Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Zabol

For one person, living is cheaper in Zabol: $515 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Zabol
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Zabol Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Zabol

🇮🇷 Iran

$515

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Zabol

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $515 in Zabol.

Cebu $918
Zabol $515

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $817 in Zabol.

Cebu $1,409
Zabol $817

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,118 in Zabol.

Cebu $1,900
Zabol $1,118

Living in Cebu is roughly 78% more expensive than in Zabol, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Zabol 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$2.04 $2.04

51.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$16.63 $16.63

45.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$3.63 $3.63

7.99%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.48 $0.48

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 $1.12

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$0.48 $0.48

422.92%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.49 $0.49

224.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$1.09 $1.09

-51.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$0.65 $0.65

195.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.48 $0.48

183.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$2.22 $2.22

-54.50%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.34 $1.34

51.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$4.20 $4.20

134.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$3.62 $3.62

21.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$9.08 $9.08

-16.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$0.91 $0.91

262.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.47 $1.47

-5.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$0.88 $0.88

164.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.65 $0.65

130.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.63 $0.63

274.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.43 $0.43

341.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.50 $0.50

138.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.22 $0.22

186.36%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.87 $0.87

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 $0.57

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$2.43 $2.43

23.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.16 $0.16

56.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$8.88 $8.88

42.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.46 $0.46

67.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.27 $0.27

-14.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$2.49 $2.49

79.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.10 $0.10

1210.00%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$49.5K $49.5K

-57.08%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$46.9K $46.9K

-59.20%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$12.14 $12.14

890.36%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$1.47 $1.47

852.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$3.72 $3.72

640.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$20.56 $20.56

57.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$13.63 $13.63

-51.21%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$1.72 $1.72

228.49%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$112 $112

146.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$2,137 $2,137

270.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$24.88 $24.88

98.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$25.02 $25.02

0.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$106 $106

-27.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$74.0 $74.0

-22.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$291 $291

71.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$209 $209

47.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$809 $809

33.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$354 $354

73.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$1,142 $1,142

152.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$546 $546

251.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$151 $151

129.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

24.3

-70.37%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Zabol: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Zabol

$209 40.5% 32.4% $100

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Zabol

$111 21.5% 46.1% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Zabol

$17 3.4% 89.3% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Zabol

$104 20.1% 10.3% $9.7

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Zabol

$39 7.6% 55.5% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Zabol

$24 4.7% 45% $20

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Zabol

$11 2.2% 27.5% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $291 in Zabol. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 130% 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 $17.00 in Zabol for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $111 per month, with Zabol cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇷 Zabol

🕒 Local time

00:42 12:42 AM

20:12 8:12 PM

4 h 30 min behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

140,000

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

USD exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Cebu Zabol 6,800 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Zabol

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 Zabol: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zabol is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 78% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 130% higher in Cebu, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $291 in Zabol. 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 $515 in Zabol – a 78% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Zabol runs roughly 42% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Zabol gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Zabol 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 Zabol 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 Zabol gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.