For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,631 in Vaxjo, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.
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 Vaxjo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,631 in Vaxjo.
Cebu $918
Vaxjo $1,631
Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $2,467 in Vaxjo.
Cebu $1,409
Vaxjo $2,467
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $3,303 in Vaxjo.
Cebu $1,900
Vaxjo $3,303
🌍
Living in Cebu costs roughly 44% less than in Vaxjo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.
📊
The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 32% below, Vaxjo is 21% above.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Vaxjo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.09₱194
$13.37SEK 132
-76.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.22₱1,525
$63.6SEK 630
-61.92%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$3.92₱247
$9.82SEK 97.3
-60.08%
Cappuccino
$2.51₱158
$4.07SEK 40.29
-38.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59₱100
$1.52SEK 15.06
4.61%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53₱33.43
$1.30SEK 12.88
-59.23%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$1.78₱112
$6.70SEK 66.4
-73.43%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17₱137
$6.40SEK 63.4
-66.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Vaxjo
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.92₱121
$1.74SEK 17.25
10.34%
White Bread(500g)
$1.36₱85.4
$2.49SEK 24.64
-45.38%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$1.01₱63.5
$3.81SEK 37.72
-73.49%
Eggs
$2.03₱128
$4.56SEK 45.18
-55.48%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$9.86₱621
$13.27SEK 131
-25.70%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$4.39₱277
$10.55SEK 105
-58.39%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$7.60₱479
$12.01SEK 119
-36.72%
Apples(1kg)
$3.30₱208
$3.13SEK 31.05
5.43%
Banana(1kg)
$1.39₱87.8
$2.00SEK 19.83
-30.50%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.33₱147
$2.04SEK 20.24
14.22%
Tomato(1kg)
$1.50₱94.3
$4.61SEK 45.64
-67.46%
Potato(1kg)
$2.36₱149
$1.40SEK 13.90
68.57%
Onion(1kg)
$1.90₱119
$1.55SEK 15.39
22.58%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.19₱74.9
$2.19SEK 21.71
-45.66%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63₱39.71
$1.37SEK 13.54
-54.01%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00₱189
$6.86SEK 68.0
-56.27%
Wine(Bottle)
$6.03₱379
$7.62SEK 75.5
-20.87%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23₱77.7
$1.91SEK 18.91
-35.60%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75₱110
$1.56SEK 15.45
12.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Vaxjo
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.25₱15.86
$3.17SEK 31.38
-92.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$12.64₱796
$64.8SEK 642
-80.50%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$0.77₱48.62
$7.97SEK 79.0
-90.34%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.23₱14.53
$1.95SEK 19.28
-88.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$4.46₱281
$78.8SEK 780
-94.34%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.31₱82.8
$1.75SEK 17.34
-25.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K₱1.3M
$32.7KSEK 324.5K
-35.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.1K₱1.2M
$32.6KSEK 323.4K
-41.35%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Vaxjo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$120₱7,569
$90.1SEK 893
33.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.00₱882
$29.97SEK 297
-53.29%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.54₱1,734
$30.98SEK 307
-11.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Vaxjo
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$32.33₱2,035
$35.44SEK 351
-8.78%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.65₱419
$20.01SEK 198
-66.77%
Cinema Ticket
$5.65₱356
$15.63SEK 155
-63.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Vaxjo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$275₱17.3K
$150SEK 1,483
83.99%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$7,918₱498.5K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Vaxjo
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.33₱3,106
$97.6SEK 967
-49.46%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.24₱1,589
$30.45SEK 302
-17.11%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$77.0₱4,846
$68.4SEK 678
12.48%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.2₱3,601
$84.9SEK 841
-32.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Vaxjo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$500₱31.5K
$794SEK 7,867
-37.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$309₱19.4K
$625SEK 6,192
-50.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,078₱67.9K
$1,499SEK 14.8K
-28.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$615₱38.7K
$939SEK 9,304
-34.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$2,886₱181.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$1,917₱120.7K
$2,507SEK 24.8K
-23.54%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Vaxjo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$346₱21.8K
$3,172SEK 31.4K
-89.09%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
7.2
4.13
74.33%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026
Last update for Vaxjo: October 11, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$309 33.6%
Vaxjo
$625 38.3% ↑ 102%$316
🛒Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$206 22.4%
Vaxjo
$324 19.8% ↑ 57.2%$118
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$162 17.6%
Vaxjo
$151 9.3% ↓ 6.6%$11
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94 10.2%
Vaxjo
$127 7.8% ↑ 34.8%$33
🍽Eating Out
Cebu
$88 9.6%
Vaxjo
$243 14.9% ↑ 175%$155
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44 4.8%
Vaxjo
$67 4.1% ↑ 52.9%$23
🚌Getting Around
Cebu
$16 1.7%
Vaxjo
$95 5.8% ↑ 511%$80
🏠Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$615 32.4%
Vaxjo
$939 28.4% ↑ 52.6%$324
🛒Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$483 25.4%
Vaxjo
$750 22.7% ↑ 55.4%$267
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$176 9.3%
Vaxjo
$181 5.5% ↑ 3%$5.3
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$209 11%
Vaxjo
$281 8.5% ↑ 34.8%$73
🍽Eating Out
Cebu
$292 15.4%
Vaxjo
$802 24.3% ↑ 175%$509
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$94 4.9%
Vaxjo
$153 4.6% ↑ 63.4%$60
🚌Getting Around
Cebu
$32 1.7%
Vaxjo
$197 6% ↑ 522%$165
Cost Breakdown
🏠A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $794 in Vaxjo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Vaxjo pays 817% 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 $64.0 in Vaxjo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $324 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.
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 Vaxjo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Vaxjo cheaper than Cebu?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 78% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cebu or Vaxjo?
On paper, salaries run 817% lower in Vaxjo. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Cebu and Vaxjo?
Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $794 in Vaxjo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Vaxjo?
All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $1,631 in Vaxjo – a 78% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 413% less than in Vaxjo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Cebu or in Vaxjo?
At $918 in Cebu versus $1,631 in Vaxjo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Vaxjo. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Cebu or Vaxjo more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Vaxjo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Cebu or Vaxjo?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Vaxjo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in Vaxjo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.