Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Tumba

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,896 in Tumba, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Tumba
Learn more

Tumba Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Tumba

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Tumba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $1,896 in Tumba.

Cebu $934
Tumba $1,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Cebu versus $2,899 in Tumba.

Cebu $1,423
Tumba $2,899

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,913 in Cebu versus $3,901 in Tumba.

Cebu $1,913
Tumba $3,901

Living in Cebu costs roughly 51% less than in Tumba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 31% below, Tumba is 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ₱242

$14.20 SEK 141

-73.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.33 ₱1,491

$64.9 SEK 645

-64.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.94 ₱252

$9.95 SEK 98.8

-60.40%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₱163

$4.29 SEK 42.62

-40.79%

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

$1.57 ₱100

$2.65 SEK 26.32

-40.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₱29.82

$2.21 SEK 21.98

-78.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ₱113

$7.17 SEK 71.2

-75.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₱142

$6.91 SEK 68.6

-67.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.79 SEK 17.74

6.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱87.1

$3.05 SEK 30.32

-55.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.8

$3.75 SEK 37.26

-74.93%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$5.03 SEK 49.99

-60.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 ₱620

$13.00 SEK 129

-25.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 ₱276

$13.25 SEK 132

-67.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 ₱480

$17.49 SEK 174

-57.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱211

$3.25 SEK 32.26

1.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ₱87.5

$2.68 SEK 26.65

-48.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱149

$2.06 SEK 20.45

13.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱95.4

$4.50 SEK 44.71

-66.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱147

$1.45 SEK 14.40

58.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ₱120

$1.80 SEK 17.92

3.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱70.3

$2.30 SEK 22.87

-52.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱40.36

$1.88 SEK 18.70

-66.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 ₱183

$7.15 SEK 71.0

-60.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.08 ₱389

$10.04 SEK 99.7

-39.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.4

$2.01 SEK 19.99

-36.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱110

$2.25 SEK 22.37

-23.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.99

$4.26 SEK 42.31

-94.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱788

$103 SEK 1,022

-88.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱47.53

$5.79 SEK 57.5

-87.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.08

$1.48 SEK 14.67

-85.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 ₱273

$57.1 SEK 567

-92.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱83.7

$1.81 SEK 17.99

-27.62%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$33.4K SEK 332.0K

-37.89%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$34.0K SEK 337.3K

-43.91%

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

$118 ₱7,565

$176 SEK 1,746

-32.65%

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

$15.76 ₱1,007

$21.42 SEK 213

-26.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.33 ₱1,810

$48.20 SEK 479

-41.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.94 ₱2,105

$40.34 SEK 401

-18.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.49 ₱415

$26.36 SEK 262

-75.38%

Cinema Ticket

$5.45 ₱348

$16.89 SEK 168

-67.73%

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

$276 ₱17.6K

$158 SEK 1,569

74.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,789 ₱497.7K

$5,131 SEK 51.0K

51.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.18 ₱3,078

$113 SEK 1,123

-57.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.47 ₱1,564

$53.6 SEK 532

-54.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 ₱4,810

$94.8 SEK 941

-20.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ₱3,707

$186 SEK 1,843

-68.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 ₱30.5K

$792 SEK 7,866

-39.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.6K

$599 SEK 5,953

-46.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 ₱61.5K

$1,375 SEK 13.7K

-29.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₱40.0K

$1,011 SEK 10.0K

-38.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,551 ₱290.8K

$3,992 SEK 39.6K

14.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,028 ₱193.5K

$2,784 SEK 27.6K

8.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$333 ₱21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

2.8

157.14%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tumba: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$322 34.5%

Tumba

$599 31.6% 86.3% $278

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$204 21.8%

Tumba

$379 20% 85.9% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.4%

Tumba

$245 12.9% 51% $83

Eating Out

Cebu

$94 10.1%

Tumba

$264 13.9% 181% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$93 9.9%

Tumba

$201 10.6% 117% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Tumba

$74 3.9% 69.1% $30

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.6%

Tumba

$133 7% 784% $118

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $477 in Cebu and $792 in Tumba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23 in Cebu vs $65 in Tumba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $379 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇸🇪 Tumba

🕒 Local time

23:19 11:19 PM

16:19 4:19 PM

7 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

42,344

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.11 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.05 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Tumba 9,920 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Tumba

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 Tumba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 103% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,401 in Cebu and $2,844 in Tumba 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 $792 in Tumba. 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 $1,896 in Tumba – a 103% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 88% less than in Tumba. 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.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Tumba 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 51% less than in Tumba. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.