Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Scalea

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $1,727 in Scalea, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Scalea
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Scalea Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Scalea

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,727

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Scalea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $1,727 in Scalea.

Cebu $915
Scalea $1,727

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $2,568 in Scalea.

Cebu $1,418
Scalea $2,568

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $3,408 in Scalea.

Cebu $1,921
Scalea $3,408

Living in Cebu costs roughly 47% less than in Scalea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 33% below, Scalea is 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$16.97 €15.09

-82.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$55.3 €49.17

-56.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$11.26 €10.01

-64.56%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$2.09 €1.86

19.62%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$2.97 €2.64

-48.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$2.13 €1.89

-76.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$6.79 €6.04

-73.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$4.27 €3.80

-49.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.26 €1.12

58.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$1.58 €1.41

-13.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$2.63 €2.34

-60.84%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$3.48 €3.10

-41.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$11.38 €10.12

-10.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$11.88 €10.57

-62.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$15.59 €13.87

-50.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$1.92 €1.71

72.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$1.67 €1.49

-12.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$1.38 €1.23

68.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$2.56 €2.28

-41.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$1.78 €1.58

31.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$1.28 €1.14

51.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$1.29 €1.14

-10.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$0.44 €0.39

54.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$6.86 €6.10

-56.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$7.68 €6.83

-18.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$1.84 €1.64

-33.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$1.54 €1.37

12.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$1.59 €1.41

-85.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

$43.36 €38.57

-71.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$4.57 €4.06

-82.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$1.09 €0.97

-79.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$22.07 €19.63

-79.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$2.14 €1.90

-38.32%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$36.3K €32.3K

-42.15%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$36.5K €32.4K

-46.80%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$306 €272

-61.29%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$10.58 €9.41

34.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$34.67 €30.84

-20.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$56.2 €49.99

-42.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

$26.48 €23.55

-75.45%

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$8.91 €7.93

-39.39%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$457 €407

-39.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$6,688 €5,949

17.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$82.6 €73.5

-40.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$33.33 €29.64

-26.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$88.0 €78.2

-12.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$128 €114

-54.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$658 €585

-23.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$558 €496

-45.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$1,057 €940

1.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$976 €868

-35.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

$1,430 €1,272

100.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

$1,170 €1,041

60.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

3.55

102.82%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Scalea: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Scalea

$558 32.3% 83.2% $253

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Scalea

$277 16% 32.2% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Scalea

$351 20.4% 119% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Scalea

$150 8.7% 58.7% $55

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Scalea

$258 14.9% 193% $170

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Scalea

$74 4.3% 71.7% $31

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Scalea

$60 3.5% 294% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $503 in Cebu and $658 in Scalea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $55.0 in Scalea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $277 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇹 Scalea

🕒 Local time

22:14 10:14 PM

16:14 4:14 PM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

10,913

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Scalea 10,780 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Scalea

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 Scalea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 89% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,372 in Cebu and $2,591 in Scalea 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: $503 in Cebu versus $658 in Scalea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $915 per month in Cebu versus $1,727 in Scalea – a 89% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 251% less than in Scalea. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $915 in Cebu versus $1,727 in Scalea, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Scalea. 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 Scalea, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Scalea 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 89% less than in Scalea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.