Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dasmarinas and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Dasmarinas: $496 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Dasmarinas
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Dasmarinas Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Dasmarinas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$496

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $496 in Dasmarinas versus $915 in Cebu.

Dasmarinas $496
Cebu $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $738 in Dasmarinas versus $1,418 in Cebu.

Dasmarinas $738
Cebu $1,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $980 in Dasmarinas versus $1,921 in Cebu.

Dasmarinas $980
Cebu $1,921

Living in Dasmarinas costs roughly 46% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dasmarinas 63% lower, Cebu 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.08 ₱257

$3.05 ₱192

33.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.95 ₱1,067

$24.00 ₱1,511

-29.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.71 ₱171

$3.99 ₱251

-32.08%

Cappuccino

$1.75 ₱110

$2.50 ₱157

-30.00%

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

$0.57 ₱35.76

$1.54 ₱97.1

-62.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.30

$0.50 ₱31.37

-38.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.96 ₱60.1

$1.78 ₱112

-46.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₱99.4

$2.17 ₱136

-27.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 ₱87.5

$2.00 ₱126

-30.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 ₱69.5

$1.37 ₱86.2

-19.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ₱41.36

$1.03 ₱64.9

-35.92%

Eggs

$1.79 ₱113

$2.03 ₱128

-11.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.94 ₱311

$10.20 ₱642

-51.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.49 ₱219

$4.45 ₱280

-21.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.72 ₱297

$7.67 ₱483

-38.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ₱143

$3.31 ₱208

-31.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₱102

$1.46 ₱91.8

10.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ₱150

$2.32 ₱146

2.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 ₱67.3

$1.49 ₱94.0

-28.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.34 ₱147

-25.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 ₱108

$1.94 ₱122

-11.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₱38.39

$1.16 ₱73.0

-47.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱32.54

$0.68 ₱42.89

-23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.88 ₱181

$2.99 ₱188

-3.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.59 ₱541

$6.24 ₱393

37.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ₱58.5

$1.23 ₱77.3

-24.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₱125

$1.73 ₱109

15.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱48.96

$0.79 ₱49.96

-1.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.76

$0.22 ₱13.86

13.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₱117

$4.54 ₱286

-59.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₱70.1

$1.32 ₱82.9

-15.91%

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

$21.4K ₱1.3M

$21.0K ₱1.3M

1.83%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

-2.56%

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

$48.45 ₱3,050

$119 ₱7,464

-59.13%

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

$17.55 ₱1,105

$14.22 ₱896

23.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.72 ₱1,494

$27.47 ₱1,730

-13.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.43 ₱2,105

$32.31 ₱2,034

3.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

Cinema Ticket

$5.30 ₱334

$5.40 ₱340

-1.85%

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

$134 ₱8,415

$276 ₱17.4K

-51.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₱674.0K

$7,866 ₱495.3K

36.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.53 ₱1,796

$49.37 ₱3,108

-42.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.55 ₱1,231

$24.58 ₱1,548

-20.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 ₱4,561

$76.6 ₱4,825

-5.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.4 ₱3,552

$58.9 ₱3,706

-4.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$46.95 ₱2,956

$305 ₱19.2K

-84.58%

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)

$353 ₱22.2K

$336 ₱21.1K

5.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.4

7.2

-11.11%

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

Last update for Dasmarinas: October 18, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dasmarinas

$160 32.3%

Cebu

$210 22.9% 30.9% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dasmarinas

$90 18.1%

Cebu

$160 17.5% 78.6% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Dasmarinas

$80 16.1%

Cebu

$94 10.3% 18.4% $15

Eating Out

Dasmarinas

$73 14.8%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 19.8% $15

Accommodation & Living

Dasmarinas

$47 9.5%

Cebu

$305 33.3% 549% $258

Sport & Entertainment

Dasmarinas

$44 8.9%

Cebu

$43 4.7% 2.1% $0.9

Getting Around

Dasmarinas

$2 * 0.4%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 646% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

Dasmarinas pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $17.00 in Dasmarinas vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $160 vs $210 per month, with Dasmarinas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Dasmarinas

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

20:48 8:48 PM

Same time as Dasmarinas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

659,019

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

Dasmarinas Cebu 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dasmarinas
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

Dasmarinas vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dasmarinas is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 84% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 5% higher in Dasmarinas, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $496 per month in Dasmarinas versus $915 in Cebu – a 84% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

For families, Dasmarinas 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, Dasmarinas 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 Dasmarinas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 84% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.