Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Heraklion and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,609 in Heraklion, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Heraklion
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Heraklion Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Heraklion

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,609

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,609 in Heraklion versus $934 in Cebu.

Heraklion $1,609
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,492 in Heraklion versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Heraklion $2,492
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,374 in Heraklion versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Heraklion $3,374
Cebu $1,896

Living in Heraklion is roughly 72% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Heraklion is 20% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.02 €11.62

$3.03 ₱190

329.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.5 €50.4

$23.48 ₱1,473

140.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.03 €8.96

$4.09 ₱256

145.23%

Cappuccino

$3.80 €3.39

$2.52 ₱158

50.79%

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

$2.43 €2.17

$1.54 ₱96.9

57.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.49 ₱30.98

55.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.02

$1.79 ₱112

213.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.48 €4.89

$2.26 ₱142

142.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.95 ₱122

-8.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.43 ₱89.7

2.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.02 ₱63.8

167.65%

Eggs

$4.38 €3.91

$2.06 ₱129

112.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.75 €14.06

$9.81 ₱615

60.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 €9.30

$4.61 ₱289

126.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.23 €13.59

$7.70 ₱483

97.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$3.31 ₱207

-32.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$1.45 ₱90.9

43.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 €1.20

$2.36 ₱148

-43.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.54 ₱96.4

14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 €1.05

$2.36 ₱148

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.99 ₱125

-38.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.15 ₱72.1

-18.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.67 ₱42.15

5.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 €4.57

$3.00 ₱188

70.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.80 €6.96

$6.35 ₱398

22.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.31 ₱81.9

73.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 €2.57

$1.73 ₱108

66.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.25 ₱15.78

488.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.0 €59.8

$12.65 ₱793

429.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 €4.02

$0.74 ₱46.32

509.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 €1.01

$0.21 ₱13.11

438.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.08 €9.89

$4.33 ₱271

155.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.33 ₱83.5

68.42%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

28.48%

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

$24.0K €21.5K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

23.94%

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

$195 €174

$121 ₱7,563

61.78%

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

$30.21 €26.96

$14.45 ₱907

109.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.66 €33.61

$28.29 ₱1,774

33.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.93 €44.56

$32.68 ₱2,050

52.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.72 €35.44

$6.39 ₱401

521.60%

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 €8.07

$5.46 ₱342

65.75%

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

$410 €366

$273 ₱17.1K

49.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,089 €3,649

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-49.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.0 €79.4

$49.57 ₱3,109

79.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.78 €38.18

$24.87 ₱1,560

72.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 €73.7

$76.6 ₱4,804

7.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €122

$59.3 ₱3,717

129.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$506 ₱31.7K

28.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 €450

$309 ₱19.4K

63.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 €986

$1,052 ₱66.0K

5.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 €897

$619 ₱38.8K

62.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,070 €3,632

$2,915 ₱182.9K

39.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,799 €2,498

$1,867 ₱117.1K

49.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,111 €992

$341 ₱21.4K

225.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

7.2

-38.33%

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

Last update for Heraklion: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Heraklion

$505 31.5%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 38.7% $195

Groceries & Markets

Heraklion

$295 18.4%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 28.7% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Heraklion

$263 16.4%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 37.9% $100

Eating Out

Heraklion

$232 14.5%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 61.9% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Heraklion

$158 9.8%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 40% $63

Getting Around

Heraklion

$83 5.2%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 81.4% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Heraklion

$68 4.2%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 35.9% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $652 in Heraklion and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Heraklion pays 226% 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: $56.0 in Heraklion vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Heraklion

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

13:10 1:10 PM

5 h ahead of Heraklion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,730

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

Heraklion Cebu 10,130 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Heraklion
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

Heraklion vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 72% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 226% higher in Heraklion, 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: $652 in Heraklion versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,609 per month in Heraklion versus $934 in Cebu – a 72% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 430% less than in Heraklion. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,609 in Heraklion, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Heraklion. 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 Heraklion, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Heraklion 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 72% less than in Heraklion. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.