Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Tres Cantos

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,640 in Tres Cantos, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Tres Cantos
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Tres Cantos Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Tres Cantos

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,640

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Tres Cantos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,640 in Tres Cantos.

Cebu $918
Tres Cantos $1,640

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $2,406 in Tres Cantos.

Cebu $1,409
Tres Cantos $2,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $3,171 in Tres Cantos.

Cebu $1,900
Tres Cantos $3,171

Living in Cebu costs roughly 44% less than in Tres Cantos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 32% below, Tres Cantos is 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$16.59 €14.76

-81.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$56.7 €50.4

-57.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$11.00 €9.78

-64.36%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.34 €2.08

7.26%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$2.56 €2.28

-37.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$1.87 €1.66

-71.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$3.39 €3.01

-47.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.55 €3.16

-38.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.18 €1.05

62.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.48 €1.32

-8.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.62 €1.44

-37.65%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$3.35 €2.98

-39.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$13.36 €11.88

-26.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$7.96 €7.08

-44.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$15.53 €13.81

-51.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.56 €2.28

28.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$2.01 €1.79

-30.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.91 €1.70

21.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$2.58 €2.29

-41.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.79 €1.59

31.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.99 €1.77

-4.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.33 €1.18

-10.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.68 €0.60

-7.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$6.32 €5.62

-52.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$5.55 €4.94

8.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.18 €1.05

4.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.23 €1.99

-21.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$1.65 €1.46

-84.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$32.40 €28.82

-60.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$3.99 €3.55

-80.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$1.42 €1.26

-83.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$23.12 €20.56

-80.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.76 €1.56

-25.57%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$35.9K €31.9K

-40.82%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$28.6K €25.4K

-32.98%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$143 €127

-15.63%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$18.25 €16.23

-23.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$29.50 €26.24

-6.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$44.25 €39.36

-26.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$15.66 €13.93

-57.54%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$8.91 €7.92

-36.59%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$467 €415

-41.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$8,395 €7,467

-5.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$86.7 €77.1

-43.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$35.97 €31.99

-29.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$91.3 €81.2

-15.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$114 €102

-49.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$884 €786

-43.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$692 €616

-55.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$1,350 €1,201

-20.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$1,004 €893

-38.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$3,352 €2,982

-13.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$2,235 €1,988

-14.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$3,300 €2,935

-89.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

3.3

118.18%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Tres Cantos: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Tres Cantos

$692 42.2% 124% $383

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Tres Cantos

$263 16% 27.6% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Tres Cantos

$190 11.6% 17.6% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Tres Cantos

$148 9% 57.3% $54

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Tres Cantos

$236 14.4% 167% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Tres Cantos

$62 3.8% 42.3% $18

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Tres Cantos

$50 3.1% 222% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $884 in Tres Cantos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tres Cantos pays 854% 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 $57.0 in Tres Cantos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $263 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇪🇸 Tres Cantos

🕒 Local time

20:27 8:27 PM

14:27 2:27 PM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

51,453

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Tres Cantos 12,210 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Tres Cantos

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 Tres Cantos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 79% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 854% lower in Tres Cantos. 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 $884 in Tres Cantos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $1,640 in Tres Cantos – a 79% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 156% less than in Tres Cantos. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,640 in Tres Cantos, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Tres Cantos. 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 Tres Cantos, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Tres Cantos 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 79% less than in Tres Cantos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.