Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dortmund and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $2,033 in Dortmund, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Dortmund
Learn more

Dortmund Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Dortmund

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,033

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,033 in Dortmund versus $934 in Cebu.

Dortmund $2,033
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,086 in Dortmund versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Dortmund $3,086
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,140 in Dortmund versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Dortmund $4,140
Cebu $1,896

Living in Dortmund is roughly 118% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dortmund is 52% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.71 €14.92

$3.03 ₱190

451.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 €70.7

$23.48 ₱1,473

237.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 €10.82

$4.09 ₱256

196.33%

Cappuccino

$3.82 €3.41

$2.52 ₱158

51.59%

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

$2.99 €2.67

$1.54 ₱96.9

94.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 €2.56

$0.49 ₱30.98

485.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.12

$1.79 ₱112

220.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.97 €4.43

$2.26 ₱142

119.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.95 ₱122

-28.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 €2.10

$1.43 ₱89.7

64.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 €3.37

$1.02 ₱63.8

270.59%

Eggs

$3.75 €3.35

$2.06 ₱129

82.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.55 €13.88

$9.81 ₱615

58.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.72 €10.46

$4.61 ₱289

154.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.53 €21.00

$7.70 ₱483

205.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 €3.02

$3.31 ₱207

2.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.45 ₱90.9

57.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.36 ₱148

-6.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.10 €3.66

$1.54 ₱96.4

166.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$2.36 ₱148

-44.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 €1.45

$1.99 ₱125

-18.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.15 ₱72.1

40.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.67 ₱42.15

62.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.47 €8.45

$3.00 ₱188

215.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.78 €6.05

$6.35 ₱398

6.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.31 ₱81.9

-13.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.73 ₱108

-1.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.00 €3.57

$0.25 ₱15.78

1500.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 €59.2

$12.65 ₱793

424.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 €4.87

$0.74 ₱46.32

636.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.86 €2.55

$0.21 ₱13.11

1261.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.34 €32.43

$4.33 ₱271

739.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.33 ₱83.5

57.14%

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

$33.5K €29.9K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

54.13%

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

$39.0K €34.8K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

101.09%

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

$399 €356

$121 ₱7,563

231.14%

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

$30.53 €27.25

$14.45 ₱907

111.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 €45.21

$28.29 ₱1,774

79.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.59 €34.44

$32.68 ₱2,050

18.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.25 €24.32

$6.39 ₱401

326.45%

Cinema Ticket

$16.57 €14.79

$5.46 ₱342

203.48%

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

$408 €364

$273 ₱17.1K

49.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.7K €24.7K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

239.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.5 €80.8

$49.57 ₱3,109

82.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.3 €45.78

$24.87 ₱1,560

106.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 €78.3

$76.6 ₱4,804

14.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$175 €157

$59.3 ₱3,717

195.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$718 €641

$506 ₱31.7K

42.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$586 €523

$309 ₱19.4K

89.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 €1,162

$1,052 ₱66.0K

23.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,094 €976

$619 ₱38.8K

76.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,056 €2,728

$2,915 ₱182.9K

4.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,289 €2,043

$1,867 ₱117.1K

22.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,170 €2,829

$341 ₱21.4K

829.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

7.2

-45.14%

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

Last update for Dortmund: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dortmund

$586 28.5%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 47.2% $276

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dortmund

$480 23.4%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 66% $317

Groceries & Markets

Dortmund

$353 17.2%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 40.3% $142

Eating Out

Dortmund

$278 13.5%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 68.2% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Dortmund

$182 8.9%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 48.1% $88

Getting Around

Dortmund

$102 5%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 84.9% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Dortmund

$72 3.5%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 39.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $718 in Dortmund and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dortmund pays 829% 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: $79.0 in Dortmund vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Dortmund

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

09:28 9:28 AM

15:28 3:28 PM

6 h ahead of Dortmund

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

600,933

964,169

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dortmund Cebu 10,860 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Dortmund
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

Dortmund vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 118% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 829% higher in Dortmund, 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: $718 in Dortmund versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,033 per month in Dortmund versus $934 in Cebu – a 118% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 424% less than in Dortmund. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $2,033 in Dortmund, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Dortmund. 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 Dortmund, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Dortmund 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 118% less than in Dortmund. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.