu $1,409
Qazvin $926
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,207 in Qazvin.
Cebu $1,900
Qazvin $1,207
🌍
Living in Cebu is roughly 42% more expensive than in Qazvin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.
📊
Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu32% lower, Qazvin52% lower.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Qazvin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.09₱194
$3.64$3.64
-15.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.22₱1,525
$17.67$17.67
37.07%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$3.92₱247
$3.49$3.49
12.32%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.5 liter draught)
-
$0.73$0.73
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.52$1.52
-
Cappuccino
$2.51₱158
$1.27$1.27
97.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59₱100
$0.41$0.41
287.80%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53₱33.43
$1.73$1.73
-69.36%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$1.78₱112
-
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17₱137
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Qazvin
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.92₱121
$0.48$0.48
300.00%
White Bread(500g)
$1.36₱85.4
$0.29$0.29
368.97%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$1.01₱63.5
$2.64$2.64
-61.74%
Eggs
$2.03₱128
$0.93$0.93
118.28%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$9.86₱621
$4.43$4.43
122.57%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$4.39₱277
$1.99$1.99
120.60%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$7.60₱479
$7.68$7.68
-1.04%
Apples(1kg)
$3.30₱208
$0.48$0.48
587.50%
Banana(1kg)
$1.39₱87.8
$0.98$0.98
41.84%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.33₱147
$0.69$0.69
237.68%
Tomato(1kg)
$1.50₱94.3
$0.49$0.49
206.12%
Potato(1kg)
$2.36₱149
$0.48$0.48
391.67%
Onion(1kg)
$1.90₱119
$0.51$0.51
272.55%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.19₱74.9
$0.49$0.49
142.86%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63₱39.71
$0.29$0.29
117.24%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine(Mid-Range)
-
$0.79$0.79
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.55$0.55
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.14$2.14
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00₱189
$2.56$2.56
17.19%
Wine(Bottle)
$6.03₱379
-
-
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23₱77.7
-
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75₱110
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Qazvin
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.25₱15.86
$0.13$0.13
92.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$12.64₱796
$9.42$9.42
34.18%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$0.77₱48.62
$0.21$0.21
266.67%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.23₱14.53
$0.31$0.31
-25.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$4.46₱281
$1.98$1.98
125.25%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.31₱82.8
$0.09$0.09
1355.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K₱1.3M
$43.1K$43.1K
-50.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.1K₱1.2M
$43.5K$43.5K
-56.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Qazvin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$120₱7,569
$13.08$13.08
819.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.00₱882
$1.57$1.57
791.72%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.54₱1,734
$3.60$3.60
665.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Qazvin
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$32.33₱2,035
$12.46$12.46
159.47%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.65₱419
$9.82$9.82
-32.28%
Cinema Ticket
$5.65₱356
$0.99$0.99
470.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Qazvin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$275₱17.3K
$30.46$30.46
803.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$7,918₱498.5K
$737$737
974.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Qazvin
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.33₱3,106
$26.96$26.96
82.97%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.24₱1,589
$27.94$27.94
-9.66%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$77.0₱4,846
$99.2$99.2
-22.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.2₱3,601
$50.3$50.3
13.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Qazvin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$500₱31.5K
$509$509
-1.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$309₱19.4K
$355$355
-13.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,078₱67.9K
$712$712
51.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$615₱38.7K
$490$490
25.49%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$2,886₱181.7K
$1,167$1,167
147.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$1,917₱120.7K
$530$530
261.51%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Qazvin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$346₱21.8K
$313$313
10.61%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
7.2
18
-60.00%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026
Last update for Qazvin: October 10, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$309 33.6%
Qazvin
$355 55.1% ↑ 15%$46
🛒Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$206 22.4%
Qazvin
$90 13.9% ↓ 56.5%$116
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$162 17.6%
Qazvin
$18 2.8% ↓ 88.7%$144
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94 10.2%
Qazvin
$92 14.3% ↓ 2.1%$1.9
🍽Eating Out
Cebu
$88 9.6%
Qazvin
$63 9.8% ↓ 28.2%$25
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44 4.8%
Qazvin
$14 2.2% ↓ 66.9%$29
🚌Getting Around
Cebu
$16 1.7%
Qazvin
$12 1.8% ↓ 24.8%$3.9
🏠Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$615 32.4%
Qazvin
$490 40.6% ↓ 20.3%$125
🛒Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$483 25.4%
Qazvin
$216 17.9% ↓ 55.3%$267
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$176 9.3%
Qazvin
$20 1.6% ↓ 88.7%$156
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$209 11%
Qazvin
$204 16.9% ↓ 2.1%$4.3
🍽Eating Out
Cebu
$292 15.4%
Qazvin
$215 17.8% ↓ 26.5%$77
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$94 4.9%
Qazvin
$39 3.2% ↓ 58.8%$55
🚌Getting Around
Cebu
$32 1.7%
Qazvin
$24 2% ↓ 25.1%$8
Cost Breakdown
🏠A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $509 in Qazvin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Cebu pays 11% 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 $18.00 in Qazvin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $90.0 per month, with Qazvin cheaper across the board.
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 Qazvin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Qazvin cheaper than Cebu?
Qazvin is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 42% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cebu or Qazvin?
Average pay runs 11% higher in Cebu, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Cebu and Qazvin?
Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $509 in Qazvin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Qazvin?
All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $645 in Qazvin – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Qazvin runs roughly 34% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,200 enough for either Cebu or Qazvin?
Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Qazvin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is Cebu or Qazvin more family-friendly?
For families, Qazvin 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.
Which city is safer, Cebu or Qazvin?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Qazvin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Qazvin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.