Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haarlem and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $3,171 in Haarlem, rent and utilities included – about $26,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

154

Cost of Living Index in Haarlem
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Haarlem Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Haarlem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,171

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,171 in Haarlem versus $934 in Cebu.

Haarlem $3,171
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,482 in Haarlem versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Haarlem $4,482
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,792 in Haarlem versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Haarlem $5,792
Cebu $1,896

Living in Haarlem is roughly 240% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Haarlem is 137% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.72 €25.63

$3.03 ₱190

847.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.5 €88.8

$23.48 ₱1,473

323.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.62 €12.15

$4.09 ₱256

233.01%

Cappuccino

$4.31 €3.85

$2.52 ₱158

71.03%

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

$4.05 €3.61

$1.54 ₱96.9

162.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 €2.93

$0.49 ₱30.98

569.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.07 €7.20

$1.79 ₱112

350.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 €5.15

$2.26 ₱142

155.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.95 ₱122

-24.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 €2.47

$1.43 ₱89.7

93.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$1.02 ₱63.8

157.84%

Eggs

$4.92 €4.39

$2.06 ₱129

138.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.60 €12.14

$9.81 ₱615

38.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.01 €11.61

$4.61 ₱289

182.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.70 €19.37

$7.70 ₱483

181.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 €2.58

$3.31 ₱207

-12.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$1.45 ₱90.9

74.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$2.36 ₱148

-22.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 €4.59

$1.54 ₱96.4

234.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$2.36 ₱148

-22.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.99 ₱125

12.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.15 ₱72.1

6.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$0.67 ₱42.15

49.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.77 €12.29

$3.00 ₱188

359.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 €6.93

$6.35 ₱398

22.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.31 ₱81.9

19.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 €2.21

$1.73 ₱108

43.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 €2.57

$0.25 ₱15.78

1056.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.8 €72.1

$12.65 ₱793

538.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.47 €5.78

$0.74 ₱46.32

774.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.54 €2.27

$0.21 ₱13.11

1109.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.21 €23.39

$4.33 ₱271

505.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.33 ₱83.5

84.96%

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

$40.9K €36.5K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

87.99%

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

$39.4K €35.1K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

102.87%

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

$251 €224

$121 ₱7,563

108.55%

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

$23.91 €21.34

$14.45 ₱907

65.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.8 €53.3

$28.29 ₱1,774

111.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €51.2

$32.68 ₱2,050

75.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.49 €25.42

$6.39 ₱401

345.85%

Cinema Ticket

$16.36 €14.60

$5.46 ₱342

199.63%

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

$2,638 €2,354

$273 ₱17.1K

864.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,600 €5,890

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-19.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 €75.9

$49.57 ₱3,109

71.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 €55.5

$24.87 ₱1,560

150.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.1 €86.7

$76.6 ₱4,804

26.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 €131

$59.3 ₱3,717

148.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 €1,767

$506 ₱31.7K

291.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,675 €1,495

$309 ₱19.4K

441.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,884 €2,573

$1,052 ₱66.0K

174.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,356 €2,103

$619 ₱38.8K

280.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,735 €6,902

$2,915 ₱182.9K

165.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,735 €5,118

$1,867 ₱117.1K

207.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,202 €3,749

$341 ₱21.4K

1131.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

7.2

-47.22%

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

Last update for Haarlem: 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

Haarlem

$1.7K 53.1%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 81.5% $1.4K

Eating Out

Haarlem

$404 12.8%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 78.1% $315

Groceries & Markets

Haarlem

$361 11.5%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 41.8% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Haarlem

$335 10.6%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 51.3% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Haarlem

$176 5.6%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 46.3% $82

Getting Around

Haarlem

$112 3.5%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 86.2% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Haarlem

$90 2.9%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 51.6% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,980 in Haarlem and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Haarlem pays 1132% 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: $99.0 in Haarlem vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $361 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Haarlem

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

13:22 1:22 PM

6 h ahead of Haarlem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,396

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

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Between locations

Haarlem Cebu 10,980 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Haarlem
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

Haarlem vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 240% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1132% higher in Haarlem, 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: $1,980 in Haarlem versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,171 per month in Haarlem versus $934 in Cebu – a 240% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 539% less than in Haarlem. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $3,171 in Haarlem, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Haarlem. 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 Haarlem, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Haarlem 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 240% less than in Haarlem. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.