Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iloilo and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Iloilo: $725 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Iloilo
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Iloilo Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Iloilo

🇵🇭 Philippines

$725

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $725 in Iloilo versus $934 in Cebu.

Iloilo $725
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,045 in Iloilo versus $1,423 in Cebu.

Iloilo $1,045
Cebu $1,423

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,366 in Iloilo versus $1,913 in Cebu.

Iloilo $1,366
Cebu $1,913

Living in Iloilo costs roughly 22% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Iloilo 47% lower, Cebu 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.76 ₱176

$3.79 ₱242

-27.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.94 ₱1,210

$23.33 ₱1,491

-18.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.09 ₱198

$3.94 ₱252

-21.57%

Cappuccino

$2.04 ₱131

$2.54 ₱163

-19.69%

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

$0.67 ₱42.66

$1.57 ₱100

-57.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.26

$0.47 ₱29.82

-29.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ₱68.8

$1.77 ₱113

-38.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ₱112

$2.22 ₱142

-20.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₱104

$1.90 ₱121

-13.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ₱72.0

$1.36 ₱87.1

-16.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.82 ₱52.5

$0.94 ₱59.8

-12.77%

Eggs

$1.96 ₱125

$1.99 ₱127

-1.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.02 ₱384

$9.70 ₱620

-37.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.95 ₱252

$4.32 ₱276

-8.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.21 ₱397

$7.51 ₱480

-17.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 ₱201

$3.31 ₱211

-4.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ₱65.7

$1.37 ₱87.5

-24.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 ₱184

$2.34 ₱149

23.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ₱90.9

$1.49 ₱95.4

-4.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 ₱146

$2.30 ₱147

-0.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 ₱171

$1.87 ₱120

43.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 ₱88.6

$1.10 ₱70.3

26.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₱51.8

$0.63 ₱40.36

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.96 ₱189

$2.86 ₱183

3.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.25 ₱399

$6.08 ₱389

2.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₱71.0

$1.27 ₱81.4

-12.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 ₱77.9

$1.72 ₱110

-29.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ₱13.37

$0.22 ₱13.99

-4.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.20 ₱460

$12.34 ₱788

-41.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱50.7

$0.74 ₱47.53

6.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ₱20.71

$0.22 ₱14.08

45.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.28 ₱146

$4.28 ₱273

-46.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ₱74.2

$1.31 ₱83.7

-11.45%

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

$21.2K ₱1.4M

$20.8K ₱1.3M

2.05%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

0.87%

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

$62.9 ₱4,021

$118 ₱7,565

-46.85%

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

$9.13 ₱583

$15.76 ₱1,007

-42.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.66 ₱1,704

$28.33 ₱1,810

-5.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.52 ₱608

$32.94 ₱2,105

-71.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.49 ₱415

Cinema Ticket

$4.64 ₱296

$5.45 ₱348

-14.86%

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

$31.62 ₱2,020

$276 ₱17.6K

-88.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,789 ₱497.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.81 ₱1,521

$48.18 ₱3,078

-50.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.38 ₱1,110

$24.47 ₱1,564

-28.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.7 ₱3,495

$75.3 ₱4,810

-27.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$23.87 ₱1,525

$58.0 ₱3,707

-58.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 ₱25.3K

$477 ₱30.5K

-16.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$290 ₱18.5K

$322 ₱20.6K

-9.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 ₱74.0K

$963 ₱61.5K

20.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$419 ₱26.8K

$626 ₱40.0K

-33.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,698 ₱236.3K

$4,551 ₱290.8K

-18.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$998 ₱63.8K

$3,028 ₱193.5K

-67.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 ₱12.8K

$333 ₱21.3K

-40.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.33

7.2

1.81%

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

Last update for Iloilo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iloilo

$290 40.1%

Cebu

$322 34.5% 10.8% $31

Groceries & Markets

Iloilo

$184 25.4%

Cebu

$204 21.8% 10.9% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iloilo

$99 13.6%

Cebu

$163 17.4% 64.6% $64

Eating Out

Iloilo

$69 9.5%

Cebu

$94 10.1% 36.9% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Iloilo

$54 7.4%

Cebu

$93 9.9% 72% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Iloilo

$19 2.6%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 133% $25

Getting Around

Iloilo

$10 1.4%

Cebu

$15 1.6% 44.1% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $396 in Iloilo and $477 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 67% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Iloilo vs $23 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $204 per month, with Iloilo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Iloilo

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

04:27 4:27 AM

Same time as Iloilo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

457,626

964,169

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Iloilo Cebu 150 km

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Iloilo
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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

Iloilo vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Iloilo is about 22% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 40% lower in Iloilo. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $396 in Iloilo versus $477 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $725 per month in Iloilo versus $934 in Cebu – Iloilo is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Iloilo runs roughly 42% less than in Cebu. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

For families, Iloilo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cebu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Iloilo and Cebu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Iloilo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.