Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Tamarin

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,024 in Tamarin, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Tamarin
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Tamarin Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Tamarin

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$1,024

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Tamarin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,024 in Tamarin.

Cebu $918
Tamarin $1,024

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,623 in Tamarin.

Cebu $1,409
Tamarin $1,623

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,222 in Tamarin.

Cebu $1,900
Tamarin $2,222

Living in Cebu costs roughly 10% less than in Tamarin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Tamarin 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$5.64 MUR 266

-45.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$32.00 MUR 1,507

-24.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.05 MUR 332

-44.40%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.57 MUR 121

-2.33%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$1.18 MUR 55.5

34.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.67 MUR 31.34

-20.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.66 MUR 125

-33.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$4.87 MUR 229

-55.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.52 MUR 71.7

26.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.22 MUR 10.37

518.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.14 MUR 53.9

-11.40%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.48 MUR 117

-18.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$3.90 MUR 184

152.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$6.34 MUR 299

-30.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$11.06 MUR 521

-31.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.12 MUR 99.6

55.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$2.19 MUR 103

-36.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.45 MUR 68.1

60.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$2.90 MUR 137

-48.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.95 MUR 44.96

148.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.00 MUR 46.91

90.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.70 MUR 32.73

70.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.87 MUR 41.10

-27.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$5.99 MUR 282

-49.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$8.62 MUR 406

-30.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.62 MUR 76.5

-24.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.87 MUR 88.2

-6.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.87 MUR 41.12

-71.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$4.26 MUR 201

-81.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$3.10 MUR 146

-92.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$6.42 MUR 302

-30.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.35 MUR 63.6

-2.96%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$29.5K MUR 1.4M

-27.90%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$30.6K MUR 1.4M

-37.42%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$44.88 MUR 2,113

167.89%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$10.38 MUR 489

34.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$29.37 MUR 1,383

-6.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$40.56 MUR 1,910

-20.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$6.24 MUR 294

-9.46%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$124 MUR 5,855

121.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$3,087 MUR 145.3K

156.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$64.1 MUR 3,016

-23.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$53.0 MUR 2,497

-52.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$83.2 MUR 3,916

-7.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$58.1 MUR 2,736

-1.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$937 MUR 44.1K

-46.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$420 MUR 19.8K

-26.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$1,603 MUR 75.5K

-32.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$839 MUR 39.5K

-26.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$826 MUR 38.9K

-58.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

6.67

7.95%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Tamarin: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Tamarin

$420 41% 35.9% $111

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Tamarin

$200 19.5% 2.9% $6.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Tamarin

$85 8.3% 47.7% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Tamarin

$116 11.4% 23.8% $22

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Tamarin

$128 12.5% 44.5% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Tamarin

$53 5.2% 21.6% $9.4

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Tamarin

$23 * 2.3% 49.2% $7.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $937 in Tamarin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tamarin pays 139% 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 $32.00 in Tamarin. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $200, with Tamarin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇲🇺 Tamarin

🕒 Local time

23:11 11:11 PM

19:11 7:11 PM

4 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

4,371

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Tamarin 8,030 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Tamarin

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 Tamarin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 139% lower in Tamarin. 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 $937 in Tamarin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Tamarin pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $1,024 in Tamarin – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,024 in Tamarin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Tamarin. 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 Tamarin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Tamarin 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 12% less than in Tamarin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.