Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fukuoka and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,259 in Fukuoka, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Fukuoka
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Fukuoka Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Fukuoka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,259

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,259 in Fukuoka versus $918 in Cebu.

Fukuoka $1,259
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,001 in Fukuoka versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Fukuoka $2,001
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,743 in Fukuoka versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Fukuoka $2,743
Cebu $1,900

Living in Fukuoka is roughly 37% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Fukuoka 7% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.20 ¥1,138

$3.09 ₱194

133.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.93 ¥6,783

$24.22 ₱1,525

77.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.84 ¥922

$3.92 ₱247

48.98%

Cappuccino

$3.77 ¥596

$2.51 ₱158

50.20%

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

$1.03 ¥163

$1.59 ₱100

-35.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥111

$0.53 ₱33.43

32.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.79 ¥599

$1.78 ₱112

112.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥344

$2.17 ₱137

0.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥243

$1.92 ₱121

-19.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 ¥302

$1.36 ₱85.4

40.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.64 ¥1,050

$1.01 ₱63.5

557.43%

Eggs

$2.29 ¥362

$2.03 ₱128

12.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.31 ¥2,893

$9.86 ₱621

85.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 ¥853

$4.39 ₱277

23.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.00 ¥3,002

$7.60 ₱479

150.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 ¥560

$3.30 ₱208

7.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 ¥287

$1.39 ₱87.8

30.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 ¥453

$2.33 ₱147

23.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 ¥531

$1.50 ₱94.3

124.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 ¥340

$2.36 ₱149

-8.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 ¥409

$1.90 ₱119

36.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ¥161

$1.19 ₱74.9

-14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥147

$0.63 ₱39.71

47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 ¥599

$3.00 ₱189

26.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.49 ¥1,025

$6.03 ₱379

7.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥270

$1.23 ₱77.7

39.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥286

$1.75 ₱110

3.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ¥232

$0.25 ₱15.86

488.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.37 ¥6,537

$12.64 ₱796

227.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 ¥618

$0.77 ₱48.62

407.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 ¥331

$0.23 ₱14.53

808.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.67 ¥2,792

$4.46 ₱281

296.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.31 ₱82.8

-15.27%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

1.36%

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

$17.6K ¥2.8M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

-8.00%

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

$207 ¥32.8K

$120 ₱7,569

72.47%

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

$25.04 ¥3,955

$14.00 ₱882

78.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.65 ¥5,159

$27.54 ₱1,734

18.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 ¥8,506

$32.33 ₱2,035

66.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$10.91 ¥1,724

$5.65 ₱356

93.10%

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

$126 ¥19.8K

$275 ₱17.3K

-54.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ¥2.0M

$7,918 ₱498.5K

56.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.44 ¥7,811

$49.33 ₱3,106

0.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.89 ¥4,090

$25.24 ₱1,589

2.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.1 ¥10.6K

$77.0 ₱4,846

-12.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.07 ¥7,594

$57.2 ₱3,601

-15.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$486 ¥76.8K

$500 ₱31.5K

-2.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$303 ¥47.8K

$309 ₱19.4K

-2.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,233 ¥194.8K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

14.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$730 ¥115.4K

$615 ₱38.7K

18.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,329 ¥1.0M

$2,886 ₱181.7K

119.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,696 ¥425.9K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

40.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,657 ¥261.8K

$346 ₱21.8K

379.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

7.2

-72.64%

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

Last update for Fukuoka: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Fukuoka

$318 25.3%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 35.3% $112

Accommodation & Living

Fukuoka

$303 24%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 2% $6.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fukuoka

$265 21.1%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 39% $103

Eating Out

Fukuoka

$151 12%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 41.4% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Fukuoka

$86 6.8%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 9.6% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Fukuoka

$76 6%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 42.3% $32

Getting Around

Fukuoka

$62 4.9%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 74.7% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $486 in Fukuoka and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fukuoka pays 379% 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: $43.00 in Fukuoka vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Fukuoka

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

11:27 11:27 AM

10:27 10:27 AM

1 h behind Fukuoka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,612,392

964,169

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Fukuoka Cebu 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Fukuoka
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

Fukuoka vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 37% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 379% higher in Fukuoka, 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: $486 in Fukuoka versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,259 per month in Fukuoka versus $918 in Cebu – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 227% less than in Fukuoka. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,259 in Fukuoka, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Fukuoka. 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 Fukuoka, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Fukuoka 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 37% less than in Fukuoka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.