Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Vacoas

For one person, living is cheaper in Vacoas: $744 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Vacoas
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Vacoas Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Vacoas

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$744

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Vacoas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $744 in Vacoas.

Cebu $918
Vacoas $744

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,097 in Vacoas.

Cebu $1,409
Vacoas $1,097

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,449 in Vacoas.

Cebu $1,900
Vacoas $1,449

Living in Cebu is roughly 23% more expensive than in Vacoas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Vacoas 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$5.89 MUR 277

-47.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$31.22 MUR 1,470

-22.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$6.20 MUR 292

-36.77%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.61 MUR 123

-3.83%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$1.12 MUR 52.9

41.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.63 MUR 29.80

-15.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.56 MUR 121

-30.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.71 MUR 175

-41.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.45 MUR 68.5

32.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.73 MUR 34.35

86.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.15 MUR 54.1

-12.17%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.28 MUR 107

-10.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$2.70 MUR 127

265.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$2.55 MUR 120

72.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$11.16 MUR 525

-31.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.56 MUR 120

28.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$2.15 MUR 101

-35.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.44 MUR 67.9

61.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$3.03 MUR 143

-50.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.99 MUR 46.66

138.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.96 MUR 45.20

97.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.73 MUR 34.16

63.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.67 MUR 31.34

-5.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$6.18 MUR 291

-51.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$6.20 MUR 292

-2.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.44 MUR 67.8

-14.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.33 MUR 110

-24.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$1.32 MUR 62.2

-81.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$4.27 MUR 201

-81.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$3.18 MUR 150

-92.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$4.33 MUR 204

3.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.34 MUR 62.9

-2.24%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$28.9K MUR 1.4M

-26.54%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$31.3K MUR 1.5M

-38.80%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$44.98 MUR 2,117

167.30%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$10.35 MUR 487

35.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$24.84 MUR 1,169

10.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$25.74 MUR 1,212

25.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$5.12 MUR 241

10.35%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$125 MUR 5,897

119.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$7,480 MUR 352.1K

5.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$31.95 MUR 1,504

54.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$37.68 MUR 1,774

-33.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$63.2 MUR 2,976

21.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$47.93 MUR 2,257

19.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$265 MUR 12.5K

88.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$220 MUR 10.4K

40.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$471 MUR 22.2K

129.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$236 MUR 11.1K

160.93%

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

$690 MUR 32.5K

-49.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

6.67

7.95%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Vacoas: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Vacoas

$220 29.6% 28.8% $89

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Vacoas

$177 23.7% 14.2% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Vacoas

$80 10.8% 50.4% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Vacoas

$81 10.9% 13.4% $13

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Vacoas

$124 16.7% 40.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Vacoas

$36 4.8% 17.5% $7.6

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Vacoas

$25 * 3.4% 63.5% $9.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $265 in Vacoas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vacoas pays 99% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $31.00 in Vacoas. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $177, with Vacoas cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇲🇺 Vacoas

🕒 Local time

00:41 12:41 AM

20:41 8:41 PM

4 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

115,289

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, 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).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Vacoas 8,020 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Vacoas

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 Vacoas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vacoas is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 23% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 99% lower in Vacoas. 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 $265 in Vacoas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $744 in Vacoas – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

For families, Vacoas 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 Vacoas 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 Vacoas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.