Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dagupan and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Dagupan: $743 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Dagupan
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Dagupan Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Dagupan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$743

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $743 in Dagupan versus $915 in Cebu.

Dagupan $743
Cebu $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,100 in Dagupan versus $1,418 in Cebu.

Dagupan $1,100
Cebu $1,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,457 in Dagupan versus $1,921 in Cebu.

Dagupan $1,457
Cebu $1,921

Living in Dagupan costs roughly 19% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dagupan 45% lower, Cebu 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.81 ₱177

$3.05 ₱192

-7.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.03 ₱757

$24.00 ₱1,511

-49.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.34 ₱273

$3.99 ₱251

8.77%

Cappuccino

$2.43 ₱153

$2.50 ₱157

-2.80%

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

$0.50 ₱31.29

$1.54 ₱97.1

-67.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ₱14.46

$0.50 ₱31.37

-54.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ₱76.9

$1.78 ₱112

-31.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₱166

$2.17 ₱136

21.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ₱108

$2.00 ₱126

-14.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ₱81.7

$1.37 ₱86.2

-5.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ₱60.2

$1.03 ₱64.9

-6.80%

Eggs

$1.91 ₱120

$2.03 ₱128

-5.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.87 ₱370

$10.20 ₱642

-42.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.86 ₱306

$4.45 ₱280

9.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.78 ₱427

$7.67 ₱483

-11.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 ₱263

$3.31 ₱208

25.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.46 ₱91.8

36.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 ₱169

$2.32 ₱146

15.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ₱73.9

$1.49 ₱94.0

-21.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 ₱175

$2.34 ₱147

19.23%

Onion (1kg)

$3.54 ₱223

$1.94 ₱122

82.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ₱66.5

$1.16 ₱73.0

-8.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₱34.32

$0.68 ₱42.89

-19.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.40 ₱151

$2.99 ₱188

-19.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.47 ₱344

$6.24 ₱393

-12.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 ₱53.8

$1.23 ₱77.3

-30.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₱117

$1.73 ₱109

7.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$0.23 ₱14.36

-4.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 ₱40.34

$0.79 ₱49.96

-18.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.18

$0.22 ₱13.86

-4.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ₱122

$4.54 ₱286

-57.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ₱71.1

$1.32 ₱82.9

-14.39%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

0.20%

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

$19.6K ₱1.2M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

0.84%

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

$103 ₱6,463

$119 ₱7,464

-13.41%

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

$16.25 ₱1,023

$14.22 ₱896

14.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.02 ₱1,638

$27.47 ₱1,730

-5.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.66 ₱2,119

$32.31 ₱2,034

4.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

Cinema Ticket

$5.22 ₱328

$5.40 ₱340

-3.33%

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

$808 ₱50.9K

$276 ₱17.4K

192.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,459 ₱469.6K

$7,866 ₱495.3K

-5.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 ₱3,726

$49.37 ₱3,108

19.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$8.00 ₱503

$24.58 ₱1,548

-67.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 ₱5,172

$76.6 ₱4,825

7.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 ₱6,463

$58.9 ₱3,706

74.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$193 ₱12.2K

$503 ₱31.7K

-61.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$161 ₱10.1K

$305 ₱19.2K

-47.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$353 ₱22.2K

$1,075 ₱67.7K

-67.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$260 ₱16.4K

$632 ₱39.8K

-58.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$476 ₱30.0K

$1,877 ₱118.2K

-74.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$234 ₱14.7K

$336 ₱21.1K

-30.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

7.2

4.17%

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

Last update for Dagupan: October 17, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dagupan

$199 26.7%

Cebu

$210 22.9% 5.6% $11

Accommodation & Living

Dagupan

$161 21.6%

Cebu

$305 33.3% 89.3% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dagupan

$145 19.5%

Cebu

$160 17.5% 10.6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Dagupan

$113 15.3%

Cebu

$94 10.3% 16.9% $19

Eating Out

Dagupan

$79 10.6%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 11.2% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Dagupan

$44 5.9%

Cebu

$43 4.7% 2.3% $1

Getting Around

Dagupan

$2.6 * 0.4%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 490% $13

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 $193 in Dagupan and $503 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 44% 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 Dagupan vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $210 per month, with Dagupan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Dagupan

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

Same time as Dagupan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,302

964,169

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dagupan Cebu 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dagupan
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

Dagupan vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dagupan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 23% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 44% 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: $193 in Dagupan versus $503 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $743 per month in Dagupan versus $915 in Cebu – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Dagupan gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Dagupan 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, Dagupan 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 Dagupan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.