Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Santa Rita

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $1,784 in Santa Rita, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Santa Rita

🇬🇺 Guam

$1,784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Santa Rita

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $1,784 in Santa Rita.

Cebu $915
Santa Rita $1,784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $2,706 in Santa Rita.

Cebu $1,418
Santa Rita $2,706

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $3,628 in Santa Rita.

Cebu $1,921
Santa Rita $3,628

Living in Cebu costs roughly 49% less than in Santa Rita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 33% below, Santa Rita is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$20.09 $20.09

-84.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$75.3 $75.3

-68.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$6.16 $6.16

-35.23%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$5.04 $5.04

-50.40%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$2.48 $2.48

-37.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$2.43 $2.43

-79.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$7.90 $7.90

-77.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$9.88 $9.88

-78.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$3.85 $3.85

-48.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$4.24 $4.24

-67.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$2.63 $2.63

-60.84%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$3.84 $3.84

-47.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$19.70 $19.70

-48.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$6.46 $6.46

-31.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$9.92 $9.92

-22.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$4.76 $4.76

-30.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$2.69 $2.69

-45.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$4.50 $4.50

-66.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$4.08 $4.08

-42.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$2.77 $2.77

-29.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$2.00 $2.00

-42.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$2.77 $2.77

-55.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$1.73 $1.73

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$32.63 $32.63

-86.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$1.39 $1.39

-5.04%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

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

$119 ₱7,464

$251 $251

-52.75%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$89.9 $89.9

-84.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$78.4 $78.4

-64.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$101 $101

-67.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

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

$276 ₱17.4K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$900 $900

-44.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$612 $612

-50.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$1,982 $1,982

-45.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$1,102 $1,102

-42.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

$303 $303

520.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

$5,588 $5,588

-93.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Santa Rita: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Santa Rita

–

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Santa Rita

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Santa Rita

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Santa Rita

–

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Santa Rita

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Santa Rita

–

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Santa Rita

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $503 in Cebu and $900 in Santa Rita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Rita pays 1564% 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 $75.0 in Santa Rita for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $333 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇬🇺 Santa Rita

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

10:10 10:10 AM

2 h ahead of Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

7,500

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Santa Rita 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Santa Rita

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 Rita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 95% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 1564% lower in Santa Rita. 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: $503 in Cebu versus $900 in Santa Rita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 59% higher in Santa Rita. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cebu – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $75.0 in Santa Rita. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $915 in Cebu versus $1,784 in Santa Rita, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Santa Rita. 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 Santa Rita, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Santa Rita 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 95% less than in Santa Rita. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.