For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $2,033 in Dundee, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dundee and in Cebu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,033 in Dundee versus $934 in Cebu.
Dundee $2,033
Cebu $934
Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,059 in Dundee versus $1,415 in Cebu.
Dundee $3,059
Cebu $1,415
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,084 in Dundee versus $1,896 in Cebu.
Dundee $4,084
Cebu $1,896
🌍
Living in Dundee 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: Dundee is 52% above, Cebu is 30% below.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Dundee
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.00£15.87
$3.03₱190
593.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.4£60.0
$23.48₱1,473
237.99%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$10.38£7.84
$4.09₱256
153.79%
Cappuccino
$4.42£3.34
$2.52₱158
75.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.58£1.95
$1.54₱96.9
67.53%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30£0.98
$0.49₱30.98
165.31%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$5.79£4.38
$1.79₱112
223.46%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$6.02£4.55
$2.26₱142
166.37%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dundee
Cebu
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$2.02£1.53
$1.95₱122
3.59%
White Bread(500g)
$1.77£1.34
$1.43₱89.7
23.78%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$2.67£2.02
$1.02₱63.8
161.76%
Eggs
$5.39£4.07
$2.06₱129
161.65%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$7.47£5.65
$9.81₱615
-23.85%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$9.45£7.14
$4.61₱289
104.99%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$15.30£11.56
$7.70₱483
98.70%
Apples(1kg)
$2.45£1.85
$3.31₱207
-25.98%
Banana(1kg)
$2.30£1.74
$1.45₱90.9
58.62%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.78£2.10
$2.36₱148
17.80%
Tomato(1kg)
$2.74£2.07
$1.54₱96.4
77.92%
Potato(1kg)
$3.16£2.39
$2.36₱148
33.90%
Onion(1kg)
$2.11£1.60
$1.99₱125
6.03%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.84£1.39
$1.15₱72.1
60.00%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$2.35£1.78
$0.67₱42.15
250.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$23.04£17.41
$3.00₱188
668.00%
Wine(Bottle)
$11.92£9.01
$6.35₱398
87.72%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$3.15£2.38
$1.31₱81.9
140.46%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.29£2.49
$1.73₱108
90.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Dundee
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$3.39£2.56
$0.25₱15.78
1256.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$58.1£43.87
$12.65₱793
358.89%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$4.67£3.53
$0.74₱46.32
531.08%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$3.84£2.90
$0.21₱13.11
1728.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$25.96£19.62
$4.33₱271
499.54%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$2.04£1.54
$1.33₱83.5
53.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K£28.8K
$21.8K₱1.4M
75.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.5K£30.6K
$19.4K₱1.2M
108.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dundee
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$237£179
$121₱7,563
96.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.16£9.94
$14.45₱907
-8.93%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.84£32.38
$28.29₱1,774
51.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dundee
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$47.99£36.26
$32.68₱2,050
46.85%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.17£5.42
$6.39₱401
12.21%
Cinema Ticket
$13.18£9.96
$5.46₱342
141.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dundee
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$1,901£1,436
$273₱17.1K
595.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
-
$8,156₱511.5K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dundee
Cebu
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.1£74.9
$49.57₱3,109
99.94%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.3£42.57
$24.87₱1,560
126.54%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$122£92.0
$76.6₱4,804
58.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.1£67.3
$59.3₱3,717
50.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dundee
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,052£795
$506₱31.7K
108.12%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$813£614
$309₱19.4K
162.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,632£1,233
$1,052₱66.0K
55.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$1,251£945
$619₱38.8K
102.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$4,117£3,111
$2,915₱182.9K
41.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$3,266£2,468
$1,867₱117.1K
74.93%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dundee
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$3,163£2,390
$341₱21.4K
827.23%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
5.41
7.2
-24.86%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Dundee: October 5, 2026
Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Dundee
$813 39%
Cebu
$309 33.5% ↓ 61.9%$503
🛒Groceries & Markets
Dundee
$332 16%
Cebu
$210 22.7% ↓ 36.6%$122
🍽Eating Out
Dundee
$309 14.8%
Cebu
$88 9.6% ↓ 71.4%$220
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dundee
$293 14.1%
Cebu
$163 17.7% ↓ 44.3%$130
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Dundee
$165 7.9%
Cebu
$95 10.2% ↓ 42.6%$70
🚌Getting Around
Dundee
$95 4.6%
Cebu
$15 1.7% ↓ 83.8%$80
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Dundee
$74 3.6%
Cebu
$44 4.7% ↓ 41.4%$31
🏠Accommodation & Living
Dundee
$1.3K 30.8%
Cebu
$619 32.4% ↓ 50.5%$632
🛒Groceries & Markets
Dundee
$760 18.7%
Cebu
$493 25.8% ↓ 35.1%$267
🍽Eating Out
Dundee
$1K 25.3%
Cebu
$288 15.1% ↓ 71.9%$738
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dundee
$307 7.6%
Cebu
$178 9.3% ↓ 42%$129
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Dundee
$366 9%
Cebu
$210 11% ↓ 42.6%$156
🚌Getting Around
Dundee
$198 4.9%
Cebu
$31 1.6% ↓ 84.1%$166
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Dundee
$156 3.8%
Cebu
$94 4.9% ↓ 40%$62
Cost Breakdown
🏠A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,052 in Dundee and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Dundee pays 827% 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 Dundee vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.
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
Dundee vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cebu cheaper than Dundee?
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.
Where can you earn more: Dundee or Cebu?
Average pay runs 827% higher in Dundee, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Dundee and Cebu?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,052 in Dundee versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Dundee and in Cebu?
All in, you'll spend $2,033 per month in Dundee versus $934 in Cebu – a 118% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 359% less than in Dundee. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Dundee or in Cebu?
At $934 in Cebu versus $2,033 in Dundee, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Dundee. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Dundee or Cebu more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Dundee, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Dundee or Cebu?
Safety-wise, Dundee 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 118% less than in Dundee. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.