Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Groningen and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $2,285 in Groningen, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Groningen
Learn more

Groningen Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Groningen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,285

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,285 in Groningen versus $934 in Cebu.

Groningen $2,285
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,459 in Groningen versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Groningen $3,459
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,632 in Groningen versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Groningen $4,632
Cebu $1,896

Living in Groningen is roughly 145% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Groningen is 71% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.40 €18.20

$3.03 ₱190

573.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €90.9

$23.48 ₱1,473

333.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.01 €14.29

$4.09 ₱256

291.44%

Cappuccino

$4.57 €4.08

$2.52 ₱158

81.35%

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

$3.77 €3.37

$1.54 ₱96.9

144.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 €2.80

$0.49 ₱30.98

540.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 €5.06

$1.79 ₱112

216.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 €5.04

$2.26 ₱142

150.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.95 ₱122

-27.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.43 ₱89.7

79.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.02 ₱63.8

149.02%

Eggs

$4.64 €4.14

$2.06 ₱129

125.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.50 €11.16

$9.81 ₱615

27.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.48 €12.03

$4.61 ₱289

192.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.02 €16.08

$7.70 ₱483

134.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 €2.70

$3.31 ₱207

-8.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.45 ₱90.9

64.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 €2.26

$2.36 ₱148

7.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.72 €4.21

$1.54 ₱96.4

206.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.36 ₱148

-13.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.99 ₱125

-17.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.15 ₱72.1

9.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$0.67 ₱42.15

91.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.70 €13.12

$3.00 ₱188

390.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.59 €5.88

$6.35 ₱398

3.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.31 ₱81.9

10.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.20

$1.73 ₱108

42.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.19 €3.74

$0.25 ₱15.78

1576.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.2 €60.9

$12.65 ₱793

439.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.81 €6.08

$0.74 ₱46.32

820.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.76 €2.47

$0.21 ₱13.11

1214.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.10 €25.97

$4.33 ₱271

572.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.62 €2.33

$1.33 ₱83.5

96.99%

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

$41.4K €37.0K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

90.26%

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

$38.8K €34.6K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

99.79%

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

$234 €209

$121 ₱7,563

93.80%

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

$20.80 €18.56

$14.45 ₱907

43.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.0 €44.63

$28.29 ₱1,774

76.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.57 €35.31

$32.68 ₱2,050

21.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.76 €13.18

$6.39 ₱401

130.99%

Cinema Ticket

$16.89 €15.07

$5.46 ₱342

209.34%

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

$1,799 €1,606

$273 ₱17.1K

558.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,677 €6,851

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-5.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.8

$49.57 ₱3,109

112.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.38 €39.60

$24.87 ₱1,560

78.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$76.6 ₱4,804

34.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$197 €176

$59.3 ₱3,717

233.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,310 €1,169

$506 ₱31.7K

159.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$925 €825

$309 ₱19.4K

198.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,972 €1,760

$1,052 ₱66.0K

87.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 €1,302

$619 ₱38.8K

135.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,263 €4,697

$2,915 ₱182.9K

80.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,970 €3,543

$1,867 ₱117.1K

112.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,025 €2,700

$341 ₱21.4K

787.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.43

7.2

-52.36%

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

Last update for Groningen: October 6, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Groningen

$925 40.4%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 66.5% $615

Groceries & Markets

Groningen

$346 15.1%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 39.2% $135

Eating Out

Groningen

$333 14.6%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 73.5% $245

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Groningen

$304 13.3%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 46.4% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Groningen

$203 8.9%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 53.3% $108

Getting Around

Groningen

$106 4.6%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 85.4% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Groningen

$73 3.2%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 40.6% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,310 in Groningen and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Groningen pays 787% 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: $102 in Groningen vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Groningen

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

12:06 12:06 PM

6 h ahead of Groningen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

201,242

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

Groningen Cebu 10,820 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Groningen
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

Groningen vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 145% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 787% higher in Groningen, 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: $1,310 in Groningen versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,285 per month in Groningen versus $934 in Cebu – a 145% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 439% less than in Groningen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $2,285 in Groningen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Groningen. 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 Groningen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Groningen 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 145% less than in Groningen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.