Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Toamasina

For one person, living is cheaper in Toamasina: $465 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Toamasina

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$465

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Toamasina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $465 in Toamasina.

Cebu $918
Toamasina $465

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $753 in Toamasina.

Cebu $1,409
Toamasina $753

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,041 in Toamasina.

Cebu $1,900
Toamasina $1,041

Living in Cebu is roughly 97% more expensive than in Toamasina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Toamasina 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$2.63 MGA 12.0K

17.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$15.74 MGA 71.8K

53.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$4.35 MGA 19.9K

-9.89%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.09 MGA 4,993

130.28%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.53 MGA 2,430

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.09 MGA 4,974

63.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$1.08 MGA 4,933

100.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.10 MGA 5,015

74.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.09 MGA 4,990

24.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.02 MGA 4,663

-0.98%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.83 MGA 8,346

10.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$12.50 MGA 57.0K

-21.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$7.69 MGA 35.1K

-42.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$6.18 MGA 28.2K

22.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$1.52 MGA 6,915

117.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.29 MGA 5,890

7.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.57 MGA 7,155

48.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.68 MGA 3,090

120.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.62 MGA 2,835

280.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.55 MGA 2,508

245.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.34 MGA 1,561

250.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.49 MGA 2,242

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$1.72 MGA 7,845

74.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$0.85 MGA 3,889

44.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.08 MGA 4,945

62.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.34 MGA 1,565

-26.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.11 MGA 5,046

18.02%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

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

$120 ₱7,569

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

$14.00 ₱882

$30.98 MGA 141.3K

-54.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$66.3 MGA 302.4K

-58.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$21.83 MGA 99.6K

48.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$6.82 MGA 31.1K

-17.16%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$8.91 MGA 40.6K

453.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$6.77 MGA 30.9K

272.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$55.9 MGA 255.2K

37.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$37.06 MGA 169.1K

54.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$135 MGA 617.9K

268.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$55.5 MGA 252.9K

456.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$444 MGA 2.0M

142.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$134 MGA 612.1K

358.47%

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

$133 MGA 606.3K

160.27%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Toamasina: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Toamasina

–

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Toamasina

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Toamasina

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Toamasina

–

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Toamasina

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Toamasina

–

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Toamasina

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $135 in Toamasina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 160% 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 $16.00 in Toamasina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $169 per month, with Toamasina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇲🇬 Toamasina

🕒 Local time

15:10 3:10 PM

10:10 10:10 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

325,857

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.95 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MGA, 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).

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4,562 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD). 1 EUR = 5,128 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.95 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Toamasina 8,760 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Toamasina

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 Toamasina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toamasina is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 97% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 160% 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: $500 in Cebu versus $135 in Toamasina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Toamasina – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $24.00 in Cebu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Toamasina gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Toamasina 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 Toamasina 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 Toamasina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 97% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.