Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Thrissur

For one person, living is cheaper in Thrissur: $369 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Thrissur
Learn more

Thrissur Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Thrissur

🇮🇳 India

$369

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Thrissur

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $369 in Thrissur.

Cebu $934
Thrissur $369

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $575 in Thrissur.

Cebu $1,415
Thrissur $575

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $781 in Thrissur.

Cebu $1,896
Thrissur $781

Living in Cebu is roughly 153% more expensive than in Thrissur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Thrissur 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱190

$1.28 ₹124

136.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,473

$8.27 ₹800

183.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱256

$3.79 ₹367

7.92%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$1.27 ₹123

98.43%

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

$1.54 ₱96.9

$0.41 ₹39.64

275.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.98

$0.21 ₹19.95

133.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

$2.05 ₹199

-12.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$3.30 ₹319

-31.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$0.63 ₹61.4

209.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.7

$0.54 ₹51.9

164.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱63.8

$0.51 ₹49.74

100.00%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$0.92 ₹88.8

123.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱615

$4.91 ₹475

99.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱289

$2.67 ₹258

72.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱483

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱207

$2.14 ₹207

54.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱90.9

$0.72 ₹70.1

101.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.39 ₹135

69.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.4

$0.42 ₹40.90

266.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$0.43 ₹41.32

448.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$0.42 ₹41.03

373.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

$0.82 ₹79.3

40.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.15

$0.30 ₹29.28

123.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

$5.01 ₹485

-40.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

$3.06 ₹296

107.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

$2.02 ₹196

-35.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

$3.52 ₹341

-50.85%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.71 ₹359

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

$0.22 ₹21.33

13.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

$6.81 ₹659

85.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

$1.54 ₹149

-51.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$0.50 ₹48.19

-58.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

$1.06 ₹103

308.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$1.08 ₹105

23.15%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$15.5K ₹1.5M

40.54%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$18.2K ₹1.8M

6.61%

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

$121 ₱7,563

$53.4 ₹5,165

125.93%

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

$14.45 ₱907

$2.84 ₹275

408.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,774

$6.81 ₹659

315.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

$11.17 ₹1,081

192.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

$10.75 ₹1,040

-40.56%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

$2.54 ₹246

114.96%

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

$273 ₱17.1K

$57.7 ₹5,588

373.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

$1,136 ₹110.0K

617.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

$19.47 ₹1,885

154.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

$15.04 ₹1,456

65.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

$29.46 ₹2,851

159.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,717

$26.76 ₹2,590

121.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.7K

$123 ₹11.9K

311.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$86.1 ₹8,331

259.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.0K

$301 ₹29.1K

249.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

$171 ₹16.6K

261.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

$3,318 ₹321.1K

-12.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

$1,724 ₹166.8K

8.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

$302 ₹29.3K

12.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

11.83

-39.14%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Thrissur: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Thrissur

$86 23% 72.2% $223

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Thrissur

$101 26.8% 52.2% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Thrissur

$63 16.8% 61.4% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Thrissur

$41 10.9% 56.9% $54

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Thrissur

$56 15% 36.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Thrissur

$16 4.3% 62.7% $27

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Thrissur

$12 3.1% 24% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $123 in Thrissur. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 13% 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: $23.00 in Cebu vs $8.00 in Thrissur for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $101 per month, with Thrissur cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇳 Thrissur

🕒 Local time

16:22 4:22 PM

13:52 1:52 PM

2 h 30 min behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

315,957

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Thrissur 5,210 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Thrissur

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 Thrissur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thrissur is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 153% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 13% 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: $506 in Cebu versus $123 in Thrissur. 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 $369 in Thrissur – a 153% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Thrissur runs roughly 86% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Thrissur gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Thrissur 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 Thrissur 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 Thrissur gentler on the wallet – expenses run 153% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.