Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Halmstad and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,605 in Halmstad, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Halmstad
Learn more

Halmstad Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Halmstad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,605

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,605 in Halmstad versus $918 in Cebu.

Halmstad $1,605
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,504 in Halmstad versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Halmstad $2,504
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,402 in Halmstad versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Halmstad $3,402
Cebu $1,900

Living in Halmstad is roughly 75% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Halmstad is 19% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.90 SEK 128

$3.09 ₱194

317.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.8 SEK 701

$24.22 ₱1,525

192.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.37 SEK 113

$3.92 ₱247

190.05%

Cappuccino

$4.57 SEK 45.23

$2.51 ₱158

82.07%

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

$2.89 SEK 28.61

$1.59 ₱100

81.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 SEK 22.16

$0.53 ₱33.43

322.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 SEK 68.2

$1.78 ₱112

286.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.36 SEK 72.9

$2.17 ₱137

239.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 SEK 14.57

$1.92 ₱121

-23.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 SEK 24.56

$1.36 ₱85.4

82.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 SEK 31.76

$1.01 ₱63.5

217.82%

Eggs

$3.31 SEK 32.78

$2.03 ₱128

63.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 SEK 111

$9.86 ₱621

14.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 SEK 88.9

$4.39 ₱277

104.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.16 SEK 160

$7.60 ₱479

112.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 SEK 30.78

$3.30 ₱208

-5.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.52 SEK 24.92

$1.39 ₱87.8

81.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 SEK 28.22

$2.33 ₱147

22.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 SEK 40.35

$1.50 ₱94.3

171.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 SEK 15.12

$2.36 ₱149

-35.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 SEK 15.06

$1.90 ₱119

-20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 SEK 19.30

$1.19 ₱74.9

63.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 SEK 9.33

$0.63 ₱39.71

49.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 SEK 63.9

$3.00 ₱189

114.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.43 SEK 103

$6.03 ₱379

72.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 SEK 20.86

$1.23 ₱77.7

71.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 SEK 21.43

$1.75 ₱110

23.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 SEK 27.13

$0.25 ₱15.86

996.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.6 SEK 650

$12.64 ₱796

419.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.18 SEK 61.2

$0.77 ₱48.62

702.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 SEK 17.03

$0.23 ₱14.53

647.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.5 SEK 580

$4.46 ₱281

1212.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 SEK 17.09

$1.31 ₱82.8

31.30%

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

$32.4K SEK 320.8K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

52.41%

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

$32.9K SEK 325.9K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

71.77%

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

$105 SEK 1,040

$120 ₱7,569

-12.68%

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

$19.69 SEK 195

$14.00 ₱882

40.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.06 SEK 328

$27.54 ₱1,734

20.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.63 SEK 343

$32.33 ₱2,035

7.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$16.16 SEK 160

$5.65 ₱356

186.02%

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

$152 SEK 1,505

$275 ₱17.3K

-44.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,398 SEK 43.6K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-44.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 SEK 879

$49.33 ₱3,106

79.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 SEK 321

$25.24 ₱1,589

28.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.3 SEK 865

$77.0 ₱4,846

13.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 SEK 1,286

$57.2 ₱3,601

126.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$571 SEK 5,661

$500 ₱31.5K

14.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$557 SEK 5,524

$309 ₱19.4K

80.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 SEK 10.9K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

2.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$962 SEK 9,528

$615 ₱38.7K

56.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,302 SEK 42.6K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

49.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,298 SEK 22.8K

$346 ₱21.8K

564.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

7.2

-57.50%

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

Last update for Halmstad: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Halmstad

$558 34.7%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 44.6% $249

Groceries & Markets

Halmstad

$317 19.8%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 35.1% $112

Eating Out

Halmstad

$262 16.3%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 66.3% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Halmstad

$158 9.8%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 2.6% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

Halmstad

$152 9.5%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 38.3% $58

Getting Around

Halmstad

$91 5.7%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 83% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Halmstad

$67 4.2%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 34.8% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $571 in Halmstad and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Halmstad pays 564% 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: $71.0 in Halmstad vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $317 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Halmstad

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

15:03 3:03 PM

6 h ahead of Halmstad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,688

964,169

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Halmstad Cebu 10,290 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Halmstad
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

Halmstad vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 75% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 564% higher in Halmstad, 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: $571 in Halmstad versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,605 per month in Halmstad versus $918 in Cebu – a 75% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 419% less than in Halmstad. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,605 in Halmstad, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Halmstad. 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 Halmstad, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Halmstad 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 75% less than in Halmstad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.