Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Rumia

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,450 in Rumia, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
70

Cost of Living Index in Rumia
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Rumia Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Rumia

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,450

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Rumia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,450 in Rumia.

Cebu $918
Rumia $1,450

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $2,065 in Rumia.

Cebu $1,409
Rumia $2,065

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,680 in Rumia.

Cebu $1,900
Rumia $2,680

Living in Cebu costs roughly 37% less than in Rumia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 32% below, Rumia is 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$10.06 zł 39.07

-69.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$30.48 zł 118

-20.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$6.63 zł 25.77

-40.87%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$3.72 zł 14.46

-32.53%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$2.16 zł 8.40

-26.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$1.62 zł 6.31

-67.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$3.48 zł 13.52

-48.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.91 zł 15.18

-44.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$0.94 zł 3.66

104.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.21 zł 4.72

12.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.40 zł 5.45

-27.86%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$3.57 zł 13.88

-43.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$8.73 zł 33.91

12.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$6.25 zł 24.29

-29.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$11.74 zł 45.60

-35.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$1.12 zł 4.35

194.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.65 zł 6.41

-15.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.58 zł 6.14

47.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$2.72 zł 10.58

-44.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.88 zł 3.41

168.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.99 zł 3.84

91.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.25 zł 4.87

-4.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$1.01 zł 3.92

-37.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$5.38 zł 20.92

-44.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$6.70 zł 26.02

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.08 zł 4.22

13.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.57 zł 6.11

11.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$1.28 zł 4.96

-80.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$31.33 zł 122

-59.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$2.00 zł 7.76

-61.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.73 zł 2.85

-68.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$9.63 zł 37.43

-53.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.69 zł 6.57

-22.49%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$30.2K zł 117.3K

-29.64%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$26.6K zł 103.4K

-28.05%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$278 zł 1,081

-56.80%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$8.51 zł 33.06

64.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$17.01 zł 66.1

61.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$38.18 zł 148

-15.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$21.71 zł 84.4

-69.37%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$7.21 zł 28.01

-21.64%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$369 zł 1,433

-25.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$7,850 zł 30.5K

0.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$81.2 zł 316

-39.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$40.32 zł 157

-37.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$87.1 zł 338

-11.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$99.1 zł 385

-42.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$612 zł 2,377

-18.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$514 zł 1,998

-39.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$978 zł 3,798

10.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$825 zł 3,204

-25.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$2,692 zł 10.5K

7.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,985 zł 7,711

-3.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$1,483 zł 5,762

-76.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

6.68

7.78%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Rumia: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Rumia

$514 35.5% 66.5% $205

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Rumia

$213 14.7% 3.6% $7.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Rumia

$304 21% 87.8% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Rumia

$138 9.6% 47.4% $45

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Rumia

$185 12.8% 110% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Rumia

$53 3.6% 20.6% $9

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Rumia

$42 2.9% 171% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $612 in Rumia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rumia pays 329% 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 $30.00 in Rumia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $213 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇵🇱 Rumia

🕒 Local time

09:51 9:51 AM

03:51 3:51 AM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

49,672

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, 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).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Rumia 10,050 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Rumia

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 Rumia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 58% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 329% lower in Rumia. 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: $500 in Cebu versus $612 in Rumia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $1,450 in Rumia – a 58% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 148% less than in Rumia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,450 in Rumia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Rumia. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Rumia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Rumia 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Rumia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.