Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Veles

For one person, living is cheaper in Veles: $768 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Veles
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Veles Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Veles

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Veles

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $768 in Veles.

Cebu $918
Veles $768

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,139 in Veles.

Cebu $1,409
Veles $1,139

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,510 in Veles.

Cebu $1,900
Veles $1,510

Living in Cebu is roughly 20% more expensive than in Veles, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Veles 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$8.65 MKD 472

-64.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$18.00 MKD 982

34.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$5.43 MKD 296

-27.81%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.50 MKD 82.0

67.33%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$1.32 MKD 72.0

20.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.80 MKD 43.42

-33.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.48 MKD 80.7

20.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.03 MKD 165

-28.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.06 MKD 57.9

81.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.51 MKD 27.74

166.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.45 MKD 79.2

-30.34%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.48 MKD 135

-18.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$2.96 MKD 162

233.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$4.07 MKD 222

7.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$15.11 MKD 824

-49.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$1.41 MKD 77.0

134.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.43 MKD 77.9

-2.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.38 MKD 75.2

68.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.88 MKD 103

-20.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.85 MKD 46.16

177.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.83 MKD 45.33

128.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.59 MKD 31.96

101.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.59 MKD 32.06

6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$3.33 MKD 182

-9.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$6.44 MKD 351

-6.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.06 MKD 57.8

16.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.49 MKD 81.0

17.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.79 MKD 43.05

-68.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$23.23 MKD 1,267

-45.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$1.11 MKD 60.3

-30.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.61 MKD 33.44

-62.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$7.43 MKD 405

-39.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.46 MKD 79.8

-10.27%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$26.8K MKD 1.5M

-20.73%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$24.9K MKD 1.4M

-22.99%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$108 MKD 5,901

11.14%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$17.34 MKD 946

-19.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$12.02 MKD 655

129.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$25.47 MKD 1,389

26.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$17.82 MKD 972

-62.68%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$3.38 MKD 184

67.16%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$221 MKD 12.1K

24.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$5,716 MKD 311.8K

38.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$21.99 MKD 1,199

124.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$18.42 MKD 1,005

37.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$72.2 MKD 3,940

6.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$110 MKD 5,987

-47.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$218 MKD 11.9K

129.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$170 MKD 9,300

81.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$290 MKD 15.8K

271.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$236 MKD 12.9K

160.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$1,174 MKD 64.0K

145.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$933 MKD 50.9K

105.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$594 MKD 32.4K

-41.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

4.23

70.21%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Veles: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Veles

$170 22.2% 44.8% $138

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Veles

$171 22.3% 16.8% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Veles

$138 17.9% 15% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Veles

$100 13% 6.5% $6.1

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Veles

$125 16.4% 42.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Veles

$32 4.2% 26.1% $11

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Veles

$31 4% 96.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $218 in Veles. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Veles pays 72% 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 $18.00 in Veles for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $171 per month, with Veles cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇲🇰 Veles

🕒 Local time

12:04 12:04 PM

06:04 6:04 AM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

43,716

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, 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).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Veles 10,230 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Veles

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 Veles: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Veles is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and utilities. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 72% lower in Veles. 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 $218 in Veles. 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 $768 in Veles – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Veles runs roughly 84% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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

For families, Veles 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 Veles 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 Veles gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.