Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Sveti Nikole

For one person, living is cheaper in Sveti Nikole: $847 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Sveti Nikole
Learn more

Sveti Nikole Living Index

Jump to prices

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Sveti Nikole

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$847

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Sveti Nikole

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $847 in Sveti Nikole.

Cebu $934
Sveti Nikole $847

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $1,299 in Sveti Nikole.

Cebu $1,415
Sveti Nikole $1,299

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $1,752 in Sveti Nikole.

Cebu $1,896
Sveti Nikole $1,752

Living in Cebu is roughly 10% more expensive than in Sveti Nikole, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Sveti Nikole 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱190

$8.91 MKD 488

-65.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,473

$34.23 MKD 1,876

-31.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱256

$5.31 MKD 291

-22.98%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$1.62 MKD 88.8

55.56%

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

$1.54 ₱96.9

$1.40 MKD 76.7

10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.98

$0.98 MKD 53.6

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

$1.59 MKD 87.0

12.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$1.81 MKD 99.1

24.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.30 MKD 71.1

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.7

$0.59 MKD 32.37

142.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱63.8

$1.15 MKD 63.2

-11.30%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$2.50 MKD 137

-17.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱615

$8.98 MKD 492

9.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱289

$4.62 MKD 253

-0.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱483

$12.02 MKD 659

-35.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱207

$1.35 MKD 74.0

145.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱90.9

$1.24 MKD 67.8

16.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.23 MKD 67.7

91.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.4

$1.70 MKD 93.3

-9.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$0.74 MKD 40.77

218.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$1.16 MKD 63.8

71.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

$0.80 MKD 43.74

43.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.15

$0.42 MKD 23.08

59.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

$3.03 MKD 166

-0.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

$6.41 MKD 351

-0.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

$0.98 MKD 53.5

33.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

$1.42 MKD 77.7

21.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

$0.72 MKD 39.23

-65.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

$23.30 MKD 1,277

-45.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

$1.43 MKD 78.6

-48.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$0.99 MKD 54.1

-78.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

$3.71 MKD 203

16.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$1.47 MKD 80.7

-9.52%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$34.4K MKD 1.9M

-36.70%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$27.3K MKD 1.5M

-28.95%

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

$121 ₱7,563

$128 MKD 7,030

-6.00%

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

$14.45 ₱907

$15.35 MKD 841

-5.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,774

$11.85 MKD 649

138.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

$22.65 MKD 1,241

44.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

$16.14 MKD 884

-60.41%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

$4.93 MKD 270

10.75%

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

$273 ₱17.1K

$303 MKD 16.6K

-9.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

$3,086 MKD 169.1K

164.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

$72.7 MKD 3,982

-31.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

$31.69 MKD 1,736

-21.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

$82.5 MKD 4,523

-7.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,717

$85.5 MKD 4,684

-30.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.7K

$239 MKD 13.1K

111.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$182 MKD 9,990

69.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.0K

$539 MKD 29.5K

95.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

$262 MKD 14.3K

136.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

$1,505 MKD 82.5K

93.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

$1,149 MKD 63.0K

62.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

$548 MKD 30.0K

-37.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

4.23

70.21%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sveti Nikole: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Sveti Nikole

$182 21.9% 41.1% $127

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Sveti Nikole

$181 21.7% 14.2% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Sveti Nikole

$155 18.7% 4.8% $7.8

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Sveti Nikole

$123 14.7% 29.5% $28

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Sveti Nikole

$128 15.3% 44.5% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Sveti Nikole

$33 3.9% 25.4% $11

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Sveti Nikole

$33 3.9% 111% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $239 in Sveti Nikole. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sveti Nikole pays 61% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Cebu vs $34.00 in Sveti Nikole. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $181, with Sveti Nikole cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇲🇰 Sveti Nikole

🕒 Local time

20:58 8:58 PM

14:58 2:58 PM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

13,220

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, 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 = 70.28 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 54.8 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.41 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Sveti Nikole 10,220 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Sveti Nikole

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 Sveti Nikole: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sveti Nikole is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and utilities. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 61% lower in Sveti Nikole. 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: $506 in Cebu versus $239 in Sveti Nikole. 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 $847 in Sveti Nikole – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sveti Nikole runs roughly 84% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Sveti Nikole gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Sveti Nikole 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 Sveti Nikole 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 Sveti Nikole gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.