Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Saitama

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,003 in Saitama, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Saitama despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Saitama
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Saitama Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Saitama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Saitama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,003 in Saitama.

Cebu $918
Saitama $1,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,327 in Saitama.

Cebu $1,409
Saitama $1,327

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,650 in Saitama.

Cebu $1,900
Saitama $1,650

Living in Cebu costs roughly 8% less than in Saitama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Saitama 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$5.50 ¥869

-43.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$31.36 ¥4,955

-22.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$4.80 ¥758

-18.33%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.92 ¥461

-14.04%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.70 ¥111

127.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.58 ¥92.0

-8.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.51 ¥396

-29.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.23 ¥511

-32.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.39 ¥220

38.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.64 ¥259

-17.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$2.76 ¥436

-63.41%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.00 ¥315

1.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$10.18 ¥1,609

-3.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$5.44 ¥859

-19.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$14.20 ¥2,243

-46.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$5.61 ¥887

-41.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$2.16 ¥342

-35.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$2.91 ¥459

-19.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$4.29 ¥678

-65.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$2.50 ¥395

-5.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.61 ¥255

18.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.30 ¥205

-8.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.72 ¥114

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$3.89 ¥615

-22.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$6.45 ¥1,018

-6.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.80 ¥284

-31.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.01 ¥318

-12.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$3.32 ¥525

-92.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$3.24 ¥512

-76.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$2.63 ¥416

-91.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$20.14 ¥3,181

-77.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.10 ¥174

19.09%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$21.4K ¥3.4M

-0.92%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$14.2K ¥2.2M

35.15%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$133 ¥21.0K

-9.40%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$18.15 ¥2,867

-22.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$32.67 ¥5,162

-15.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$62.7 ¥9,909

-48.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$11.09 ¥1,752

-49.05%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$634 ¥100.1K

-56.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$14.5K ¥2.3M

-45.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$35.01 ¥5,531

40.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$25.25 ¥3,989

-0.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$55.0 ¥8,686

39.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$62.6 ¥9,891

-8.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$413 ¥65.3K

20.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$233 ¥36.8K

32.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$1,550 ¥244.9K

-77.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

2.06

249.51%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Saitama: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Saitama

$233 23.2% 24.6% $76

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Saitama

$274 27.4% 33.2% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Saitama

$184 18.3% 13.4% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Saitama

$80 8% 14.8% $14

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Saitama

$118 11.7% 33.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Saitama

$85 8.5% 94.6% $41

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Saitama

$30 * 3% 90.7% $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 $500 in Cebu and $413 in Saitama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saitama pays 348% 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 $31.00 in Saitama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $274 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇯🇵 Saitama

🕒 Local time

06:41 6:41 AM

07:41 7:41 AM

1 h ahead of Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

1,182,115

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Saitama 3,260 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Saitama

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 Saitama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 348% lower in Saitama. 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 $413 in Saitama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Saitama. 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 $1,003 in Saitama – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,003 in Saitama, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Saitama. 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 Saitama, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Saitama 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 9% less than in Saitama. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.