Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Samsun

For one person, living costs are similar in Cebu and in Samsun: $934 and $960 a month, rent and utilities included.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Samsun
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Samsun Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Samsun

🇹🇷 Turkey

$960

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Samsun

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $960 in Samsun.

Cebu $934
Samsun $960

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $1,651 in Samsun.

Cebu $1,415
Samsun $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $2,341 in Samsun.

Cebu $1,896
Samsun $2,341

Living in Cebu costs roughly 3% less than in Samsun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Samsun 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱190

$10.34 ₺510

-70.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,473

$60.9 ₺2,999

-61.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱256

$10.80 ₺532

-62.13%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$4.03 ₺198

-37.47%

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

$1.54 ₱96.9

$0.79 ₺38.71

94.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.98

$0.30 ₺14.70

63.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

$1.86 ₺91.7

-3.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$1.98 ₺97.3

14.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.18 ₺58.3

65.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.7

$2.05 ₺101

-30.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱63.8

$2.81 ₺138

-63.70%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$2.60 ₺128

-20.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱615

$8.57 ₺422

14.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱289

$5.77 ₺284

-20.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱483

$26.69 ₺1,315

-71.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱207

$2.39 ₺118

38.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱90.9

$2.42 ₺119

-40.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.51 ₺74.3

56.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.4

$1.09 ₺53.8

41.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$0.47 ₺23.26

402.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$0.34 ₺16.93

485.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

$0.89 ₺43.80

29.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.15

$0.63 ₺31.03

6.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

$2.09 ₺103

43.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

$8.96 ₺441

-29.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

$1.67 ₺82.0

-21.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

$2.23 ₺110

-22.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

$0.60 ₺29.73

-58.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

$12.01 ₺591

5.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

$2.07 ₺102

-64.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$0.68 ₺33.58

-69.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

$6.62 ₺326

-34.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$1.34 ₺66.2

-0.75%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$41.6K ₺2.0M

-47.64%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$40.3K ₺2.0M

-51.82%

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

$121 ₱7,563

$91.5 ₺4,509

31.72%

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

$14.45 ₱907

$12.75 ₺628

13.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,774

$12.56 ₺619

125.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

$31.29 ₺1,542

4.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

$6.13 ₺302

4.24%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

$3.99 ₺197

36.84%

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

$273 ₱17.1K

$256 ₺12.6K

6.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

$24.15 ₺1,189

105.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

$30.51 ₺1,503

-18.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

$70.1 ₺3,452

9.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,717

$61.9 ₺3,048

-4.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.7K

$349 ₺17.2K

44.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$258 ₺12.7K

19.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.0K

$752 ₺37.1K

39.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

$618 ₺30.4K

0.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

$984 ₺48.5K

196.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

$666 ₺32.8K

180.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

$934 ₺46.0K

-63.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

-85.31%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Samsun: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Samsun

$258 26.6% 16.6% $51

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Samsun

$270 27.9% 28.6% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Samsun

$117 12.1% 28.5% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Samsun

$84 8.7% 11.3% $11

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Samsun

$181 18.7% 105% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Samsun

$39 4.1% 9.9% $4.3

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Samsun

$20 2.1% 28.9% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $349 in Samsun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Samsun pays 174% 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: $23.00 in Cebu vs $61.0 in Samsun for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $270 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇹🇷 Samsun

🕒 Local time

12:03 12:03 PM

07:03 7:03 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

1,295,927

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Samsun 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Samsun

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 Samsun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 174% lower in Samsun. 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: $506 in Cebu versus $349 in Samsun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $960 in Samsun – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 5% less than in Samsun. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Cebu gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

Safety-wise, Cebu and Samsun 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 3% less than in Samsun. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.