Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cento and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,634 in Cento, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Cento
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Cento Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Cento

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,634

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cento and in Cebu

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cento and in Cebu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,634 in Cento versus $918 in Cebu.

Cento $1,634
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,647 in Cento versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Cento $2,647
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,660 in Cento versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Cento $3,660
Cebu $1,900

Living in Cento is roughly 78% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cento is 21% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.84 €17.65

$3.09 ₱194

542.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.8 €78.1

$24.22 ₱1,525

262.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 €11.74

$3.92 ₱247

236.73%

Cappuccino

$2.20 €1.96

$2.51 ₱158

-12.35%

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

$3.36 €2.99

$1.59 ₱100

111.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.38

$0.53 ₱33.43

192.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 €5.42

$1.78 ₱112

242.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 €4.95

$2.17 ₱137

156.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.92 ₱121

-29.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 €2.54

$1.36 ₱85.4

109.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.01 ₱63.5

154.46%

Eggs

$3.89 €3.46

$2.03 ₱128

91.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.10 €16.10

$9.86 ₱621

83.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.11 €10.77

$4.39 ₱277

175.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.33 €15.42

$7.60 ₱479

128.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$3.30 ₱208

-34.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.39 ₱87.8

22.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$2.33 ₱147

-19.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.50 ₱94.3

64.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 €1.17

$2.36 ₱149

-44.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.90 ₱119

-28.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.19 ₱74.9

42.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 €0.50

$0.63 ₱39.71

-11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.79 €6.04

$3.00 ₱189

126.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.02 €7.13

$6.03 ₱379

33.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.23 ₱77.7

30.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.75 ₱110

6.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$0.25 ₱15.86

560.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.56 €39.63

$12.64 ₱796

252.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.55 €4.05

$0.77 ₱48.62

490.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.27

$0.23 ₱14.53

517.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.64 €24.59

$4.46 ₱281

519.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.31 ₱82.8

54.96%

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

$36.8K €32.7K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

73.24%

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

$35.6K €31.7K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

86.04%

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

$234 €208

$120 ₱7,569

94.38%

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

$11.00 €9.78

$14.00 ₱882

-21.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.90 €24.82

$27.54 ₱1,734

1.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.9 €50.6

$32.33 ₱2,035

75.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.47 €20.87

$6.65 ₱419

252.93%

Cinema Ticket

$9.89 €8.80

$5.65 ₱356

75.04%

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

$547 €487

$275 ₱17.3K

98.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,422 €3,933

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-44.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.6 €78.8

$49.33 ₱3,106

79.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.28 €37.61

$25.24 ₱1,589

67.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 €85.3

$77.0 ₱4,846

24.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 €134

$57.2 ₱3,601

162.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$533 €474

$500 ₱31.5K

6.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$443 €394

$309 ₱19.4K

43.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 €932

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-2.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$918 €817

$615 ₱38.7K

49.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,197 €2,844

$2,886 ₱181.7K

10.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,863 €1,657

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-2.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,766 €1,571

$346 ₱21.8K

410.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

7.2

-55.69%

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

Last update for Cento: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cento

$443 27.1%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 30.2% $134

Groceries & Markets

Cento

$324 19.8%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 36.4% $118

Eating Out

Cento

$286 17.5%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 69.1% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cento

$273 16.7%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 40.7% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Cento

$170 10.4%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 44.6% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Cento

$77 4.7%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 43.1% $33

Getting Around

Cento

$63 3.9%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 75.2% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $533 in Cento and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cento pays 411% 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: $88.0 in Cento vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Cento

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

17:30 5:30 PM

23:30 11:30 PM

6 h ahead of Cento

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,582

964,169

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cento Cebu 10,920 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cento
Cebu

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

Cento vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 411% higher in Cento, 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: $533 in Cento versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,634 per month in Cento versus $918 in Cebu – a 78% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 253% less than in Cento. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,634 in Cento, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Cento. 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 Cento, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cento and Cebu 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 78% less than in Cento. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.