Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Ratlam

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratlam: $317 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Ratlam
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Ratlam Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Ratlam

🇮🇳 India

$317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Ratlam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $317 in Ratlam.

Cebu $915
Ratlam $317

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $464 in Ratlam.

Cebu $1,418
Ratlam $464

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $610 in Ratlam.

Cebu $1,921
Ratlam $610

Living in Cebu is roughly 189% more expensive than in Ratlam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 33% lower, Ratlam 77% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$2.17 ₹206

40.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$6.23 ₹591

285.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$2.66 ₹253

50.00%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$1.58 ₹150

58.23%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$0.33 ₹31.33

366.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$0.13 ₹12.08

284.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.99 ₹189

-10.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$3.20 ₹304

-32.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$0.56 ₹53.6

257.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$0.43 ₹41.19

218.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$0.65 ₹62.0

58.46%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$0.89 ₹84.9

128.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$5.13 ₹487

98.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$2.08 ₹198

113.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$2.13 ₹202

55.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$0.41 ₹38.81

256.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$0.99 ₹93.7

134.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$0.40 ₹38.16

272.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$0.19 ₹18.21

1131.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$0.20 ₹18.97

870.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$0.22 ₹20.92

427.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$0.34 ₹31.89

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$2.65 ₹252

12.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$7.69 ₹730

-18.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$1.58 ₹150

-22.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$2.60 ₹247

-33.46%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.69 ₹541

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$0.72 ₹68.2

9.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$0.16 ₹14.93

37.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$1.28 ₹122

254.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$1.13 ₹107

16.81%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$20.7K ₹2.0M

1.34%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$22.8K ₹2.2M

-14.91%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$26.35 ₹2,502

349.91%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$4.09 ₹388

247.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$5.23 ₹496

425.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$5.17 ₹491

524.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$3.10 ₹295

74.19%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$67.2 ₹6,379

310.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$1,000 ₹95.0K

686.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$7.57 ₹719

552.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$8.32 ₹790

195.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$15.99 ₹1,519

379.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$26.55 ₹2,522

121.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$121 ₹11.5K

314.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$84.1 ₹7,986

262.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$158 ₹15.0K

581.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$130 ₹12.4K

385.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

$2,243 ₹213.0K

27.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

$689 ₹65.4K

172.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

$389 ₹36.9K

-13.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

8.73

-17.53%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ratlam: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Ratlam

$84 26.5% 72.4% $220

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Ratlam

$95 30.1% 54.5% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Ratlam

$36 11.3% 77.7% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Ratlam

$26 8.3% 72.1% $68

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Ratlam

$63 19.7% 28.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Ratlam

$11 3.6% 73.6% $32

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Ratlam

$1.5 * 0.5% 90.1% $14

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 $503 in Cebu and $121 in Ratlam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ratlam pays 16% 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 $6.00 in Ratlam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $95.0 per month, with Ratlam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇳 Ratlam

🕒 Local time

00:52 12:52 AM

22:22 10:22 PM

2 h 30 min behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

100,000

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Ratlam 5,370 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Ratlam

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 Ratlam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ratlam is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 189% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Ratlam. 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: $503 in Cebu versus $121 in Ratlam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 120% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $915 per month in Cebu versus $317 in Ratlam – a 189% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

For families, Ratlam 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 Ratlam 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 Ratlam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 189% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.