Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Surat

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat: $806 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Cebu despite lower rent and utilities.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Surat
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Surat Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Surat

🇮🇳 India

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Surat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $806 in Surat.

Cebu $934
Surat $806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $826 in Surat.

Cebu $1,415
Surat $826

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $847 in Surat.

Cebu $1,896
Surat $847

Living in Cebu is roughly 16% more expensive than in Surat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Surat 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱190

$3.18 ₹307

-4.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,473

$10.40 ₹1,006

125.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱256

$3.14 ₹304

30.25%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$1.83 ₹177

37.70%

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

$1.54 ₱96.9

$0.36 ₹34.38

327.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.98

$0.15 ₹14.56

226.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

$2.92 ₹282

-38.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$3.19 ₹309

-29.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$0.73 ₹70.9

167.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.7

$0.47 ₹45.50

204.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱63.8

$0.66 ₹63.5

54.55%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$0.95 ₹91.5

116.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱615

$4.34 ₹420

126.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱289

$2.73 ₹265

68.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱483

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱207

$1.70 ₹164

94.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱90.9

$0.62 ₹59.6

133.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$0.80 ₹77.4

195.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.4

$0.54 ₹52.2

185.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$0.35 ₹33.56

574.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$0.43 ₹41.73

362.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

$0.48 ₹46.59

139.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.15

$0.30 ₹28.89

123.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

$5.12 ₹495

-41.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

$7.60 ₹735

-16.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

$1.86 ₹180

-29.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

$3.01 ₹291

-42.52%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.06 ₹586

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

$0.22 ₹21.19

13.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

$5.27 ₹510

140.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

$0.59 ₹57.2

25.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$0.22 ₹21.32

-4.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

$1.07 ₹103

304.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$1.13 ₹110

17.70%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$12.1K ₹1.2M

79.14%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$18.3K ₹1.8M

5.81%

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

$121 ₱7,563

$36.72 ₹3,554

228.38%

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

$14.45 ₱907

$3.64 ₹353

296.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,774

$7.44 ₹720

280.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

$18.59 ₹1,799

75.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

$5.16 ₹499

23.84%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

$2.88 ₹278

89.58%

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

$273 ₱17.1K

$33.35 ₹3,227

719.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

$891 ₹86.2K

815.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

$22.51 ₹2,179

120.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

$24.53 ₹2,374

1.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

$40.90 ₹3,958

87.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,717

$32.42 ₹3,137

82.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.7K

$216 ₹20.9K

133.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$499 ₹48.3K

-37.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.0K

$375 ₹36.3K

180.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

$201 ₹19.5K

207.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

$660 ₹63.8K

341.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

$309 ₹29.9K

504.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

$313 ₹30.3K

8.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

9.17

-21.48%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Surat: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Surat

$499 61.3% 61.2% $189

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Surat

$101 12.4% 52% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Surat

$48 5.9% 70.7% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Surat

$54 6.7% 42.8% $40

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Surat

$80 9.8% 9.8% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Surat

$24 3% 44.2% $19

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Surat

$7.8 1% 49.2% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $216 in Surat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 9% 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 $10.00 in Surat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $101 per month, with Surat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇳 Surat

🕒 Local time

13:25 1:25 PM

10:55 10:55 AM

2 h 30 min behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

6,936,534

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Surat 5,570 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Surat

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 Surat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surat is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 16% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 9% 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 $216 in Surat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $806 in Surat – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Surat runs roughly 140% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Surat gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Surat 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 Surat 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 Surat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.