Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Utsunomiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,212 in Utsunomiya, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Utsunomiya
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Utsunomiya Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Utsunomiya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Utsunomiya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,212 in Utsunomiya.

Cebu $918
Utsunomiya $1,212

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,948 in Utsunomiya.

Cebu $1,409
Utsunomiya $1,948

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,685 in Utsunomiya.

Cebu $1,900
Utsunomiya $2,685

Living in Cebu costs roughly 24% less than in Utsunomiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Utsunomiya 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$6.11 ¥965

-49.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$17.09 ¥2,701

41.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$4.72 ¥745

-16.95%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$3.52 ¥556

-28.69%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$1.06 ¥167

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.81 ¥128

-34.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$3.09 ¥488

-42.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$1.93 ¥305

12.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.38 ¥218

39.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.72 ¥271

-20.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$5.59 ¥883

-81.93%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.22 ¥350

-8.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$11.27 ¥1,780

-12.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$6.80 ¥1,075

-35.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$16.84 ¥2,660

-54.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$4.61 ¥728

-28.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$2.35 ¥372

-40.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$4.38 ¥693

-46.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$5.36 ¥848

-72.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$3.41 ¥539

-30.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$2.97 ¥470

-36.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.20 ¥190

-0.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.76 ¥120

-17.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$3.95 ¥623

-24.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$9.52 ¥1,504

-36.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.71 ¥270

-28.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.64 ¥417

-33.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$1.58 ¥249

-84.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$54.9 ¥8,670

-76.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$3.07 ¥484

-74.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$3.16 ¥500

-92.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$18.83 ¥2,975

-76.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.06 ¥167

23.58%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$21.7K ¥3.4M

-1.95%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$15.3K ¥2.4M

24.75%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$146 ¥23.0K

-17.39%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$21.91 ¥3,461

-36.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$30.44 ¥4,808

-9.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$52.1 ¥8,234

-37.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$12.79 ¥2,020

-48.01%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$12.84 ¥2,029

-56.00%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$524 ¥82.8K

-47.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$18.2K ¥2.9M

-56.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$55.1 ¥8,712

-10.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$32.36 ¥5,113

-22.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$65.7 ¥10.4K

17.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$71.3 ¥11.3K

-19.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$509 ¥80.4K

-1.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$298 ¥47.1K

3.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$939 ¥148.4K

14.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$803 ¥126.9K

-23.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$3,897 ¥615.7K

-25.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,781 ¥281.4K

7.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

2.25

220.00%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Utsunomiya: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Utsunomiya

$298 24.6% 3.5% $11

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Utsunomiya

$325 26.8% 57.9% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Utsunomiya

$198 16.3% 22.3% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Utsunomiya

$101 8.3% 7.5% $7.1

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Utsunomiya

$132 10.9% 49.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Utsunomiya

$78 6.4% 78.4% $34

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Utsunomiya

$80 6.6% 414% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $509 in Utsunomiya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $17.00 in Utsunomiya. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $325, with Cebu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇯🇵 Utsunomiya

🕒 Local time

17:59 5:59 PM

18:59 6:59 PM

1 h ahead of Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

519,217

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Utsunomiya 3,330 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Utsunomiya

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 Utsunomiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $1,818 in Utsunomiya 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: $500 in Cebu versus $509 in Utsunomiya. 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 $1,212 in Utsunomiya – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 334% less than in Utsunomiya. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,212 in Utsunomiya, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Utsunomiya. 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 Utsunomiya, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Utsunomiya 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 32% less than in Utsunomiya. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.