For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $2,492 in Stokke, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.
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 Stokke actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $2,492 in Stokke.
Cebu $915
Stokke $2,492
Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $3,829 in Stokke.
Cebu $1,418
Stokke $3,829
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $5,167 in Stokke.
Cebu $1,921
Stokke $5,167
🌍
Living in Cebu costs roughly 63% less than in Stokke, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.
📊
The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 33% below, Stokke is 84% above.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Stokke
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.05₱192
$20.72NOK 195
-85.28%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.00₱1,511
$125NOK 1,176
-80.78%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$3.99₱251
$15.79NOK 149
-74.73%
Cappuccino
$2.50₱157
$5.98NOK 56.3
-58.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54₱97.1
$4.40NOK 41.46
-65.00%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50₱31.37
$3.33NOK 31.33
-84.98%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$1.78₱112
$11.73NOK 110
-84.83%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17₱136
$12.48NOK 117
-82.61%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Stokke
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$2.00₱126
$2.19NOK 20.65
-8.68%
White Bread(500g)
$1.37₱86.2
$2.14NOK 20.10
-35.98%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$1.03₱64.9
$4.67NOK 43.99
-77.94%
Eggs
$2.03₱128
$4.57NOK 43.03
-55.58%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$10.20₱642
$10.27NOK 96.7
-0.68%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$4.45₱280
$15.40NOK 145
-71.10%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$7.67₱483
$30.88NOK 291
-75.16%
Apples(1kg)
$3.31₱208
$3.11NOK 29.27
6.43%
Banana(1kg)
$1.46₱91.8
$2.48NOK 23.37
-41.13%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.32₱146
$3.54NOK 33.28
-34.46%
Tomato(1kg)
$1.49₱94.0
$5.71NOK 53.8
-73.91%
Potato(1kg)
$2.34₱147
$2.40NOK 22.57
-2.50%
Onion(1kg)
$1.94₱122
$2.77NOK 26.04
-29.96%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.16₱73.0
$2.35NOK 22.09
-50.64%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68₱42.89
$0.86NOK 8.12
-20.93%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$2.99₱188
$17.43NOK 164
-82.85%
Wine(Bottle)
$6.24₱393
$14.75NOK 139
-57.69%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23₱77.3
$3.48NOK 32.74
-64.66%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73₱109
$4.11NOK 38.69
-57.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Stokke
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.23₱14.36
$4.41NOK 41.48
-94.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$12.34₱777
$79.2NOK 746
-84.42%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$0.79₱49.96
$12.02NOK 113
-93.43%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.22₱13.86
$1.85NOK 17.43
-88.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$4.54₱286
$70.2NOK 661
-93.53%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.32₱82.9
$2.43NOK 22.83
-45.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K₱1.3M
$47.1KNOK 443.3K
-55.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.4K₱1.2M
$44.3KNOK 417.1K
-56.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Stokke
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$119₱7,464
$262NOK 2,464
-54.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.22₱896
$30.96NOK 291
-54.07%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.47₱1,730
$53.3NOK 501
-48.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Stokke
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$32.31₱2,034
$55.6NOK 524
-41.90%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.50₱409
$35.84NOK 337
-81.86%
Cinema Ticket
$5.40₱340
$15.38NOK 145
-64.89%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Stokke
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$276₱17.4K
$237NOK 2,230
16.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$7,866₱495.3K
$15.6KNOK 146.7K
-49.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Stokke
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.37₱3,108
$84.8NOK 798
-41.78%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.58₱1,548
$20.93NOK 197
17.44%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$76.6₱4,825
$52.6NOK 495
45.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$58.9₱3,706
$94.4NOK 889
-37.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Stokke
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$503₱31.7K
$1,181NOK 11.1K
-57.38%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$305₱19.2K
$987NOK 9,293
-69.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,075₱67.7K
$1,990NOK 18.7K
-46.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$632₱39.8K
$1,643NOK 15.5K
-61.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$2,870₱180.7K
$6,163NOK 58.0K
-53.44%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$1,877₱118.2K
$4,011NOK 37.8K
-53.20%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Stokke
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$336₱21.1K
$3,446NOK 32.4K
-90.25%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
7.2
4.94
45.75%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026
Last update for Stokke: October 17, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$305 33.3%
Stokke
$987 39.6% ↑ 224%$683
🛒Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$210 22.9%
Stokke
$441 17.7% ↑ 111%$232
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$160 17.5%
Stokke
$346 13.9% ↑ 116%$186
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94 10.3%
Stokke
$114 4.6% ↑ 20.7%$20
🍽Eating Out
Cebu
$88 9.6%
Stokke
$399 16% ↑ 355%$312
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$43 4.7%
Stokke
$86 3.5% ↑ 100%$43
🚌Getting Around
Cebu
$15 1.7%
Stokke
$118 4.7% ↑ 680%$103
🏠Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$632 32.9%
Stokke
$1.6K 31.8% ↑ 160%$1K
🛒Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$491 25.6%
Stokke
$1K 19.9% ↑ 110%$539
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$174 9.1%
Stokke
$377 7.3% ↑ 116%$202
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$209 10.9%
Stokke
$253 4.9% ↑ 20.7%$43
🍽Eating Out
Cebu
$290 15.1%
Stokke
$1.4K 27.3% ↑ 386%$1.1K
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$93 4.8%
Stokke
$209 4% ↑ 125%$116
🚌Getting Around
Cebu
$31 1.6%
Stokke
$245 4.7% ↑ 697%$214
Cost Breakdown
🏠A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $503 in Cebu and $1,181 in Stokke. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Stokke pays 926% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.
🛒Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $125 in Stokke for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $441 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.
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 Stokke: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Stokke cheaper than Cebu?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 172% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cebu or Stokke?
On paper, salaries run 926% lower in Stokke. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Cebu and Stokke?
Rent for a central apartment: $503 in Cebu versus $1,181 in Stokke. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Stokke?
All in, you'll spend $915 per month in Cebu versus $2,492 in Stokke – a 172% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 542% less than in Stokke. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Cebu or in Stokke?
At $915 in Cebu versus $2,492 in Stokke, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Stokke. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Cebu or Stokke more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Stokke, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Cebu or Stokke?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Stokke are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 172% less than in Stokke. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.