Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Tanjung Balai Karimun

For one person, living is cheaper in Tanjung Balai Karimun: $610 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Tanjung Balai Karimun
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Tanjung Balai Karimun Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Tanjung Balai Karimun

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$610

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Tanjung Balai Karimun

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 Tanjung Balai Karimun actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $610 in Tanjung Balai Karimun.

Cebu $934
Tanjung Balai Karimun $610

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Cebu versus $1,014 in Tanjung Balai Karimun.

Cebu $1,423
Tanjung Balai Karimun $1,014

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,913 in Cebu versus $1,417 in Tanjung Balai Karimun.

Cebu $1,913
Tanjung Balai Karimun $1,417

Living in Cebu is roughly 53% more expensive than in Tanjung Balai Karimun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 31% lower, Tanjung Balai Karimun 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ₱243

$1.60 Rp 29.1K

136.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.33 ₱1,493

$13.72 Rp 248.9K

70.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.94 ₱252

$3.27 Rp 59.4K

20.49%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₱163

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

73.97%

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

$1.57 ₱100

$0.46 Rp 8,278

241.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₱29.87

$0.24 Rp 4,375

95.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ₱113

$2.16 Rp 39.2K

-18.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₱142

$3.63 Rp 65.9K

-38.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.03 Rp 18.7K

84.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱87.3

$1.09 Rp 19.8K

24.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.9

$0.73 Rp 13.3K

28.77%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$1.62 Rp 29.4K

22.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 ₱621

$7.40 Rp 134.4K

31.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 ₱276

$2.90 Rp 52.6K

48.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 ₱481

$8.49 Rp 154.0K

-11.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱212

$2.36 Rp 42.7K

40.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ₱87.6

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

14.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱150

$1.47 Rp 26.7K

59.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱95.5

$1.29 Rp 23.4K

15.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱147

$1.08 Rp 19.6K

112.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ₱120

$2.03 Rp 36.8K

-7.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱70.4

$0.78 Rp 14.1K

41.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱40.42

$0.42 Rp 7,680

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 ₱183

$2.58 Rp 46.9K

10.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.08 ₱389

$20.80 Rp 377.4K

-70.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.6

$1.77 Rp 32.0K

-28.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱110

$3.32 Rp 60.2K

-48.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱14.01

$0.22 Rp 3,998

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱790

$9.92 Rp 180.1K

24.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱47.60

$0.49 Rp 8,942

51.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.10

$0.35 Rp 6,365

-37.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 ₱274

$2.91 Rp 52.9K

47.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱83.8

$0.72 Rp 13.0K

81.94%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$25.6K Rp 464.2M

-18.84%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$34.6K Rp 627.6M

-44.93%

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

$118 ₱7,577

$68.4 Rp 1.2M

73.16%

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

$15.76 ₱1,009

$4.25 Rp 77.2K

270.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.33 ₱1,813

$20.80 Rp 377.4K

36.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.94 ₱2,108

$18.27 Rp 331.5K

80.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.49 ₱415

$8.18 Rp 148.5K

-20.66%

Cinema Ticket

$5.45 ₱349

$2.96 Rp 53.7K

84.12%

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

$276 ₱17.6K

$90.4 Rp 1.6M

205.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,789 ₱498.4K

$7,256 Rp 131.7M

7.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.18 ₱3,083

$46.89 Rp 850.8K

2.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.47 ₱1,566

$31.72 Rp 575.5K

-22.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 ₱4,817

$70.4 Rp 1.3M

7.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ₱3,713

$60.6 Rp 1.1M

-4.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 ₱30.5K

$196 Rp 3.5M

144.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.6K

$128 Rp 2.3M

152.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 ₱61.6K

$529 Rp 9.6M

82.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₱40.0K

$411 Rp 7.5M

52.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,551 ₱291.2K

$1,280 Rp 23.2M

255.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,028 ₱193.8K

$742 Rp 13.5M

307.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$333 ₱21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

9.46

-23.89%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tanjung Balai Karimun: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$322 34.5%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$128 20.9% 60.3% $194

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$204 21.8%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$197 32.2% 3.5% $7.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.4%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$93 15.3% 42.5% $69

Eating Out

Cebu

$94 10.1%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$61 10% 35.2% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$93 9.9%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$94 15.5% 1.7% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$24 4% 44.8% $20

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.6%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$13 2.1% 13.3% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $477 in Cebu and $196 in Tanjung Balai Karimun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23 in Cebu vs $14 in Tanjung Balai Karimun for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $197 per month, with Tanjung Balai Karimun cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇩 Tanjung Balai Karimun

🕒 Local time

21:59 9:59 PM

20:59 8:59 PM

1 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

48,953

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.52 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,281 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Tanjung Balai Karimun 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Tanjung Balai Karimun

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 Tanjung Balai Karimun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tanjung Balai Karimun is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and utilities. The 53% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,401 in Cebu and $915 in Tanjung Balai Karimun 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 $196 in Tanjung Balai Karimun. 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 $610 in Tanjung Balai Karimun – a 53% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Tanjung Balai Karimun runs roughly 20% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

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.

Expats usually find Tanjung Balai Karimun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.