Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Goes and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $2,593 in Goes, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Goes
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Goes Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Goes

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,593

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,593 in Goes versus $915 in Cebu.

Goes $2,593
Cebu $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,733 in Goes versus $1,418 in Cebu.

Goes $3,733
Cebu $1,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,873 in Goes versus $1,921 in Cebu.

Goes $4,873
Cebu $1,921

Living in Goes is roughly 184% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Goes is 91% above, Cebu is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.51 €14.72

$3.05 ₱194

441.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.7 €64.8

$24.00 ₱1,525

202.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.84 €13.23

$3.99 ₱254

271.93%

Cappuccino

$4.89 €4.36

$2.50 ₱159

95.60%

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

$3.24 €2.89

$1.54 ₱98.0

110.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 €2.50

$0.50 ₱31.66

462.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.57 €5.85

$1.78 ₱113

269.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.05

$2.17 ₱138

161.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.00 ₱127

-26.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 €2.14

$1.37 ₱87.0

75.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.71 €3.31

$1.03 ₱65.5

260.19%

Eggs

$5.25 €4.68

$2.03 ₱129

158.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.14 €13.49

$10.20 ₱648

48.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.91 €13.29

$4.45 ₱283

235.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.87 €14.14

$7.67 ₱487

106.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$3.31 ₱210

-16.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$1.46 ₱92.7

69.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.32 ₱147

-19.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.62 €5.01

$1.49 ₱94.9

277.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$2.34 ₱149

-22.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$1.94 ₱123

44.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.16 ₱73.7

10.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 €0.77

$0.68 ₱43.30

27.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.06 €12.53

$2.99 ₱190

370.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.98 €6.22

$6.24 ₱397

11.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.23 ₱78.0

4.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 €2.33

$1.73 ₱110

50.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.40 €3.03

$0.23 ₱14.49

1378.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.0 €78.4

$12.34 ₱784

613.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.07 €3.63

$0.79 ₱50.4

415.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.80 €2.50

$0.22 ₱13.99

1172.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.59 €26.38

$4.54 ₱288

551.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 €2.16

$1.32 ₱83.7

83.33%

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

$42.0K €37.5K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

100.07%

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

$38.6K €34.4K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

99.02%

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

$340 €303

$119 ₱7,534

187.00%

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

$22.78 €20.30

$14.22 ₱904

60.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.6 €54.9

$27.47 ₱1,746

124.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.24 €35.86

$32.31 ₱2,053

24.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.47 €20.92

$6.50 ₱413

261.08%

Cinema Ticket

$14.53 €12.95

$5.40 ₱343

169.07%

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

$2,996 €2,670

$276 ₱17.5K

985.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,979 €5,329

$7,866 ₱499.9K

-23.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.8 €83.6

$49.37 ₱3,137

89.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.63 €37.99

$24.58 ₱1,562

73.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 €77.3

$76.6 ₱4,870

13.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.0 €88.2

$58.9 ₱3,741

68.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,415 €1,261

$503 ₱32.0K

181.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,172 €1,045

$305 ₱19.4K

285.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,429 €2,165

$1,075 ₱68.3K

126.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,880 €1,675

$632 ₱40.2K

197.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,254 €4,683

$2,870 ₱182.4K

83.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,444 €3,961

$1,877 ₱119.3K

136.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,080 €2,745

$336 ₱21.3K

816.95%

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 Goes: October 18, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Goes

$1.2K 45.2%

Cebu

$305 33.3% 74% $868

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Goes

$425 16.4%

Cebu

$160 17.5% 62.3% $264

Groceries & Markets

Goes

$359 13.8%

Cebu

$210 22.9% 41.6% $149

Eating Out

Goes

$304 11.7%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 71.1% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Goes

$145 5.6%

Cebu

$94 10.3% 35% $51

Getting Around

Goes

$120 4.6%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 87.3% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Goes

$69 2.7%

Cebu

$43 4.7% 37.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,415 in Goes and $503 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Goes pays about 9.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $73 in Goes vs $24 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $359 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Goes

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

07:56 7:56 AM

14:56 2:56 PM

7 h ahead of Goes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,495

964,169

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 63.55 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.3 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Goes Cebu 11,070 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Goes
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

Goes vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 184% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Goes is about 9.2 times higher, 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: $1,415 in Goes versus $503 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,593 per month in Goes versus $915 in Cebu – a 184% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 86% less than in Goes. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Goes 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 65% less than in Goes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.