Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Suwalki

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,460 in Suwalki, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Suwalki
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Suwalki Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Suwalki

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,460

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Suwalki

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,460 in Suwalki.

Cebu $918
Suwalki $1,460

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $2,030 in Suwalki.

Cebu $1,409
Suwalki $2,030

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,599 in Suwalki.

Cebu $1,900
Suwalki $2,599

Living in Cebu costs roughly 37% less than in Suwalki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 32% below, Suwalki is 8% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$5.22 zł 20.30

-40.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$20.41 zł 79.3

18.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$9.14 zł 35.51

-57.11%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$3.21 zł 12.48

-21.81%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.88 zł 3.40

80.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$2.26 zł 8.79

-76.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$4.70 zł 18.26

-62.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$5.11 zł 19.83

-57.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$0.96 zł 3.72

100.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.90 zł 3.51

51.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.07 zł 4.16

-5.61%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.69 zł 10.44

-24.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$7.79 zł 30.26

26.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$5.24 zł 20.37

-16.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$6.23 zł 24.21

21.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$0.77 zł 3.01

328.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.66 zł 6.46

-16.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.74 zł 6.76

33.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$3.96 zł 15.39

-62.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.53 zł 2.07

345.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.86 zł 3.33

120.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.12 zł 4.33

6.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.37 zł 1.43

70.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$6.23 zł 24.21

-51.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$6.19 zł 24.05

-2.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.11 zł 4.31

10.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.63 zł 6.35

7.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$1.05 zł 4.06

-76.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$30.22 zł 117

-58.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$2.57 zł 9.98

-70.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$1.25 zł 4.86

-81.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$12.84 zł 49.87

-65.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.78 zł 6.90

-26.40%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$30.6K zł 118.9K

-30.56%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$30.6K zł 118.8K

-37.39%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$341 zł 1,326

-64.78%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$9.21 zł 35.78

52.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$15.89 zł 61.7

73.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$38.37 zł 149

-15.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$24.80 zł 96.4

-73.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$8.98 zł 34.89

-37.08%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$588 zł 2,283

-53.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$14.5K zł 56.4K

-45.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$109 zł 423

-54.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$39.37 zł 153

-35.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$106 zł 412

-27.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$112 zł 434

-48.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$606 zł 2,354

-17.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$500 zł 1,942

-38.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$1,002 zł 3,891

7.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$825 zł 3,207

-25.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$3,067 zł 11.9K

-5.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$2,388 zł 9,276

-19.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$1,459 zł 5,669

-76.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

6.68

7.78%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Suwalki: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Suwalki

$500 34.2% 61.8% $191

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Suwalki

$176 12% 14.6% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Suwalki

$366 25.1% 127% $205

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Suwalki

$165 11.3% 75.3% $71

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Suwalki

$154 10.6% 74.5% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Suwalki

$56 3.9% 29.1% $13

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Suwalki

$43 3% 178% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $606 in Suwalki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Suwalki pays 322% 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 $20.00 in Suwalki for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $176 per month, with Suwalki cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇵🇱 Suwalki

🕒 Local time

03:01 3:01 AM

21:01 9:01 PM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

69,575

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Suwalki 9,780 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Suwalki

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 Suwalki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 59% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 322% lower in Suwalki. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $606 in Suwalki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $1,460 in Suwalki – a 59% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 139% less than in Suwalki. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,460 in Suwalki, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Suwalki. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Cebu and Suwalki 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Suwalki. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.