Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Sumy

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $973 in Sumy, rent and utilities included – about $660 less a year. The total is higher in Sumy despite lower rent and utilities.

Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Sumy
🇺🇦 Ukraine
$973
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Sumy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $973 in Sumy.

  • Cebu $918
  • Sumy $973

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,669 in Sumy.

  • Cebu $1,409
  • Sumy $1,669

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,365 in Sumy.

  • Cebu $1,900
  • Sumy $2,365

Living in Cebu costs roughly 6% less than in Sumy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Sumy 28% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Sumy
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.09 ₱194
$11.13 ₴500
-72.24%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.22 ₱1,525
$33.38 ₴1,498
-27.44%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.92 ₱247
$7.95 ₴357
-50.69%
Cappuccino
$2.51 ₱158
$1.69 ₴75.7
48.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 ₱100
$0.75 ₴33.57
112.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 ₱33.43
$0.55 ₴24.78
-3.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.78 ₱112
$1.35 ₴60.8
31.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 ₱137
$1.96 ₴87.8
10.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Sumy
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.92 ₱121
$1.35 ₴60.6
42.22%
White Bread (500g)
$1.36 ₱85.4
$0.83 ₴37.37
63.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.01 ₱63.5
$1.45 ₴64.9
-30.34%
Eggs
$2.03 ₱128
$2.06 ₴92.3
-1.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.86 ₱621
$10.31 ₴463
-4.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.39 ₱277
$5.36 ₴241
-18.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.60 ₱479
$8.79 ₴395
-13.54%
Apples (1kg)
$3.30 ₱208
$1.20 ₴53.9
175.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.39 ₱87.8
$1.55 ₴69.5
-10.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.33 ₱147
$1.88 ₴84.2
23.94%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ₱94.3
$2.81 ₴126
-46.62%
Potato (1kg)
$2.36 ₱149
$0.65 ₴29.22
263.08%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 ₱119
$0.46 ₴20.52
313.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 ₱74.9
$1.39 ₴62.3
-14.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63 ₱39.71
$0.66 ₴29.53
-4.55%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00 ₱189
$2.86 ₴128
4.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.03 ₱379
$5.63 ₴253
7.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 ₱77.7
$0.90 ₴40.26
36.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₱110
$0.90 ₴40.28
94.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Sumy
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 ₱15.86
$0.34 ₴15.38
-26.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.64 ₱796
$8.44 ₴379
49.76%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.77 ₱48.62
$2.23 ₴100
-65.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.23 ₱14.53
$0.46 ₴20.57
-50.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.46 ₱281
$4.37 ₴196
2.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ₱82.8
$1.51 ₴67.9
-13.25%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ₱1.3M
$29.1K ₴1.3M
-27.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.1K ₱1.2M
$22.2K ₴996.4K
-13.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Sumy
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 ₱7,569
$100.0 ₴4,488
20.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.00 ₱882
$7.01 ₴315
99.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.54 ₱1,734
$6.54 ₴293
321.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Sumy
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.33 ₱2,035
$46.50 ₴2,087
-30.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.65 ₱419
$21.44 ₴962
-68.98%
Cinema Ticket
$5.65 ₱356
$3.56 ₴160
58.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Sumy
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$275 ₱17.3K
$238 ₴10.7K
15.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,918 ₱498.5K
$15.3K ₴686.2K
-48.20%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Sumy
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.33 ₱3,106
$74.6 ₴3,346
-33.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.24 ₱1,589
$31.08 ₴1,395
-18.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.0 ₱4,846
$97.4 ₴4,372
-20.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.2 ₱3,601
$121 ₴5,432
-52.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Sumy
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$500 ₱31.5K
$545 ₴24.4K
-8.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ₱19.4K
$306 ₴13.7K
1.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 ₱67.9K
$998 ₴44.8K
7.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$615 ₱38.7K
$845 ₴37.9K
-27.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,886 ₱181.7K
$1,641 ₴73.6K
75.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,917 ₱120.7K
$1,360 ₴61.0K
40.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Sumy
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$346 ₱21.8K
$380 ₴17.1K
-9.03%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
15.9
-54.72%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sumy: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$309
Sumy
$306 1% $3.1
Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$206
Sumy
$191 7.4% $15
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$162
Sumy
$114 29.8% $48
Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94
Sumy
$146 55.2% $52
Eating Out
Cebu
$88
Sumy
$149 68.9% $61
Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44
Sumy
$54 22.9% $10
Getting Around
Cebu
$16
Sumy
$14 8% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $545 in Sumy. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sumy pays 10% 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 $33.00 in Sumy. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $191, with Sumy cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cebu
🇺🇦 Sumy
🕒 Local time
18:14 6:14 PM
13:14 1:14 PM
5 h behind Cebu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
964,169
267,633
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, 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).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 44.89 UAH (100 UAH = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 50.46 UAH (100 UAH = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cebu Sumy 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cebu
  • Sumy

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 Sumy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sumy cheaper than Cebu?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cebu or Sumy?
On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Sumy. 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 Sumy?
Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $545 in Sumy. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Sumy?
All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $973 in Sumy – a 6% 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 50% less than in Sumy. 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 Sumy?
At $918 in Cebu versus $973 in Sumy, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Sumy. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Cebu or Sumy more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sumy, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Cebu or Sumy?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Sumy 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 6% less than in Sumy. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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