Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Tacloban

For one person, living is cheaper in Tacloban: $771 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Tacloban
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Tacloban Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Tacloban

🇵🇭 Philippines

$771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Tacloban

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $771 in Tacloban.

Cebu $934
Tacloban $771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Cebu versus $1,152 in Tacloban.

Cebu $1,423
Tacloban $1,152

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,913 in Cebu versus $1,532 in Tacloban.

Cebu $1,913
Tacloban $1,532

Living in Cebu is roughly 21% more expensive than in Tacloban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 31% lower, Tacloban 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ₱242

$4.00 ₱255

-5.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.33 ₱1,491

$15.55 ₱994

50.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.94 ₱252

$2.33 ₱149

69.10%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₱163

$2.31 ₱148

9.96%

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

$1.57 ₱100

$0.68 ₱43.57

130.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₱29.82

$0.36 ₱23.22

30.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ₱113

$1.59 ₱102

11.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₱142

$2.17 ₱138

2.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.91 ₱122

-0.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱87.1

$1.11 ₱70.6

22.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.8

$0.80 ₱51.2

17.50%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$1.89 ₱121

5.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 ₱620

$10.05 ₱642

-3.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 ₱276

$4.11 ₱262

5.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 ₱480

$7.18 ₱459

4.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱211

$3.18 ₱203

4.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ₱87.5

$1.08 ₱68.8

26.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱149

$2.28 ₱146

2.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱95.4

$1.46 ₱93.3

2.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱147

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ₱120

$1.85 ₱118

1.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱70.3

$1.09 ₱69.7

0.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱40.36

$0.60 ₱38.26

5.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 ₱183

$1.86 ₱119

53.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.08 ₱389

$6.30 ₱402

-3.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.4

$1.07 ₱68.4

18.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱110

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.99

$0.20 ₱12.82

10.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱788

$12.30 ₱786

0.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱47.53

$0.78 ₱49.88

-5.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.08

$0.22 ₱14.07

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 ₱273

$1.86 ₱119

130.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱83.7

$1.04 ₱66.2

25.96%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$21.2K ₱1.4M

-2.27%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$18.8K ₱1.2M

1.13%

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

$118 ₱7,565

$117 ₱7,485

1.08%

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

$15.76 ₱1,007

$15.64 ₱999

0.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.33 ₱1,810

$28.34 ₱1,811

-0.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.94 ₱2,105

$31.68 ₱2,024

3.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.49 ₱415

$5.30 ₱339

22.45%

Cinema Ticket

$5.45 ₱348

$5.36 ₱342

1.68%

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

$276 ₱17.6K

$131 ₱8,357

110.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,789 ₱497.7K

$7,929 ₱506.6K

-1.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.18 ₱3,078

$32.33 ₱2,066

49.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.47 ₱1,564

$19.29 ₱1,233

26.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 ₱4,810

$76.5 ₱4,889

-1.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ₱3,707

$56.0 ₱3,577

3.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 ₱30.5K

$254 ₱16.2K

87.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.6K

$191 ₱12.2K

68.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 ₱61.5K

$498 ₱31.8K

93.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₱40.0K

$348 ₱22.2K

80.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,551 ₱290.8K

$2,586 ₱165.2K

76.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,028 ₱193.5K

$1,114 ₱71.1K

171.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$333 ₱21.3K

$340 ₱21.7K

-1.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

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

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tacloban: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$322 34.5%

Tacloban

$191 24.8% 40.5% $130

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$204 21.8%

Tacloban

$195 25.3% 4% $8.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.4%

Tacloban

$161 20.9% 0.8% $1.4

Eating Out

Cebu

$94 10.1%

Tacloban

$83 10.8% 11.6% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$93 9.9%

Tacloban

$83 10.7% 10.6% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Tacloban

$42 5.5% 3.3% $1.5

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.6%

Tacloban

$15 1.9% 0.5% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $477 in Cebu and $254 in Tacloban. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23 in Cebu vs $16 in Tacloban for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $195 per month, with Tacloban cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇵🇭 Tacloban

🕒 Local time

03:58 3:58 AM

Same time as Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

242,089

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Cebu Tacloban 160 km

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Cebu
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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 Tacloban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tacloban is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,401 in Cebu and $1,157 in Tacloban to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $477 in Cebu versus $254 in Tacloban. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% 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 $771 in Tacloban – Tacloban is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.