Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dili and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,574 in Dili, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Dili
Learn more

Dili Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Dili

🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

$1,574

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,574 in Dili versus $934 in Cebu.

Dili $1,574
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,466 in Dili versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Dili $2,466
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,359 in Dili versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Dili $3,359
Cebu $1,896

Living in Dili is roughly 69% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dili is 17% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.13 $5.13

$3.03 ₱191

69.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.43 $42.43

$23.48 ₱1,476

80.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.91 $7.91

$4.09 ₱257

93.40%

Cappuccino

$4.18 $4.18

$2.52 ₱158

65.87%

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

$1.63 $1.63

$1.54 ₱97.2

5.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$0.49 ₱31.06

463.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.79 ₱113

43.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.26 ₱142

97.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.95 ₱122

21.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.43 ₱89.9

76.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.02 ₱64.0

-5.88%

Eggs

$2.68 $2.68

$2.06 ₱129

30.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.05 $2.05

$9.81 ₱617

-79.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 $9.41

$4.61 ₱290

104.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.78 $15.78

$7.70 ₱484

104.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.31 ₱208

-0.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.45 ₱91.2

27.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.36 ₱148

5.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.54 ₱96.6

46.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$2.36 ₱148

-47.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.99 ₱125

-42.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.15 ₱72.3

-26.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.67 ₱42.26

46.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.00 ₱189

2.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.95 $11.95

$6.35 ₱399

88.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.31 ₱82.1

67.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.73 ₱109

67.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 $0.24

$0.25 ₱15.82

-4.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.78 $29.78

$12.65 ₱796

135.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 $3.52

$0.74 ₱46.44

375.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.58 $3.58

$0.21 ₱13.15

1604.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.75 $19.75

$4.33 ₱272

356.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.33 ₱83.7

8.27%

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

$18.0K $18.0K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

-17.38%

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

$16.7K $16.7K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

-13.79%

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

$152 $152

$121 ₱7,583

25.85%

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

$27.49 $27.49

$14.45 ₱909

90.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,779

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.46 $49.46

$32.68 ₱2,055

51.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱402

Cinema Ticket

$6.17 $6.17

$5.46 ₱343

13.00%

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

$1,477 $1,477

$273 ₱17.2K

440.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K $16.1K

$8,156 ₱512.9K

97.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.0 $61.0

$49.57 ₱3,117

22.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.46 $30.46

$24.87 ₱1,564

22.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 $79.3

$76.6 ₱4,817

3.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.3 $60.3

$59.3 ₱3,727

1.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$831 $831

$506 ₱31.8K

64.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$759 $759

$309 ₱19.5K

145.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,739 $2,739

$1,052 ₱66.1K

160.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,504 $1,504

$619 ₱38.9K

143.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱183.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,656 $3,656

$341 ₱21.5K

971.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

7.2

-25.42%

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

Last update for Dili: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dili

$759 47.9%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 59.2% $450

Groceries & Markets

Dili

$275 17.3%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 23.4% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dili

$179 * 11.3%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 8.9% $16

Eating Out

Dili

$154 9.7%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 42.7% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Dili

$104 6.6%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 8.9% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Dili

$62 3.9%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 29.4% $18

Getting Around

Dili

$52 3.3%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 70.4% $37

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 $831 in Dili and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dili pays 972% 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: $42.00 in Dili vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇱 Dili

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

13:03 1:03 PM

1 h behind Dili

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

222,323 Capital

964,169

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

PHP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dili Cebu 2,100 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dili
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

Dili vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 69% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 972% higher in Dili, 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: $831 in Dili versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,574 per month in Dili versus $934 in Cebu – a 69% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 135% less than in Dili. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,574 in Dili, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Dili. 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 Dili, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Dili 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 69% less than in Dili. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.