Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Thiva

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $1,135 in Thiva, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Thiva
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Thiva Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Thiva

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,135

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Thiva

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $1,135 in Thiva.

Cebu $915
Thiva $1,135

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $1,551 in Thiva.

Cebu $1,418
Thiva $1,551

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $1,966 in Thiva.

Cebu $1,921
Thiva $1,966

Living in Cebu costs roughly 19% less than in Thiva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 33% lower, Thiva 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$11.10 €9.88

-72.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$59.5 €52.9

-59.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$6.65 €5.92

-40.00%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$2.48 €2.21

0.81%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$2.42 €2.15

-36.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$0.52 €0.46

-3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$4.59 €4.08

-61.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$2.72 €2.42

-20.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.55 €1.38

29.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$1.41 €1.26

-2.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$2.30 €2.05

-55.22%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$5.21 €4.63

-61.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$11.47 €10.20

-11.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$9.51 €8.46

-53.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$14.29 €12.71

-46.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$1.64 €1.45

101.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$1.94 €1.73

-24.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$1.10 €0.98

110.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$1.81 €1.61

-17.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$0.95 €0.84

146.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$1.31 €1.17

48.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$0.88 €0.78

31.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$0.64 €0.57

6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$4.79 €4.26

-37.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$6.64 €5.91

-6.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$1.70 €1.52

-27.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$1.97 €1.75

-12.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$1.33 €1.19

-82.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$3.71 €3.30

-78.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$1.14 €1.02

-80.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$13.84 €12.31

-67.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$2.07 €1.85

-36.23%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$28.1K €25.0K

-25.36%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$24.6K €21.8K

-21.00%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$163 €145

-27.11%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$24.50 €21.80

-41.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$28.35 €25.22

-3.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$49.46 €43.99

-34.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

$25.64 €22.80

-74.65%

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$7.78 €6.92

-30.59%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$331 €294

-16.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$4,491 €3,994

75.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$50.1 €44.59

-1.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$34.23 €30.45

-28.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$75.4 €67.1

1.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$107 €94.9

-44.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$338 €300

49.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$281 €250

8.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$616 €548

74.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

$1,723 €1,532

66.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

$1,408 €1,253

33.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

$1,142 €1,016

-70.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

4.36

65.14%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Thiva: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Thiva

$281 24.8% 7.6% $23

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Thiva

$260 22.9% 24.2% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Thiva

$216 19% 34.5% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Thiva

$120 10.6% 27.2% $26

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Thiva

$179 15.7% 104% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Thiva

$65 5.7% 50.9% $22

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Thiva

$15 * 1.3% 2.6% $0.4

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 $503 in Cebu and $338 in Thiva. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thiva pays 240% 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 $59.0 in Thiva for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $260 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇬🇷 Thiva

🕒 Local time

06:17 6:17 AM

01:17 1:17 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

22,883

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Thiva 10,210 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Thiva

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 Thiva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 240% lower in Thiva. 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: $503 in Cebu versus $338 in Thiva. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Thiva. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $915 per month in Cebu versus $1,135 in Thiva – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $915 in Cebu versus $1,135 in Thiva, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Thiva. 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 Thiva, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Thiva 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 24% less than in Thiva. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.