Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Surabaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Surabaya: $688 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
Learn more

Surabaya Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Surabaya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $688 in Surabaya.

Cebu $934
Surabaya $688

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $1,191 in Surabaya.

Cebu $1,415
Surabaya $1,191

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $1,695 in Surabaya.

Cebu $1,896
Surabaya $1,695

Living in Cebu is roughly 36% more expensive than in Surabaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Surabaya 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱191

$1.69 Rp 30.3K

79.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,476

$11.40 Rp 204.0K

105.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱257

$3.05 Rp 54.6K

34.10%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$1.57 Rp 28.0K

60.51%

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

$1.54 ₱97.2

$0.61 Rp 10.8K

152.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.06

$0.28 Rp 5,030

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱113

$2.26 Rp 40.5K

-20.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$4.09 Rp 73.2K

-44.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.22 Rp 21.8K

59.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.9

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

12.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.0

$0.84 Rp 15.0K

21.43%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$1.20 Rp 21.5K

71.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱617

$7.66 Rp 137.1K

28.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱290

$3.08 Rp 55.1K

49.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱484

$7.85 Rp 140.4K

-1.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$2.09 Rp 37.5K

58.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱91.2

$1.30 Rp 23.2K

11.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.82 Rp 32.6K

29.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.6

$1.56 Rp 27.8K

-1.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

81.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$1.91 Rp 34.2K

4.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.3

$0.96 Rp 17.2K

19.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.26

$0.43 Rp 7,686

55.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$1.94 Rp 34.6K

54.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱399

$24.67 Rp 441.4K

-74.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱82.1

$1.73 Rp 30.9K

-24.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$3.00 Rp 53.6K

-42.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.82

$0.32 Rp 5,674

-21.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.44

$0.48 Rp 8,526

54.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.15

$0.43 Rp 7,686

-51.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱272

$2.61 Rp 46.8K

65.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.7

$0.83 Rp 14.8K

60.24%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$25.0K Rp 446.4M

-12.77%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$32.8K Rp 586.0M

-40.78%

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

$121 ₱7,583

$86.2 Rp 1.5M

39.95%

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

$14.45 ₱909

$4.58 Rp 82.0K

215.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,779

$19.24 Rp 344.2K

47.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,055

$17.96 Rp 321.3K

81.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱402

$6.82 Rp 122.0K

-6.30%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱343

$2.72 Rp 48.7K

100.74%

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

$273 ₱17.2K

$280 Rp 5.0M

-2.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱512.9K

$9,557 Rp 171.0M

-14.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,117

$70.0 Rp 1.3M

-29.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,564

$39.31 Rp 703.2K

-36.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,817

$81.4 Rp 1.5M

-5.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,727

$73.4 Rp 1.3M

-19.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.8K

$279 Rp 5.0M

81.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.5K

$147 Rp 2.6M

110.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.1K

$1,247 Rp 22.3M

-15.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.9K

$620 Rp 11.1M

-0.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱183.4K

$2,155 Rp 38.6M

35.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.4K

$1,047 Rp 18.7M

78.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.5K

$273 Rp 4.9M

24.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

7.5

-4.00%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Surabaya: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Surabaya

$147 21.7% 52.6% $163

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Surabaya

$209 30.9% 0.6% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Surabaya

$110 16.3% 32.7% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Surabaya

$119 17.6% 25.6% $24

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Surabaya

$65 9.5% 27% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Surabaya

$23 3.5% 46.3% $20

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6% 74.8% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $279 in Surabaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 25% 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: $23.00 in Cebu vs $11.00 in Surabaya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $209 per month, with Surabaya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🕒 Local time

09:53 9:53 AM

08:53 8:53 AM

1 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

2,765,487

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,890 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,065 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Surabaya 2,310 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Surabaya

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 Surabaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surabaya is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 36% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 25% higher in Cebu, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $506 in Cebu versus $279 in Surabaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $688 in Surabaya – a 36% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Surabaya gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Surabaya is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cebu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Surabaya 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 Surabaya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.