Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Qena

For one person, living is cheaper in Qena: $468 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Qena
Learn more

Qena Living Index

Jump to prices

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Qena

🇪🇬 Egypt

$468

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Qena

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $468 in Qena.

Cebu $918
Qena $468

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $746 in Qena.

Cebu $1,409
Qena $746

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,023 in Qena.

Cebu $1,900
Qena $1,023

Living in Cebu is roughly 96% more expensive than in Qena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Qena 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱195

$3.84 E£205

-19.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,526

$14.99 E£801

61.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$5.78 E£309

-32.18%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.00 E£107

25.50%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.50 E£26.78

218.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.47

$0.18 E£9.56

194.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.92 E£103

-7.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.04 E£162

-28.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$0.97 E£51.7

97.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.5

$0.76 E£40.69

78.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.6

$0.66 E£35.14

53.03%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.93 E£103

5.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱622

$3.15 E£169

213.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$5.61 E£300

-21.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$9.89 E£528

-23.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$1.48 E£79.2

122.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.9

$0.52 E£27.67

167.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$0.41 E£21.67

468.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.4

$0.41 E£21.99

265.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.34 E£18.28

594.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱120

$0.39 E£20.87

387.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱75.0

$0.27 E£14.25

340.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.75

$0.18 E£9.69

250.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$2.14 E£114

40.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱380

$7.22 E£386

-16.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.8

$1.26 E£67.1

-2.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.71 E£91.6

2.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.88

$0.17 E£9.02

47.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.67

$0.37 E£20.03

108.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.55

$0.21 E£11.18

9.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$1.26 E£67.1

253.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.9

$0.43 E£22.75

204.65%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$31.9K E£1.7M

-33.37%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$21.8K E£1.2M

-11.98%

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

$120 ₱7,577

$25.42 E£1,359

372.97%

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

$14.00 ₱883

$7.95 E£425

76.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,736

$9.28 E£496

196.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,037

$15.61 E£834

107.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$3.39 E£181

66.67%

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

$275 ₱17.4K

$101 E£5,375

173.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱499.1K

$598 E£32.0K

1224.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,109

$19.95 E£1,066

147.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,591

$33.52 E£1,791

-24.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,851

$123 E£6,579

-37.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,605

$28.92 E£1,545

97.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$133 E£7,086

276.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.5K

$79.8 E£4,265

286.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$280 E£14.9K

285.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.8K

$145 E£7,723

325.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.9K

$709 E£37.9K

307.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.8K

$300 E£16.0K

538.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

16.21

-55.58%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Qena: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Qena

$80 17.1% 74.2% $229

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Qena

$138 29.5% 32.9% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Qena

$43 9.1% 73.6% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Qena

$92 19.8% 1.5% $1.5

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Qena

$90 19.3% 2.5% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Qena

$22 4.8% 48.7% $21

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Qena

$2.1 * 0.5% 86.5% $13

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 $133 in Qena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $15.00 in Qena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $138 per month, with Qena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇪🇬 Qena

🕒 Local time

03:57 3:57 AM

22:57 10:57 PM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

235,362

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 63.03 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 53.44 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 59.84 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Qena 9,620 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Qena

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 Qena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Qena is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 96% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $702 in Qena 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $133 in Qena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% 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 $468 in Qena – a 96% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Qena gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Qena 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 Qena 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 Qena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.