Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Suginami-ku

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,256 in Suginami-ku, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Suginami-ku
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,256
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Suginami-ku

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 Suginami-ku actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,256 in Suginami-ku.

  • Cebu $918
  • Suginami-ku $1,256

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,994 in Suginami-ku.

  • Cebu $1,409
  • Suginami-ku $1,994

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,732 in Suginami-ku.

  • Cebu $1,900
  • Suginami-ku $2,732

Living in Cebu costs roughly 27% less than in Suginami-ku, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Suginami-ku 7% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Suginami-ku
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.09 ₱194
$6.34 ¥1,002
-51.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.22 ₱1,525
$40.62 ¥6,418
-40.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.92 ₱247
$5.12 ¥810
-23.44%
Cappuccino
$2.51 ₱158
$3.47 ¥548
-27.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 ₱100
$1.05 ¥166
51.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 ₱33.43
$0.78 ¥124
-32.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.78 ₱112
$2.56 ¥404
-30.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 ₱137
$3.18 ¥503
-31.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Suginami-ku
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.92 ₱121
$1.44 ¥227
33.33%
White Bread (500g)
$1.36 ₱85.4
$1.70 ¥269
-20.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.01 ₱63.5
$3.65 ¥576
-72.33%
Eggs
$2.03 ₱128
$1.97 ¥312
3.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.86 ₱621
$10.52 ¥1,661
-6.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.39 ₱277
$5.99 ¥946
-26.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.60 ₱479
$14.18 ¥2,241
-46.40%
Apples (1kg)
$3.30 ₱208
$5.81 ¥917
-43.20%
Banana (1kg)
$1.39 ₱87.8
$2.75 ¥434
-49.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.33 ₱147
$2.80 ¥442
-16.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ₱94.3
$4.08 ¥645
-63.24%
Potato (1kg)
$2.36 ₱149
$2.65 ¥418
-10.94%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 ₱119
$2.64 ¥416
-28.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 ₱74.9
$1.23 ¥194
-3.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63 ₱39.71
$0.81 ¥128
-22.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00 ₱189
$3.82 ¥604
-21.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.03 ₱379
$6.48 ¥1,024
-6.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 ₱77.7
$1.79 ¥283
-31.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₱110
$2.03 ¥320
-13.79%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Suginami-ku
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 ₱15.86
$1.39 ¥219
-82.01%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.64 ₱796
$46.37 ¥7,326
-72.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.77 ₱48.62
$3.21 ¥508
-76.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.23 ₱14.53
$2.76 ¥435
-91.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.46 ₱281
$20.79 ¥3,285
-78.55%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ₱82.8
$1.11 ¥175
18.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ₱1.3M
$21.0K ¥3.3M
1.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.1K ₱1.2M
$18.1K ¥2.9M
6.03%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Suginami-ku
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 ₱7,569
$130 ¥20.6K
-7.83%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.00 ₱882
$23.89 ¥3,774
-41.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.54 ₱1,734
$31.49 ¥4,974
-12.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Suginami-ku
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.33 ₱2,035
$58.1 ¥9,175
-44.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.65 ₱419
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.65 ₱356
$12.85 ¥2,030
-56.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Suginami-ku
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$275 ₱17.3K
$631 ¥99.7K
-56.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,918 ₱498.5K
$14.8K ¥2.3M
-46.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Suginami-ku
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.33 ₱3,106
$61.4 ¥9,697
-19.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.24 ₱1,589
$36.64 ¥5,789
-31.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.0 ₱4,846
$60.3 ¥9,528
27.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.2 ₱3,601
$102 ¥16.1K
-43.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Suginami-ku
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$500 ₱31.5K
$477 ¥75.3K
4.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ₱19.4K
$377 ¥59.6K
-18.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 ₱67.9K
$979 ¥154.7K
10.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$615 ₱38.7K
$803 ¥126.9K
-23.43%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,886 ₱181.7K
$4,685 ¥740.1K
-38.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,917 ₱120.7K
$1,700 ¥268.6K
12.72%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Suginami-ku
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$346 ₱21.8K
$2,799 ¥442.2K
-87.64%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
2
260.00%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Suginami-ku: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$309
Suginami-ku
$377 22.2% $69
Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$206
Suginami-ku
$289 40.3% $83
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$162
Suginami-ku
$186 14.9% $24
Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94
Suginami-ku
$117 24.7% $23
Eating Out
Cebu
$88
Suginami-ku
$134 52.1% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44
Suginami-ku
$84 92% $40
Getting Around
Cebu
$16
Suginami-ku
$69 343% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $477 in Suginami-ku. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Suginami-ku pays 709% 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 $41.00 in Suginami-ku for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $289 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cebu
🇯🇵 Suginami-ku
🕒 Local time
05:05 5:05 AM
06:05 6:05 AM
1 h ahead of Cebu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
964,169
540,180
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cebu Suginami-ku 3,240 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Cebu
  • Suginami-ku

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 Suginami-ku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Suginami-ku cheaper than Cebu?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 37% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cebu or Suginami-ku?
On paper, salaries run 709% lower in Suginami-ku. 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 Suginami-ku?
Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $477 in Suginami-ku. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Suginami-ku?
All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $1,256 in Suginami-ku – a 37% 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 267% less than in Suginami-ku. 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 Suginami-ku?
At $918 in Cebu versus $1,256 in Suginami-ku, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Suginami-ku. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Cebu or Suginami-ku more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Suginami-ku, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Cebu or Suginami-ku?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Suginami-ku 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 37% less than in Suginami-ku. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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