Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Santa Rosa, Philippines

Name: Santa Rosa
Address: Santa Rosa, PH

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Rosa: $614 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Santa Rosa
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Santa Rosa Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Santa Rosa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $614 in Santa Rosa.

Cebu $934
Santa Rosa $614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Cebu versus $873 in Santa Rosa.

Cebu $1,423
Santa Rosa $873

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,913 in Cebu versus $1,131 in Santa Rosa.

Cebu $1,913
Santa Rosa $1,131

Living in Cebu is roughly 52% more expensive than in Santa Rosa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ₱242

$2.47 ₱158

53.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.33 ₱1,491

$16.32 ₱1,042

42.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.94 ₱252

$2.76 ₱176

42.75%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₱163

$1.12 ₱71.3

126.79%

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

$1.57 ₱100

$0.36 ₱22.76

336.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₱29.82

$0.22 ₱13.96

113.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ₱113

$1.00 ₱63.8

77.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₱142

$1.26 ₱80.7

76.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.60 ₱102

18.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱87.1

$1.15 ₱73.6

18.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.8

$0.99 ₱63.6

-5.05%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$1.53 ₱97.7

30.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 ₱620

$5.10 ₱326

90.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 ₱276

$3.42 ₱219

26.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 ₱480

$7.75 ₱495

-3.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱211

$2.18 ₱139

51.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ₱87.5

$0.80 ₱51.2

71.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱149

$2.27 ₱145

3.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱95.4

$1.00 ₱64.0

49.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱147

$1.71 ₱109

34.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ₱120

$1.73 ₱111

8.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱70.3

$0.64 ₱40.97

71.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱40.36

$0.48 ₱30.37

31.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 ₱183

$2.80 ₱179

2.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.08 ₱389

$8.75 ₱559

-30.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.4

$0.95 ₱61.0

33.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱110

$2.03 ₱129

-15.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.99

$0.21 ₱13.28

4.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱788

$13.39 ₱856

-7.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱47.53

$0.81 ₱51.6

-8.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.08

$0.24 ₱15.36

-8.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 ₱273

$1.92 ₱123

122.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱83.7

$1.02 ₱65.2

28.43%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$21.2K ₱1.4M

-2.18%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

-0.58%

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

$118 ₱7,565

$62.5 ₱3,990

89.61%

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

$15.76 ₱1,007

$6.40 ₱409

146.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.33 ₱1,810

$23.42 ₱1,496

20.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.94 ₱2,105

$31.17 ₱1,991

5.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.49 ₱415

$5.99 ₱382

8.35%

Cinema Ticket

$5.45 ₱348

$5.16 ₱330

5.62%

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

$276 ₱17.6K

$132 ₱8,404

109.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,789 ₱497.7K

$5,549 ₱354.5K

40.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.18 ₱3,078

$28.17 ₱1,800

71.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.47 ₱1,564

$19.31 ₱1,234

26.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 ₱4,810

$71.5 ₱4,569

5.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ₱3,707

$55.1 ₱3,517

5.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 ₱30.5K

$255 ₱16.3K

87.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.6K

$168 ₱10.8K

91.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 ₱61.5K

$494 ₱31.6K

95.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₱40.0K

$169 ₱10.8K

270.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,551 ₱290.8K

$2,457 ₱157.0K

85.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,028 ₱193.5K

$1,162 ₱74.2K

160.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$333 ₱21.3K

$140 ₱8,933

138.47%

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 Rosa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$322 34.5%

Santa Rosa

$168 27.4% 47.7% $153

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$204 21.8%

Santa Rosa

$166 27.1% 18.4% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.4%

Santa Rosa

$92 15% 43.2% $70

Eating Out

Cebu

$94 10.1%

Santa Rosa

$51 8.3% 45.6% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$93 9.9%

Santa Rosa

$78 12.8% 15.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Santa Rosa

$41 6.8% 5.4% $2.4

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.6%

Santa Rosa

$16 2.6% 7.8% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $477 in Cebu and $255 in Santa Rosa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Cebu vs $16 in Santa Rosa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $166 per month, with Santa Rosa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇵🇭 Santa Rosa

🕒 Local time

04:47 4:47 AM

Same time as Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

414,812

💱 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 Santa Rosa 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Santa Rosa

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 Rosa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Rosa is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Cebu is about 2.4 times higher, 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: $477 in Cebu versus $255 in Santa Rosa. 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 $614 in Santa Rosa – Santa Rosa is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 8% less than in Santa Rosa. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Santa Rosa 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.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Santa Rosa are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Santa Rosa wins on affordability, Cebu on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.