Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Sabac

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabac: $840 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Sabac
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Sabac Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Sabac

🇷🇸 Serbia

$840

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Sabac

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $840 in Sabac.

Cebu $915
Sabac $840

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $1,276 in Sabac.

Cebu $1,418
Sabac $1,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $1,712 in Sabac.

Cebu $1,921
Sabac $1,712

Living in Cebu is roughly 9% more expensive than in Sabac, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 33% lower, Sabac 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$8.23 RSD 858

-62.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$27.55 RSD 2,872

-12.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$6.71 RSD 700

-40.54%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$1.87 RSD 195

33.69%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$1.87 RSD 195

-17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$1.40 RSD 146

-64.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.63 RSD 274

-32.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$2.63 RSD 274

-17.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.31 RSD 136

52.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$0.62 RSD 65.0

120.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$1.92 RSD 200

-46.35%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.89 RSD 197

7.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$5.65 RSD 589

80.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$6.31 RSD 658

-29.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$11.48 RSD 1,197

-33.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$1.24 RSD 129

166.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$1.80 RSD 188

-18.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$1.45 RSD 151

60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$1.88 RSD 196

-20.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$0.70 RSD 72.6

234.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$0.35 RSD 36.08

454.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$1.00 RSD 105

16.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$0.40 RSD 41.90

70.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$3.61 RSD 377

-17.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$7.74 RSD 807

-19.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$0.66 RSD 68.4

86.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$0.94 RSD 97.6

84.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$0.93 RSD 97.1

-75.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$1.39 RSD 145

-43.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$0.95 RSD 98.9

-76.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$5.11 RSD 532

-11.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$1.76 RSD 183

-25.00%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$30.3K RSD 3.2M

-30.60%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$24.4K RSD 2.5M

-20.61%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$138 RSD 14.4K

-13.98%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$25.50 RSD 2,658

-44.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$18.96 RSD 1,976

44.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$29.17 RSD 3,041

10.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

$11.44 RSD 1,192

-43.18%

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$5.58 RSD 581

-3.23%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$176 RSD 18.3K

56.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$3,770 RSD 393.0K

108.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$59.8 RSD 6,238

-17.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$64.5 RSD 6,721

-61.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$56.6 RSD 5,898

35.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$118 RSD 12.3K

-50.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$234 RSD 24.4K

114.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$151 RSD 15.7K

101.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$345 RSD 35.9K

211.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$250 RSD 26.1K

152.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

$1,884 RSD 196.4K

52.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

$1,514 RSD 157.8K

23.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

$962 RSD 100.3K

-65.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

4.84

48.76%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sabac: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Sabac

$151 18% 50.4% $153

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Sabac

$182 21.7% 13.2% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Sabac

$182 21.7% 13.8% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Sabac

$135 16% 42.8% $40

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Sabac

$140 16.7% 59.4% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Sabac

$40 4.8% 6.5% $2.8

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Sabac

$9.9 * 1.2% 34.9% $5.3

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 $234 in Sabac. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sabac pays 186% 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 $28.00 in Sabac. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $182, with Sabac cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇷🇸 Sabac

🕒 Local time

23:11 11:11 PM

17:11 5:11 PM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

51,163

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, 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).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Sabac 10,300 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Sabac

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 Sabac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sabac is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 186% lower in Sabac. 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 $234 in Sabac. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% 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 $840 in Sabac – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

For families, Sabac 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 Sabac 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 Sabac gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.