Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chittagong and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Chittagong: $375 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

18

Cost of Living Index in Chittagong
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Chittagong Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Chittagong

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$375

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chittagong 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 Chittagong and in Cebu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $375 in Chittagong versus $934 in Cebu.

Chittagong $375
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $624 in Chittagong versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Chittagong $624
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $874 in Chittagong versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Chittagong $874
Cebu $1,896

Living in Chittagong costs roughly 60% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chittagong 72% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.06 ৳254

$3.03 ₱190

-32.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.14 ৳1,492

$23.48 ₱1,473

-48.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.32 ৳653

$4.09 ₱256

30.07%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 ৳333

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 ৳486

Cappuccino

$1.91 ৳235

$2.52 ₱158

-24.21%

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

$0.37 ৳45.16

$1.54 ₱96.9

-75.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 ৳15.64

$0.49 ₱30.98

-73.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 ৳99.2

$1.95 ₱122

-58.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 ৳68.8

$1.43 ₱89.7

-60.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ৳80.6

$1.02 ₱63.8

-35.29%

Eggs

$1.13 ৳139

$2.06 ₱129

-45.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.33 ৳900

$9.81 ₱615

-25.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.14 ৳262

$4.61 ₱289

-53.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.33 ৳901

$7.70 ₱483

-4.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 ৳280

$3.31 ₱207

-31.12%

Banana (1kg)

$0.91 ৳112

$1.45 ₱90.9

-37.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 ৳255

$2.36 ₱148

-12.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.85 ৳105

$1.54 ₱96.4

-44.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.44 ৳53.5

$2.36 ₱148

-81.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 ৳94.8

$1.99 ₱125

-61.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 ৳56.4

$1.15 ₱72.1

-60.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 ৳39.34

$0.67 ₱42.15

-52.24%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.22 ৳519

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ৳97.4

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 ৳175

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 ৳372

$3.00 ₱188

1.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ৳28.34

$0.25 ₱15.78

-8.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 ৳98.0

$0.74 ₱46.32

8.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 ৳67.8

$0.21 ₱13.11

161.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 ৳490

$4.33 ₱271

-7.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ৳141

$1.33 ₱83.5

-13.53%

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

$31.9K ৳3.9M

$21.8K ₱1.4M

46.56%

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

$44.5K ৳5.5M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

129.44%

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

$29.48 ৳3,622

$121 ₱7,563

-75.55%

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

$5.58 ৳685

$14.45 ₱907

-61.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.14 ৳1,492

$28.29 ₱1,774

-57.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.55 ৳2,401

$32.68 ₱2,050

-40.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.27 ৳1,753

$6.39 ₱401

123.32%

Cinema Ticket

$3.72 ৳457

$5.46 ₱342

-31.87%

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

$35.12 ৳4,314

$273 ₱17.1K

-87.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,439 ৳176.8K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-82.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.03 ৳2,828

$49.57 ₱3,109

-53.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.37 ৳2,379

$24.87 ₱1,560

-22.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.4 ৳6,925

$76.6 ₱4,804

-26.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.48 ৳4,358

$59.3 ₱3,717

-40.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$126 ৳15.4K

$506 ₱31.7K

-75.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$61.3 ৳7,524

$309 ₱19.4K

-80.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$272 ৳33.4K

$1,052 ₱66.0K

-74.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 ৳20.6K

$619 ₱38.8K

-72.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 ৳98.3K

$2,915 ₱182.9K

-72.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$476 ৳58.5K

$1,867 ₱117.1K

-74.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$284 ৳34.9K

$341 ₱21.4K

-16.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

7.2

59.72%

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

Last update for Chittagong: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chittagong

$113 30.6%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 85.5% $97

Accommodation & Living

Chittagong

$61 16.5%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 405% $248

Clothing & Footwear

Chittagong

$60 16.3%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 56.6% $34

Eating Out

Chittagong

$57 15.5%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 54.1% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chittagong

$47 12.7%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 246% $116

Sport & Entertainment

Chittagong

$27 7.3%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 61.5% $17

Getting Around

Chittagong

$4.5 * 1.2%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 245% $11

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 $126 in Chittagong and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 20% 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: $12.00 in Chittagong vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $113 vs $210 per month, with Chittagong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Chittagong

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

09:58 9:58 AM

11:58 11:58 AM

2 h ahead of Chittagong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,592,439

964,169

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇩 Bangladeshi Taka (৳)

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chittagong Cebu 3,660 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Chittagong
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

Chittagong vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chittagong is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 149% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Cebu. 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: $126 in Chittagong versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 85% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $375 per month in Chittagong versus $934 in Cebu – a 149% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

For families, Chittagong 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, Chittagong 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 Chittagong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 149% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.