Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cotabato City and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotabato City: $738 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Cotabato City
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Cotabato City Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Cotabato City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$738

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $738 in Cotabato City versus $934 in Cebu.

Cotabato City $738
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,139 in Cotabato City versus $1,423 in Cebu.

Cotabato City $1,139
Cebu $1,423

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,539 in Cotabato City versus $1,913 in Cebu.

Cotabato City $1,539
Cebu $1,913

Living in Cotabato City costs roughly 21% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cotabato City 46% lower, Cebu 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.81 ₱307

$3.79 ₱242

26.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.14 ₱1,031

$23.33 ₱1,491

-30.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.97 ₱254

$3.94 ₱252

0.76%

Cappuccino

$2.17 ₱139

$2.54 ₱163

-14.57%

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

$1.06 ₱67.6

$1.57 ₱100

-32.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₱39.75

$0.47 ₱29.82

31.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 ₱73.1

$1.77 ₱113

-35.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ₱133

$2.22 ₱142

-6.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₱128

$1.90 ₱121

5.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 ₱68.8

$1.36 ₱87.1

-20.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 ₱48.19

$0.94 ₱59.8

-20.21%

Eggs

$1.90 ₱121

$1.99 ₱127

-4.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.44 ₱411

$9.70 ₱620

-33.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 ₱293

$4.32 ₱276

6.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.44 ₱603

$7.51 ₱480

25.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 ₱176

$3.31 ₱211

-16.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 ₱70.0

$1.37 ₱87.5

-19.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 ₱153

$2.34 ₱149

2.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ₱74.7

$1.49 ₱95.4

-21.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 ₱126

$2.30 ₱147

-14.35%

Onion (1kg)

$3.30 ₱211

$1.87 ₱120

76.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ₱78.9

$1.10 ₱70.3

12.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ₱42.15

$0.63 ₱40.36

4.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.40 ₱154

$2.86 ₱183

-16.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 ₱513

$6.08 ₱389

32.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱80.9

$1.27 ₱81.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₱105

$1.72 ₱110

-4.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.98

$0.22 ₱13.99

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.32 ₱723

$12.34 ₱788

-8.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₱48.30

$0.74 ₱47.53

2.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.97

$0.22 ₱14.08

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₱118

$4.28 ₱273

-56.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₱70.2

$1.31 ₱83.7

-16.03%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

0.26%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

-1.47%

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

$108 ₱6,875

$118 ₱7,565

-9.13%

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

$18.43 ₱1,178

$15.76 ₱1,007

16.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.97 ₱1,978

$28.33 ₱1,810

9.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.96 ₱1,978

$32.94 ₱2,105

-6.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.25 ₱335

$6.49 ₱415

-19.11%

Cinema Ticket

$4.73 ₱302

$5.45 ₱348

-13.21%

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

$105 ₱6,684

$276 ₱17.6K

-62.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,282 ₱465.3K

$7,789 ₱497.7K

-6.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.48 ₱2,075

$48.18 ₱3,078

-32.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.49 ₱1,246

$24.47 ₱1,564

-20.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.5 ₱4,438

$75.3 ₱4,810

-7.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.5 ₱3,862

$58.0 ₱3,707

4.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$224 ₱14.3K

$477 ₱30.5K

-53.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$153 ₱9,753

$322 ₱20.6K

-52.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$447 ₱28.6K

$963 ₱61.5K

-53.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ₱21.3K

$626 ₱40.0K

-46.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,692 ₱172.0K

$4,551 ₱290.8K

-40.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,003 ₱64.1K

$3,028 ₱193.5K

-66.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$333 ₱21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.31

7.2

15.42%

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

Last update for Cotabato City: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cotabato City

$199 26.9%

Cebu

$204 21.8% 2.4% $4.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cotabato City

$157 21.3%

Cebu

$163 17.4% 3.5% $5.5

Accommodation & Living

Cotabato City

$153 20.7%

Cebu

$322 34.5% 111% $169

Eating Out

Cotabato City

$93 12.6%

Cebu

$94 10.1% 1.1% $1

Clothing & Footwear

Cotabato City

$82 11.1%

Cebu

$93 9.9% 13.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Cotabato City

$40 5.5%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 8.5% $3.4

Getting Around

Cotabato City

$14 1.9%

Cebu

$15 1.6% 7.3% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $224 in Cotabato City and $477 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $16 in Cotabato City vs $23 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $204 per month, with Cotabato City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cotabato City

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

04:25 4:25 AM

Same time as Cotabato City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

325,079

964,169

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cotabato City Cebu 340 km

From you

Cotabato City
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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

Cotabato City vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cotabato City is about 21% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,107 in Cotabato City and $1,401 in Cebu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $224 in Cotabato City versus $477 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cotabato City runs roughly 8% less than in Cebu. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $738 per month in Cotabato City versus $934 in Cebu – Cotabato City is about 21% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.