Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Sylhet

For one person, living is cheaper in Sylhet: $365 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
18

Cost of Living Index in Sylhet
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Sylhet Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Sylhet

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$365

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Sylhet

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $365 in Sylhet.

Cebu $918
Sylhet $365

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $617 in Sylhet.

Cebu $1,409
Sylhet $617

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $869 in Sylhet.

Cebu $1,900
Sylhet $869

Living in Cebu is roughly 151% more expensive than in Sylhet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Sylhet 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$2.46 ৳303

25.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,520

$11.56 ৳1,424

109.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱246

$4.01 ৳494

-2.24%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.02 ৳495

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 ৳504

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱157

$1.98 ৳243

26.77%

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

$1.59 ₱99.9

$0.31 ৳37.55

412.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.33

$0.15 ৳18.45

253.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱120

$0.79 ৳97.6

143.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.2

$0.59 ৳72.9

130.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.3

$0.65 ৳79.5

55.38%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱127

$1.18 ৳145

72.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱619

$7.83 ৳964

25.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱276

$3.35 ৳413

31.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱477

$6.55 ৳806

16.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱207

$2.68 ৳330

23.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.5

$0.90 ৳111

54.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱146

$2.42 ৳298

-3.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.0

$0.60 ৳74.2

150.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$0.26 ৳32.23

807.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.46 ৳57.2

313.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.7

$0.32 ৳39.33

271.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.59

$0.27 ৳33.02

133.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.81 ৳346

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 ৳252

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 ৳499

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$2.76 ৳340

8.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱378

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.81

$0.70 ৳86.1

-64.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱793

$24.05 ৳2,961

-47.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.47

$1.24 ৳152

-37.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.49

$0.15 ৳18.51

53.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱280

$1.17 ৳144

281.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.5

$1.08 ৳133

21.30%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$29.9K ৳3.7M

-28.86%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$33.0K ৳4.1M

-41.97%

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

$120 ₱7,547

$25.97 ৳3,196

362.96%

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

$14.00 ₱879

$4.23 ৳520

230.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,729

$10.48 ৳1,290

162.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,029

$9.05 ৳1,114

257.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱417

$4.01 ৳493

65.84%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱355

$4.02 ৳495

40.55%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$28.87 ৳3,554

853.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱497.0K

$995 ৳122.5K

695.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,097

$16.22 ৳1,997

204.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,585

$16.43 ৳2,023

53.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,831

$36.99 ৳4,554

108.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,590

$30.47 ৳3,751

87.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.4K

$129 ৳15.8K

288.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$57.6 ৳7,087

436.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.7K

$173 ৳21.3K

524.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.6K

$162 ৳19.9K

280.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.2K

$706 ৳86.9K

308.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.3K

$350 ৳43.1K

446.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.7K

$224 ৳27.6K

54.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

10.48

-31.30%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sylhet: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Sylhet

$58 15.8% 81.4% $251

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Sylhet

$119 32.5% 42.3% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Sylhet

$41 11.1% 74.9% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Sylhet

$45 12.3% 52% $49

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Sylhet

$57 15.7% 35.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Sylhet

$17 4.7% 60.8% $27

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Sylhet

$29 7.9% 85.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $129 in Sylhet. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 54% 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 $12.00 in Sylhet for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $119 per month, with Sylhet cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇧🇩 Sylhet

🕒 Local time

11:25 11:25 AM

09:25 9:25 AM

2 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

526,412

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.12 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 62.77 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.25 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.12 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Sylhet 3,750 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Sylhet

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 Sylhet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sylhet is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 151% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 54% 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: $500 in Cebu versus $129 in Sylhet. 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 $365 in Sylhet – a 151% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sylhet runs roughly 90% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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

For families, Sylhet 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 Sylhet 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 Sylhet gentler on the wallet – expenses run 151% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.