Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Rustavi

For one person, living is cheaper in Rustavi: $849 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $830 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Rustavi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$849
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Rustavi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $849 in Rustavi.

  • Cebu $918
  • Rustavi $849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,265 in Rustavi.

  • Cebu $1,409
  • Rustavi $1,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,681 in Rustavi.

  • Cebu $1,900
  • Rustavi $1,681

Living in Cebu is roughly 8% more expensive than in Rustavi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Rustavi 37% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Rustavi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.09 ₱194
$9.93 ₾25.70
-68.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.22 ₱1,525
$31.07 ₾80.4
-22.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.92 ₱247
$10.49 ₾27.16
-62.63%
Cappuccino
$2.51 ₱158
$2.02 ₾5.23
24.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 ₱100
$0.76 ₾1.96
109.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 ₱33.43
$0.55 ₾1.42
-3.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.78 ₱112
$1.21 ₾3.14
47.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 ₱137
$1.95 ₾5.05
11.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Rustavi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.92 ₱121
$1.82 ₾4.71
5.49%
White Bread (500g)
$1.36 ₱85.4
$0.51 ₾1.32
166.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.01 ₱63.5
$1.22 ₾3.15
-17.21%
Eggs
$2.03 ₱128
$2.27 ₾5.88
-10.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.86 ₱621
$6.15 ₾15.92
60.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.39 ₱277
$4.82 ₾12.47
-8.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.60 ₱479
$10.08 ₾26.10
-24.60%
Apples (1kg)
$3.30 ₱208
$0.95 ₾2.46
247.37%
Banana (1kg)
$1.39 ₱87.8
$1.54 ₾3.98
-9.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.33 ₱147
$1.57 ₾4.07
48.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ₱94.3
$1.07 ₾2.77
40.19%
Potato (1kg)
$2.36 ₱149
$0.76 ₾1.98
210.53%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 ₱119
$0.66 ₾1.72
187.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 ₱74.9
$1.26 ₾3.27
-5.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63 ₱39.71
$0.68 ₾1.77
-7.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00 ₱189
$3.24 ₾8.40
-7.41%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.03 ₱379
$3.90 ₾10.09
54.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 ₱77.7
$1.58 ₾4.10
-22.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₱110
$2.49 ₾6.46
-29.72%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Rustavi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 ₱15.86
$0.36 ₾0.94
-30.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.64 ₱796
$11.59 ₾30.01
9.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.77 ₱48.62
$0.78 ₾2.02
-1.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.23 ₱14.53
$0.41 ₾1.06
-43.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.46 ₱281
$3.81 ₾9.85
17.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ₱82.8
$1.28 ₾3.31
2.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ₱1.3M
$23.5K ₾60.7K
-9.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.1K ₱1.2M
$9,689 ₾25.1K
97.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Rustavi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 ₱7,569
$77.1 ₾199
56.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.00 ₱882
$7.94 ₾20.55
76.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.54 ₱1,734
$11.50 ₾29.76
139.48%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Rustavi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.33 ₱2,035
$26.83 ₾69.5
20.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.65 ₱419
$19.39 ₾50.2
-65.70%
Cinema Ticket
$5.65 ₱356
$4.96 ₾12.83
13.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Rustavi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$275 ₱17.3K
$130 ₾337
111.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,918 ₱498.5K
$2,654 ₾6,870
198.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Rustavi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.33 ₱3,106
$55.7 ₾144
-11.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.24 ₱1,589
$40.11 ₾104
-37.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.0 ₱4,846
$97.8 ₾253
-21.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.2 ₱3,601
$86.0 ₾223
-33.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Rustavi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$500 ₱31.5K
$270 ₾699
85.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ₱19.4K
$250 ₾648
23.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 ₱67.9K
$469 ₾1,214
129.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$615 ₱38.7K
$307 ₾794
100.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,886 ₱181.7K
$1,044 ₾2,702
176.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,917 ₱120.7K
$784 ₾2,030
144.45%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Rustavi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$346 ₱21.8K
$458 ₾1,186
-24.47%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
13
-44.62%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Rustavi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$309
Rustavi
$250 18.9% $58
Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$206
Rustavi
$173 15.9% $33
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$162
Rustavi
$96 40.4% $65
Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94
Rustavi
$126 33.9% $32
Eating Out
Cebu
$88
Rustavi
$150 70.3% $62
Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44
Rustavi
$37 15.7% $6.9
Getting Around
Cebu
$16
Rustavi
$16 2% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $270 in Rustavi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rustavi pays 32% 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 $31.00 in Rustavi. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $173, with Rustavi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cebu
🇬🇪 Rustavi
🕒 Local time
12:26 12:26 PM
08:26 8:26 AM
4 h behind Cebu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
964,169
132,333
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

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).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cebu Rustavi 8,330 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cebu
  • Rustavi

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 Rustavi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rustavi cheaper than Cebu?
Rustavi is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and utilities. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cebu or Rustavi?
On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Rustavi. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Cebu and Rustavi?
Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $270 in Rustavi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Rustavi?
All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $849 in Rustavi – a 8% 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 Rustavi runs roughly 9% 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 Rustavi?
Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Rustavi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is Cebu or Rustavi more family-friendly?
For families, Rustavi 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 Rustavi?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Rustavi 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 Rustavi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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