Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Zugdidi

For one person, living is cheaper in Zugdidi: $701 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Zugdidi
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Zugdidi Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Zugdidi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$701

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Zugdidi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $701 in Zugdidi.

Cebu $915
Zugdidi $701

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $1,134 in Zugdidi.

Cebu $1,418
Zugdidi $1,134

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $1,567 in Zugdidi.

Cebu $1,921
Zugdidi $1,567

Living in Cebu is roughly 30% more expensive than in Zugdidi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 33% lower, Zugdidi 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$11.18 ₾28.93

-72.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$31.24 ₾80.9

-23.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$5.92 ₾15.32

-32.60%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$3.48 ₾9.01

-28.16%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$0.54 ₾1.41

185.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$0.26 ₾0.67

92.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.69 ₾6.96

-33.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$3.15 ₾8.15

-31.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$2.15 ₾5.56

-6.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$0.79 ₾2.05

73.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$1.81 ₾4.69

-43.09%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.75 ₾7.13

-26.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$9.31 ₾24.10

9.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$6.39 ₾16.53

-30.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$13.12 ₾33.95

-41.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$1.61 ₾4.17

105.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$1.86 ₾4.82

-21.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$1.93 ₾5.00

20.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$2.39 ₾6.19

-37.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$0.88 ₾2.28

165.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$0.69 ₾1.80

181.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$1.42 ₾3.67

-18.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$0.47 ₾1.23

44.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$3.41 ₾8.82

-12.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$7.85 ₾20.32

-20.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$1.71 ₾4.42

-28.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$2.30 ₾5.95

-24.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$0.18 ₾0.46

27.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$1.14 ₾2.96

-30.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$0.74 ₾1.91

-70.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$11.84 ₾30.65

-61.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$0.92 ₾2.37

43.48%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$18.3K ₾47.5K

14.53%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$21.6K ₾55.9K

-10.18%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$89.5 ₾232

32.41%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$12.90 ₾33.40

10.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$19.38 ₾50.2

41.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$24.73 ₾64.0

30.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$4.72 ₾12.23

14.41%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$374 ₾968

-26.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$10.7K ₾27.8K

-26.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$23.62 ₾61.1

109.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$39.47 ₾102

-37.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$118 ₾305

-35.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$126 ₾326

-53.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

$268 ₾694

25.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

12.62

-42.95%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zugdidi: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Zugdidi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Zugdidi

$230 32.8% 9.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Zugdidi

$122 17.4% 24% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Zugdidi

$138 19.7% 46.5% $44

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Zugdidi

$172 24.5% 95.9% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Zugdidi

$34 4.9% 20.7% $8.9

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Zugdidi

$5.6 * 0.8% 63.4% $9.6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Cebu pays 25% 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 $31.00 in Zugdidi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $230 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇬🇪 Zugdidi

🕒 Local time

00:02 12:02 AM

20:02 8:02 PM

4 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

41,332

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, 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).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Zugdidi 8,590 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Zugdidi

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 Zugdidi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zugdidi is cheaper overall, especially in leisure, utilities, and transport. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 25% higher in Cebu, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Shoppers in Cebu pay roughly 10% 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 $701 in Zugdidi – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

For families, Zugdidi 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 Zugdidi 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 Zugdidi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.