Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Shymkent

For one person, living is cheaper in Shymkent: $804 a month against $943 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Shymkent
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Shymkent Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$943

/mo nomad

Shymkent

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Shymkent

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $943 in Cebu versus $804 in Shymkent.

Cebu $943
Shymkent $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,437 in Cebu versus $1,385 in Shymkent.

Cebu $1,437
Shymkent $1,385

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,930 in Cebu versus $1,965 in Shymkent.

Cebu $1,930
Shymkent $1,965

Living in Cebu is roughly 17% more expensive than in Shymkent, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Shymkent 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 ₱244

$11.24 ₸5,066

-65.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.22 ₱1,462

$33.91 ₸15.3K

-31.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.90 ₱246

$6.67 ₸3,007

-41.53%

Cappuccino

$2.56 ₱161

$2.41 ₸1,085

6.22%

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

$1.60 ₱101

$1.05 ₸472

52.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.03

$0.50 ₸227

2.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 ₱111

$1.14 ₸515

54.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ₱136

$1.36 ₸615

58.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 ₱125

$1.44 ₸647

38.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.3

$0.43 ₸196

218.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ₱59.9

$1.81 ₸814

-47.51%

Eggs

$2.02 ₱127

$1.74 ₸783

16.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 ₱606

$10.24 ₸4,617

-5.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 ₱274

$5.33 ₸2,402

-18.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱485

$8.48 ₸3,822

-9.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱207

$1.15 ₸519

186.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 ₱79.7

$2.17 ₸977

-41.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱148

$2.45 ₸1,104

-4.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 ₱95.4

$1.41 ₸637

7.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 ₱141

$0.51 ₸231

337.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 ₱122

$0.41 ₸184

370.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ₱74.4

$0.96 ₸433

22.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ₱40.93

$0.85 ₸382

-23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 ₱182

$2.38 ₸1,074

21.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱400

$4.55 ₸2,052

39.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱80.1

$1.03 ₸464

23.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₱103

$1.54 ₸694

6.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.42

$0.14 ₸63.1

64.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.24 ₱771

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 ₱51.5

$0.91 ₸411

-9.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.56

$0.37 ₸168

-45.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.32 ₱272

$9.99 ₸4,502

-56.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ₱86.7

$0.66 ₸297

109.09%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$27.2K ₸12.3M

-22.18%

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

$19.3K ₱1.2M

$29.5K ₸13.3M

-34.72%

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

$124 ₱7,816

$46.66 ₸21.0K

166.05%

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

$15.93 ₱1,003

$9.48 ₸4,273

68.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 ₱1,768

$15.26 ₸6,878

83.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.41 ₱2,104

$39.10 ₸17.6K

-14.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.40 ₱403

$8.81 ₸3,973

-27.36%

Cinema Ticket

$5.85 ₱368

$5.61 ₸2,529

4.28%

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

$271 ₱17.0K

$57.1 ₸25.8K

373.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,060 ₱507.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.31 ₱3,042

$37.07 ₸16.7K

30.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.56 ₱1,546

$33.63 ₸15.2K

-26.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 ₱4,856

$182 ₸82.1K

-57.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.5 ₱3,558

$51.9 ₸23.4K

8.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 ₱31.2K

$342 ₸154.0K

45.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.3K

$204 ₸91.8K

58.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$990 ₱62.4K

$692 ₸311.9K

43.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₱39.6K

$545 ₸245.8K

15.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,459 ₱280.7K

$1,105 ₸497.9K

303.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,030 ₱190.8K

$978 ₸440.8K

209.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$343 ₱21.6K

$445 ₸200.6K

-22.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

18.25

-60.55%

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

Last update for Cebu: November 2, 2026

Last update for Shymkent: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$322 34.1%

Shymkent

$204 25.3% 36.7% $118

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 21.8%

Shymkent

$185 23% 10.1% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$168 17.8%

Shymkent

$71 8.9% 57.5% $97

Eating Out

Cebu

$95 10.1%

Shymkent

$153 19.1% 61.5% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$93 9.9%

Shymkent

$137 17.1% 47.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$45 4.8%

Shymkent

$50 6.3% 11.5% $5.2

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.6%

Shymkent

$3.3 * 0.4% 77.7% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $495 in Cebu and $342 in Shymkent. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shymkent pays 30% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23 in Cebu vs $34 in Shymkent. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $185, with Shymkent cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇰🇿 Shymkent

🕒 Local time

14:37 2:37 PM

11:37 11:37 AM

3 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

1,222,055

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 62.97 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.68 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 451 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Shymkent 6,340 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Shymkent

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 Shymkent: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shymkent is about 15% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in Cebu. 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: $495 in Cebu versus $342 in Shymkent. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $943 per month in Cebu versus $804 in Shymkent – Shymkent is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Shymkent 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 Shymkent are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.