Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Staefa

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $3,334 in Staefa, rent and utilities included – about $29,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index
167

Cost of Living Index in Staefa
Learn more

Staefa Living Index

Jump to prices

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Staefa

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,334

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Staefa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $3,334 in Staefa.

Cebu $915
Staefa $3,334

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $5,350 in Staefa.

Cebu $1,418
Staefa $5,350

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $7,365 in Staefa.

Cebu $1,921
Staefa $7,365

Living in Cebu costs roughly 73% less than in Staefa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 33% below, Staefa is 146% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$32.82 CHF 27.03

-90.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$121 CHF 99.3

-80.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$16.37 CHF 13.49

-75.63%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$6.22 CHF 5.12

-59.81%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$5.88 CHF 4.84

-73.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$5.00 CHF 4.12

-90.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$8.26 CHF 6.80

-78.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$8.41 CHF 6.93

-74.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-10.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$3.45 CHF 2.84

-60.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$3.77 CHF 3.11

-72.68%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$8.37 CHF 6.90

-75.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$26.91 CHF 22.17

-62.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$25.91 CHF 21.34

-82.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$55.2 CHF 45.46

-86.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$3.47 CHF 2.86

-4.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$2.75 CHF 2.27

-46.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$3.58 CHF 2.95

-35.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$4.48 CHF 3.69

-66.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$2.49 CHF 2.05

-6.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$2.28 CHF 1.88

-14.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$2.48 CHF 2.05

-53.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$1.29 CHF 1.06

-47.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$10.79 CHF 8.88

-72.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$13.68 CHF 11.27

-54.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$2.74 CHF 2.26

-55.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$3.21 CHF 2.64

-46.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$4.37 CHF 3.60

-94.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

$100 CHF 82.5

-87.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$7.40 CHF 6.10

-89.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$4.73 CHF 3.89

-95.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$87.0 CHF 71.7

-94.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$2.34 CHF 1.93

-43.59%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

-46.98%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$39.5K CHF 32.5K

-50.86%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$236 CHF 194

-49.76%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$31.65 CHF 26.06

-55.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$56.5 CHF 46.52

-51.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$79.0 CHF 65.1

-59.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

$44.96 CHF 37.03

-85.54%

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$22.08 CHF 18.18

-75.54%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$2,812 CHF 2,316

-90.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$42.2K CHF 34.7K

-81.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$138 CHF 113

-64.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$59.9 CHF 49.37

-58.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$147 CHF 121

-47.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$171 CHF 141

-65.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$1,581 CHF 1,302

-68.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$1,382 CHF 1,138

-77.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$2,894 CHF 2,383

-62.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$2,779 CHF 2,289

-77.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

$17.3K CHF 14.3K

-83.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

$14.1K CHF 11.6K

-86.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

1.72

318.60%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Staefa: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Staefa

$1.4K 41.4% 354% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Staefa

$637 19.1% 204% $427

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Staefa

$324 9.7% 102% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Staefa

$232 7% 146% $138

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Staefa

$488 14.6% 456% $400

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Staefa

$123 3.7% 186% $80

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Staefa

$149 4.5% 881% $133

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $503 in Cebu and $1,581 in Staefa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $121 in Staefa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $637 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇨🇭 Staefa

🕒 Local time

23:10 11:10 PM

17:10 5:10 PM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

11,567

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR 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).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Staefa 10,990 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Staefa

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 Staefa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 265% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,372 in Cebu and $5,002 in Staefa 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 $1,581 in Staefa. 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 $3,334 in Staefa – a 265% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 711% less than in Staefa. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $915 in Cebu versus $3,334 in Staefa, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Staefa. 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 Staefa, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Staefa 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 265% less than in Staefa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.