Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Santa Cruz, Laguna

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz, Laguna: $616 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz, Laguna
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Santa Cruz, Laguna Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇵🇭 Philippines

$616

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Santa Cruz, Laguna

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 Santa Cruz, Laguna actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Cebu $934
Santa Cruz, Laguna $616

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Cebu versus $911 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Cebu $1,423
Santa Cruz, Laguna $911

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,913 in Cebu versus $1,206 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Cebu $1,913
Santa Cruz, Laguna $1,206

Living in Cebu is roughly 52% more expensive than in Santa Cruz, Laguna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 31% lower, Santa Cruz, Laguna 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ₱242

$1.55 ₱98.8

144.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.33 ₱1,491

$7.73 ₱494

201.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.94 ₱252

$2.79 ₱178

41.22%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₱163

$1.76 ₱113

44.32%

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

$1.57 ₱100

$0.37 ₱23.90

324.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₱29.82

$0.24 ₱15.42

95.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ₱113

$1.01 ₱64.7

75.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₱142

$0.90 ₱57.2

146.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.54 ₱98.4

23.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱87.1

$1.15 ₱73.3

18.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.8

$0.91 ₱57.9

3.30%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$1.52 ₱97.0

30.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 ₱620

$4.82 ₱308

101.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 ₱276

$3.29 ₱210

31.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 ₱480

$7.20 ₱460

4.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱211

$1.37 ₱87.7

141.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ₱87.5

$0.49 ₱31.52

179.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱149

$1.43 ₱91.7

63.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱95.4

$1.06 ₱67.7

40.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱147

$1.67 ₱107

37.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ₱120

$1.68 ₱107

11.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱70.3

$0.61 ₱39.25

80.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱40.36

$0.52 ₱33.12

21.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 ₱183

$2.93 ₱187

-2.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.08 ₱389

$8.49 ₱543

-28.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.4

$0.96 ₱61.4

32.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱110

$2.06 ₱131

-16.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.99

$0.21 ₱13.11

4.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱788

$11.50 ₱735

7.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱47.53

$0.76 ₱48.74

-2.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.08

$0.22 ₱14.00

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 ₱273

$1.93 ₱124

121.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱83.7

$1.20 ₱76.5

9.17%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$20.7K ₱1.3M

0.31%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$18.9K ₱1.2M

0.62%

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

$118 ₱7,565

$82.8 ₱5,290

43.02%

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

$15.76 ₱1,007

$17.51 ₱1,118

-9.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.33 ₱1,810

$22.58 ₱1,443

25.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.94 ₱2,105

$27.30 ₱1,744

20.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.49 ₱415

$4.47 ₱285

45.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.45 ₱348

$5.03 ₱321

8.35%

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

$276 ₱17.6K

$128 ₱8,194

115.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,789 ₱497.7K

$10.6K ₱677.6K

-26.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.18 ₱3,078

$28.32 ₱1,809

70.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.47 ₱1,564

$19.21 ₱1,227

27.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 ₱4,810

$69.6 ₱4,447

8.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ₱3,707

$53.7 ₱3,431

8.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 ₱30.5K

$219 ₱14.0K

118.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.6K

$160 ₱10.2K

100.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 ₱61.5K

$480 ₱30.7K

100.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₱40.0K

$298 ₱19.1K

109.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,551 ₱290.8K

$2,453 ₱156.7K

85.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,028 ₱193.5K

$1,079 ₱68.9K

180.68%

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 Santa Cruz, Laguna: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$322 34.5%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$160 26% 50.2% $162

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$204 21.8%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$153 24.8% 25% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.4%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$123 20% 24.4% $40

Eating Out

Cebu

$94 10.1%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$51 8.3% 45.6% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$93 9.9%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$77 12.5% 17% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$37 6.1% 14.8% $6.5

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.6%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$14 2.3% 5.8% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $477 in Cebu and $219 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23 in Cebu vs $8 in Santa Cruz, Laguna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $153 per month, with Santa Cruz, Laguna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇵🇭 Santa Cruz, Laguna

🕒 Local time

06:28 6:28 AM

Same time as Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

123,574

💱 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

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Between locations

Cebu Santa Cruz, Laguna 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Santa Cruz, Laguna

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 Santa Cruz, Laguna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Cruz, Laguna is about 34% 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 $923 in Santa Cruz, Laguna 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 $219 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. 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 $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna – Santa Cruz, Laguna is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Santa Cruz, Laguna runs roughly 7% less than in Cebu. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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

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.

Expats usually find Santa Cruz, Laguna gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.