Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Yala

For one person, living costs are similar in Cebu and in Yala: $915 and $895 a month, rent and utilities included.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Yala
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Yala Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Yala

🇹🇭 Thailand

$895

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Yala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $895 in Yala.

Cebu $915
Yala $895

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $1,487 in Yala.

Cebu $1,418
Yala $1,487

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $2,079 in Yala.

Cebu $1,921
Yala $2,079

Living in Cebu is roughly 2% more expensive than in Yala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 33% lower, Yala 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$1.51 ฿50.3

101.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$24.70 ฿825

-2.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$6.73 ฿225

-40.71%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$1.92 ฿64.0

30.21%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$0.56 ฿18.76

175.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$0.16 ฿5.42

212.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.90 ฿63.4

-6.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$3.30 ฿110

-34.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.54 ฿51.3

29.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$1.22 ฿40.90

12.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$1.33 ฿44.51

-22.56%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.79 ฿59.7

13.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$18.29 ฿611

-44.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$2.96 ฿98.8

50.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$9.26 ฿309

-17.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$3.02 ฿101

9.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$1.14 ฿37.97

28.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$2.09 ฿69.7

11.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$1.95 ฿65.3

-23.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$1.57 ฿52.3

49.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$0.97 ฿32.44

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$1.17 ฿39.17

-0.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$0.53 ฿17.62

28.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$4.87 ฿163

-38.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$16.33 ฿546

-61.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$1.64 ฿54.8

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$2.58 ฿86.2

-32.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$0.61 ฿20.44

-62.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$1.12 ฿37.42

-29.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$1.31 ฿43.70

-83.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$6.43 ฿215

-29.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$1.42 ฿47.43

-7.04%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$26.5K ฿887.0K

-20.86%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$26.5K ฿887.1K

-26.90%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$85.4 ฿2,853

38.87%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$11.99 ฿401

18.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$19.46 ฿650

41.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$44.07 ฿1,473

-26.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

$13.69 ฿458

-52.52%

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$6.63 ฿222

-18.55%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$589 ฿19.7K

-53.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$11.3K ฿376.2K

-30.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$45.88 ฿1,533

7.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$32.27 ฿1,079

-23.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$77.6 ฿2,592

-1.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$80.9 ฿2,704

-27.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$475 ฿15.9K

6.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$289 ฿9,662

5.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$1,169 ฿39.1K

-8.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$759 ฿25.4K

-16.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

$1,762 ฿58.9K

62.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

$1,405 ฿46.9K

33.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

5.57

29.26%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Yala: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Yala

$289 32.3% 5.1% $15

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Yala

$241 26.9% 15.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Yala

$117 13.1% 27.1% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Yala

$106 11.9% 13% $12

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Yala

$74 8.3% 15.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Yala

$57 6.4% 33% $14

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Yala

$10 * 1.1% 33.3% $5.1

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 $503 in Cebu and $475 in Yala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $25.00 in Yala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $241 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇹🇭 Yala

🕒 Local time

03:09 3:09 AM

02:09 2:09 AM

1 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

60,617

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Yala 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Yala

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 Yala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yala is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and transport. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,372 in Cebu and $1,343 in Yala 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: $503 in Cebu versus $475 in Yala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Cebu pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $915 per month in Cebu versus $895 in Yala – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

For families, Yala 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 Yala 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 Yala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.