Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Zabljak

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $1,128 in Zabljak, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Zabljak
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Zabljak Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Zabljak

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Zabljak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $1,128 in Zabljak.

Cebu $915
Zabljak $1,128

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $1,769 in Zabljak.

Cebu $1,418
Zabljak $1,769

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $2,410 in Zabljak.

Cebu $1,921
Zabljak $2,410

Living in Cebu costs roughly 19% less than in Zabljak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 33% lower, Zabljak 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$7.95 €7.08

-61.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$31.82 €28.30

-24.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$6.55 €5.82

-39.08%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$1.63 €1.45

53.37%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$2.24 €2.00

-31.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$1.45 €1.29

-65.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$3.00 €2.66

-40.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$3.54 €3.15

-38.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.27 €1.13

57.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$0.65 €0.57

110.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$1.31 €1.17

-21.37%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.97 €2.64

-31.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$7.08 €6.30

44.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$7.22 €6.42

-38.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$12.23 €10.88

-37.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$1.32 €1.17

150.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$1.67 €1.49

-12.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$1.51 €1.34

53.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$1.41 €1.26

5.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$0.65 €0.58

260.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$0.70 €0.62

177.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$0.91 €0.81

27.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$0.96 €0.86

-29.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$4.01 €3.57

-25.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$4.41 €3.92

41.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$1.07 €0.95

14.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$1.73 €1.54

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$1.63 €1.45

-85.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

$39.55 €35.18

-68.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$1.14 €1.02

-30.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$0.64 €0.57

-65.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$17.00 €15.12

-73.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$1.77 €1.57

-25.42%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$29.3K €26.1K

-28.36%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$25.6K €22.7K

-24.08%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$113 €101

4.71%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$15.02 €13.36

-5.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$22.02 €19.58

24.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$46.30 €41.18

-30.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

$14.72 €13.10

-55.84%

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$6.21 €5.53

-13.04%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$392 €349

-29.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$9,812 €8,728

-19.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$22.65 €20.15

117.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$27.47 €24.43

-10.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$55.0 €48.89

39.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$67.7 €60.2

-13.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$645 €573

-21.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$455 €405

-33.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$1,277 €1,135

-15.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$937 €834

-32.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

$3,324 €2,956

-13.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

$2,357 €2,097

-20.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

$801 €713

-58.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

5.95

21.01%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zabljak: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Zabljak

$455 40.3% 49.4% $150

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Zabljak

$196 17.4% 6.4% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Zabljak

$150 13.3% 6.2% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Zabljak

$78 6.9% 17.5% $16

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Zabljak

$140 12.4% 59.2% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Zabljak

$59 5.2% 36.2% $16

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Zabljak

$50 4.5% 233% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $503 in Cebu and $645 in Zabljak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zabljak pays 139% 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 $32.00 in Zabljak. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $196, with Zabljak cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇲🇪 Zabljak

🕒 Local time

07:46 7:46 AM

01:46 1:46 AM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

1,900

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Zabljak 10,400 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Zabljak

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 Zabljak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. The 23% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 139% lower in Zabljak. 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: $503 in Cebu versus $645 in Zabljak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $915 per month in Cebu versus $1,128 in Zabljak – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 221% less than in Zabljak. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $915 in Cebu versus $1,128 in Zabljak, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Zabljak. 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 Zabljak, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Zabljak 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 23% less than in Zabljak. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.