Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Skardu

For one person, living is cheaper in Skardu: $458 a month against $943 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Skardu
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Skardu Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$943

/mo nomad

Skardu

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$458

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Skardu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $943 in Cebu versus $458 in Skardu.

Cebu $943
Skardu $458

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,437 in Cebu versus $686 in Skardu.

Cebu $1,437
Skardu $686

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,930 in Cebu versus $914 in Skardu.

Cebu $1,930
Skardu $914

Living in Cebu is roughly 106% more expensive than in Skardu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Skardu 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 ₱244

$2.23 PKR 617

73.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.22 ₱1,462

$10.43 PKR 2,881

122.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.90 ₱246

$5.43 PKR 1,501

-28.18%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 PKR 684

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 PKR 1,587

Cappuccino

$2.56 ₱161

$1.56 PKR 432

64.10%

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

$1.60 ₱101

$0.34 PKR 93.1

370.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.03

$0.21 PKR 58.6

142.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 ₱111

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ₱136

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 ₱125

$0.79 PKR 219

151.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.3

$0.64 PKR 176

114.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ₱59.9

$1.06 PKR 294

-10.38%

Eggs

$2.02 ₱127

$1.16 PKR 321

74.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 ₱606

$5.93 PKR 1,638

62.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 ₱274

$2.54 PKR 702

71.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱485

$5.35 PKR 1,479

43.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱207

$1.18 PKR 326

179.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 ₱79.7

$0.57 PKR 159

122.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱148

$0.74 PKR 206

216.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 ₱95.4

$0.57 PKR 157

164.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 ₱141

$0.30 PKR 82.5

643.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 ₱122

$0.36 PKR 101

436.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ₱74.4

$0.46 PKR 126

156.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ₱40.93

$0.34 PKR 94.8

91.18%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.70 PKR 471

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 PKR 301

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 PKR 619

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 ₱182

$2.26 PKR 625

27.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱400

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱80.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₱103

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.42

$0.17 PKR 48.00

35.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.24 ₱771

$11.40 PKR 3,149

7.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 ₱51.5

$0.97 PKR 269

-15.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.56

$0.80 PKR 222

-75.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.32 ₱272

$1.68 PKR 466

157.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ₱86.7

$1.33 PKR 367

3.76%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$20.4K PKR 5.6M

3.86%

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

$19.3K ₱1.2M

$22.4K PKR 6.2M

-13.75%

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

$124 ₱7,816

$108 PKR 29.8K

14.93%

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

$15.93 ₱1,003

$3.71 PKR 1,025

329.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 ₱1,768

$13.65 PKR 3,773

105.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.41 ₱2,104

$14.64 PKR 4,045

128.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.40 ₱403

$7.28 PKR 2,011

-12.09%

Cinema Ticket

$5.85 ₱368

$4.22 PKR 1,167

38.63%

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

$271 ₱17.0K

$40.75 PKR 11.3K

563.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,060 ₱507.5K

$947 PKR 261.6K

751.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.31 ₱3,042

$14.49 PKR 4,004

233.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.56 ₱1,546

$25.16 PKR 6,952

-2.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 ₱4,856

$69.5 PKR 19.2K

10.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.5 ₱3,558

$34.52 PKR 9,539

63.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 ₱31.2K

$134 PKR 37.0K

270.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.3K

$79.8 PKR 22.0K

303.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$990 ₱62.4K

$301 PKR 83.2K

228.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₱39.6K

$169 PKR 46.7K

271.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,459 ₱280.7K

$847 PKR 234.0K

426.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,030 ₱190.8K

$555 PKR 153.5K

445.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$343 ₱21.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

-44.62%

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

Last update for Cebu: November 2, 2026

Last update for Skardu: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$322 34.1%

Skardu

$80 17.4% 75.2% $242

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 21.8%

Skardu

$92 20.2% 55% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$168 17.8%

Skardu

$125 27.4% 25.4% $43

Eating Out

Cebu

$95 10.1%

Skardu

$55 12% 42% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$93 9.9%

Skardu

$65 14.1% 30.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$45 4.8%

Skardu

$23 5.1% 48.8% $22

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.6%

Skardu

$17 3.7% 14.2% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $495 in Cebu and $134 in Skardu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23 in Cebu vs $10 in Skardu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $92 per month, with Skardu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇵🇰 Skardu

🕒 Local time

09:56 9:56 AM

06:56 6:56 AM

3 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

260,000

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, 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).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Skardu 5,600 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Skardu

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 Skardu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skardu is about 52% 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 $1,415 in Cebu and $686 in Skardu 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: $495 in Cebu versus $134 in Skardu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $943 per month in Cebu versus $458 in Skardu – Skardu is about 52% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Skardu 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 Skardu 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 Skardu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Skardu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.