Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $3,331 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $28,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

161

Cost of Living Index in Galway
Learn more

Galway Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,331

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,331 in Galway versus $934 in Cebu.

Galway $3,331
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,673 in Galway versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Galway $4,673
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,015 in Galway versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Galway $6,015
Cebu $1,896

Living in Galway is roughly 257% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Galway is 149% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.88 €20.40

$3.03 ₱191

655.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$112 €100

$23.48 ₱1,476

378.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.51 €14.72

$4.09 ₱257

303.67%

Cappuccino

$4.98 €4.44

$2.52 ₱158

97.62%

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

$2.99 €2.66

$1.54 ₱97.2

94.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.06

$0.49 ₱31.06

371.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 €7.00

$1.79 ₱113

338.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 €6.16

$2.26 ₱142

205.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.95 ₱122

-15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.43 ₱89.9

67.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.02 ₱64.0

114.71%

Eggs

$4.26 €3.79

$2.06 ₱129

106.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.01 €15.17

$9.81 ₱617

73.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.11 €9.91

$4.61 ₱290

141.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.55 €12.08

$7.70 ₱484

75.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.78

$3.31 ₱208

-5.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.45 ₱91.2

50.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 €2.79

$2.36 ₱148

32.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 €3.73

$1.54 ₱96.6

171.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.36 ₱148

-13.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.99 ₱125

-25.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.15 ₱72.3

14.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.67 ₱42.26

185.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.25 €18.06

$3.00 ₱189

575.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 €12.47

$6.35 ₱399

120.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.07 €3.63

$1.31 ₱82.1

210.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 €3.99

$1.73 ₱109

158.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.15 €1.92

$0.25 ₱15.82

760.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 €55.6

$12.65 ₱796

393.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.72

$0.74 ₱46.44

614.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.21 ₱13.15

604.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.5 €49.52

$4.33 ₱272

1182.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.33 ₱83.7

57.14%

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

$39.5K €35.2K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

81.40%

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

$37.4K €33.4K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

92.94%

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

$246 €219

$121 ₱7,583

103.64%

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

$21.02 €18.74

$14.45 ₱909

45.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.8 €46.16

$28.29 ₱1,779

83.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.53 €39.71

$32.68 ₱2,055

36.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.10 €19.71

$6.39 ₱402

245.85%

Cinema Ticket

$16.91 €15.07

$5.46 ₱343

209.71%

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

$1,019 €908

$273 ₱17.2K

272.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱512.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.7

$49.57 ₱3,117

105.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.56 €43.30

$24.87 ₱1,564

95.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.4

$76.6 ₱4,817

45.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$59.3 ₱3,727

92.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,243 €2,000

$506 ₱31.8K

343.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,910 €1,703

$309 ₱19.5K

517.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,652 €3,256

$1,052 ₱66.1K

247.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,678 €2,388

$619 ₱38.9K

332.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,985 €5,336

$2,915 ₱183.4K

105.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,556 €4,062

$1,867 ₱117.4K

144.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,943 €2,624

$341 ₱21.5K

762.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

7.2

-48.89%

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

Last update for Galway: 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

Galway

$1.9K 57.9%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 83.8% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Galway

$370 11.2%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 43.2% $160

Eating Out

Galway

$367 11.1%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 75.9% $278

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galway

$318 9.7%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 48.7% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Galway

$169 5.1%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 44% $74

Getting Around

Galway

$84 2.5%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 81.5% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Galway

$78 2.4%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 44.4% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,243 in Galway and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Galway pays 763% 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: $112 in Galway vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $370 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Galway

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

09:20 9:20 AM

16:20 4:20 PM

7 h ahead of Galway

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,529

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 = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Galway Cebu 11,670 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Galway
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

Galway vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 257% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 763% higher in Galway, 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: $2,243 in Galway versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,331 per month in Galway versus $934 in Cebu – a 257% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 393% less than in Galway. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $3,331 in Galway, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Galway. 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 Galway, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Galway 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 257% less than in Galway. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.