Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and San Jose del Monte

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose del Monte: $731 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in San Jose del Monte
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San Jose del Monte Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

San Jose del Monte

🇵🇭 Philippines

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in San Jose del Monte

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 San Jose del Monte actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $731 in San Jose del Monte.

Cebu $934
San Jose del Monte $731

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Cebu versus $1,096 in San Jose del Monte.

Cebu $1,423
San Jose del Monte $1,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,913 in Cebu versus $1,461 in San Jose del Monte.

Cebu $1,913
San Jose del Monte $1,461

Living in Cebu is roughly 28% more expensive than in San Jose del Monte, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 31% lower, San Jose del Monte 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ₱242

$3.94 ₱252

-3.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.33 ₱1,491

$16.34 ₱1,044

42.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.94 ₱252

$2.73 ₱174

44.32%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₱163

$1.74 ₱111

45.98%

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

$1.57 ₱100

$0.56 ₱35.61

180.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₱29.82

$0.31 ₱19.71

51.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ₱113

$0.94 ₱59.8

88.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₱142

$1.60 ₱102

38.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.64 ₱105

15.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱87.1

$1.14 ₱72.8

19.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.8

$0.94 ₱59.9

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$2.02 ₱129

-1.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 ₱620

$5.07 ₱324

91.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 ₱276

$3.28 ₱210

31.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 ₱480

$6.92 ₱442

8.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱211

$2.27 ₱145

45.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ₱87.5

$1.57 ₱100

-12.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱149

$2.37 ₱152

-1.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱95.4

$1.02 ₱64.9

46.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱147

$1.70 ₱109

35.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ₱120

$1.69 ₱108

10.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱70.3

$0.65 ₱41.24

69.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱40.36

$0.48 ₱30.52

31.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 ₱183

Wine (Bottle)

$6.08 ₱389

$8.81 ₱563

-30.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.4

$0.94 ₱60.1

35.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱110

$1.96 ₱126

-12.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.99

$0.21 ₱13.69

4.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱788

$12.48 ₱797

-1.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱47.53

$0.75 ₱48.17

-1.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.08

$0.23 ₱14.73

-4.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 ₱273

$1.91 ₱122

124.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱83.7

$1.22 ₱78.2

7.38%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$20.9K ₱1.3M

-0.44%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$18.7K ₱1.2M

1.90%

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

$118 ₱7,565

$122 ₱7,788

-2.86%

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

$15.76 ₱1,007

$15.32 ₱979

2.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.33 ₱1,810

$23.05 ₱1,472

22.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.94 ₱2,105

$35.72 ₱2,282

-7.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.49 ₱415

$5.50 ₱351

18.00%

Cinema Ticket

$5.45 ₱348

$5.22 ₱334

4.41%

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

$276 ₱17.6K

$129 ₱8,244

113.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,789 ₱497.7K

$8,762 ₱559.8K

-11.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.18 ₱3,078

$28.74 ₱1,836

67.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.47 ₱1,564

$18.98 ₱1,213

28.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 ₱4,810

$70.5 ₱4,502

6.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ₱3,707

$53.7 ₱3,428

8.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 ₱30.5K

$230 ₱14.7K

107.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.6K

$189 ₱12.1K

70.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 ₱61.5K

$437 ₱27.9K

120.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₱40.0K

$361 ₱23.1K

73.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,551 ₱290.8K

$2,325 ₱148.6K

95.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,028 ₱193.5K

$1,217 ₱77.8K

148.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$333 ₱21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

6.75

6.67%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Last update for San Jose del Monte: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$322 34.5%

San Jose del Monte

$189 25.9% 41.2% $133

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$204 21.8%

San Jose del Monte

$170 23.3% 16.3% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.4%

San Jose del Monte

$160 21.9% 1.4% $2.2

Eating Out

Cebu

$94 10.1%

San Jose del Monte

$72 9.9% 23.6% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$93 9.9%

San Jose del Monte

$77 10.6% 16.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

San Jose del Monte

$46 6.3% 5.3% $2.3

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.6%

San Jose del Monte

$15 2.1% 1.2% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $477 in Cebu and $230 in San Jose del Monte. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23 in Cebu vs $16 in San Jose del Monte for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $170 per month, with San Jose del Monte cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇵🇭 San Jose del Monte

🕒 Local time

05:36 5:36 AM

Same time as Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

651,813

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu San Jose del Monte 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
San Jose del Monte

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 San Jose del Monte: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose del Monte is about 22% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,401 in Cebu and $1,096 in San Jose del Monte to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $477 in Cebu versus $230 in San Jose del Monte. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $731 in San Jose del Monte – San Jose del Monte is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.