Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Salatiga

For one person, living is cheaper in Salatiga: $456 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Salatiga
Learn more

Salatiga Living Index

Jump to prices

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Salatiga

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$456

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Salatiga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $456 in Salatiga.

Cebu $918
Salatiga $456

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $675 in Salatiga.

Cebu $1,409
Salatiga $675

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $893 in Salatiga.

Cebu $1,900
Salatiga $893

Living in Cebu is roughly 101% more expensive than in Salatiga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Salatiga 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱195

$0.87 Rp 15.6K

255.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$8.95 Rp 160.6K

170.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$2.73 Rp 48.9K

43.59%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.43 Rp 25.6K

75.52%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.30 Rp 5,468

430.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.45

$0.19 Rp 3,370

178.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.90 Rp 34.1K

-6.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$4.23 Rp 75.8K

-48.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.21 Rp 21.8K

58.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.5

$1.33 Rp 23.9K

2.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.6

$0.85 Rp 15.3K

18.82%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.20 Rp 21.5K

69.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$7.70 Rp 138.2K

28.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$3.09 Rp 55.5K

42.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$7.64 Rp 137.1K

-0.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.01 Rp 36.1K

64.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

9.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.83 Rp 32.8K

27.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.51 Rp 27.1K

-0.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.31 Rp 23.5K

80.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.91 Rp 34.2K

-0.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.35 Rp 6,193

240.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.73

$0.36 Rp 6,392

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$1.98 Rp 35.6K

51.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱380

$24.70 Rp 443.2K

-75.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.67 Rp 29.9K

-26.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.97 Rp 53.3K

-41.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.87

$0.21 Rp 3,732

19.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.64

$0.44 Rp 7,875

75.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.54

$0.43 Rp 7,712

-46.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$2.73 Rp 49.0K

63.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.67 Rp 12.0K

95.52%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$24.6K Rp 442.1M

-13.78%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$32.2K Rp 577.4M

-40.50%

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

$120 ₱7,573

$87.8 Rp 1.6M

37.01%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$4.59 Rp 82.4K

205.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,735

$19.52 Rp 350.2K

41.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,036

$11.25 Rp 201.8K

187.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$2.00 Rp 35.8K

182.50%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$283 Rp 5.1M

-2.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.8K

$9,389 Rp 168.5M

-15.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,107

$22.60 Rp 405.5K

118.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,590

$11.36 Rp 203.8K

122.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,848

$44.96 Rp 806.7K

71.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,603

$73.3 Rp 1.3M

-22.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$165 Rp 3.0M

202.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$148 Rp 2.7M

133.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

7.5

-4.00%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Salatiga: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Salatiga

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Salatiga

$205 44.9% 0.5% $1.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Salatiga

$112 24.5% 30.9% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Salatiga

$69 15% 27.1% $25

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Salatiga

$52 11.4% 40.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Salatiga

$15 3.3% 65.1% $28

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Salatiga

$3.4 * 0.8% 78% $12

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 $165 in Salatiga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 133% 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 $9.00 in Salatiga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $205 per month, with Salatiga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇩 Salatiga

🕒 Local time

10:37 10:37 AM

09:37 9:37 AM

1 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

190,000

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.57 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.95 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.93 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 17,943 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.57 USD). 1 EUR = 20,204 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.95 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Salatiga 2,460 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Salatiga

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 Salatiga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Salatiga is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 101% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 133% higher in Cebu, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $165 in Salatiga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Cebu. 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 $456 in Salatiga – a 101% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Salatiga gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Salatiga 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 Salatiga 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 Salatiga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 101% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.