Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilsan and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,444 in Ilsan, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Ilsan
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Ilsan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Ilsan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,444

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,444 in Ilsan versus $918 in Cebu.

Ilsan $1,444
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Ilsan versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Ilsan $2,297
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,151 in Ilsan versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Ilsan $3,151
Cebu $1,900

Living in Ilsan is roughly 57% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ilsan is 7% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.30 ₩9,705

$3.09 ₱194

136.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 ₩89.6K

$24.22 ₱1,525

178.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.34 ₩9,763

$3.92 ₱247

87.24%

Cappuccino

$4.01 ₩5,337

$2.51 ₱158

59.76%

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

$1.61 ₩2,139

$1.59 ₱100

1.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₩1,017

$0.53 ₱33.43

45.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.79 ₩5,034

$1.78 ₱112

112.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.07 ₩8,070

$2.17 ₱137

179.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 ₩2,764

$1.92 ₱121

8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₩4,198

$1.36 ₱85.4

132.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 ₩2,971

$1.01 ₱63.5

120.79%

Eggs

$3.36 ₩4,466

$2.03 ₱128

65.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.36 ₩20.4K

$9.86 ₱621

55.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.94 ₩10.6K

$4.39 ₱277

80.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.21 ₩14.9K

$7.60 ₱479

47.50%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,860

$3.30 ₱208

124.85%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 ₩4,324

$1.39 ₱87.8

133.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.75 ₩7,649

$2.33 ₱147

146.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.08 ₩8,087

$1.50 ₱94.3

305.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.51 ₩4,666

$2.36 ₱149

48.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 ₩3,152

$1.90 ₱119

24.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 ₩2,657

$1.19 ₱74.9

68.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 ₩1,520

$0.63 ₱39.71

80.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.41 ₩4,535

$3.00 ₱189

13.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.73 ₩24.9K

$6.03 ₱379

210.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 ₩2,960

$1.23 ₱77.7

81.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 ₩4,449

$1.75 ₱110

91.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₩1,462

$0.25 ₱15.86

340.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.42 ₩65.7K

$12.64 ₱796

290.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 ₩4,834

$0.77 ₱48.62

372.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩833

$0.23 ₱14.53

173.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.18 ₩12.2K

$4.46 ₱281

105.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₩1,883

$1.31 ₱82.8

8.40%

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

$29.3K ₩39.0M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

38.01%

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

$28.3K ₩37.6M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

47.63%

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

$213 ₩283.4K

$120 ₱7,569

77.29%

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

$34.95 ₩46.5K

$14.00 ₱882

149.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.52 ₩27.3K

$27.54 ₱1,734

-25.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 ₩69.2K

$32.33 ₱2,035

60.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₩15.7K

$6.65 ₱419

77.74%

Cinema Ticket

$11.30 ₩15.0K

$5.65 ₱356

100.00%

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

$520 ₩691.8K

$275 ₱17.3K

88.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K ₩23.4M

$7,918 ₱498.5K

122.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$49.33 ₱3,106

15.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.76 ₩43.6K

$25.24 ₱1,589

29.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.9 ₩93.0K

$77.0 ₱4,846

-9.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.0 ₩110.3K

$57.2 ₱3,601

45.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ₩640.8K

$500 ₱31.5K

-3.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 ₩485.2K

$309 ₱19.4K

18.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,166 ₩1.6M

$1,078 ₱67.9K

8.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$738 ₩981.9K

$615 ₱38.7K

20.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,213 ₩9.6M

$2,886 ₱181.7K

149.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,518 ₩7.3M

$1,917 ₱120.7K

187.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,453 ₩4.6M

$346 ₱21.8K

898.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.1

7.2

-43.06%

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

Last update for Ilsan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ilsan

$396 27.5%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 48.1% $191

Accommodation & Living

Ilsan

$365 25.3%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 15.4% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ilsan

$269 18.6%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 39.8% $107

Eating Out

Ilsan

$169 11.7%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 47.8% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Ilsan

$109 7.6%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 14% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Ilsan

$75 5.2%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 41.5% $31

Getting Around

Ilsan

$61 4.2%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 74.3% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Ilsan and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilsan pays 898% 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: $67.0 in Ilsan vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $396 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Ilsan

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

03:51 3:51 AM

02:51 2:51 AM

1 h behind Ilsan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,061,752

964,169

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ilsan Cebu 3,060 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ilsan
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

Ilsan vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 57% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 898% higher in Ilsan, 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: $482 in Ilsan versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,444 per month in Ilsan versus $918 in Cebu – a 57% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 291% less than in Ilsan. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,444 in Ilsan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Ilsan. 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 Ilsan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ilsan 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 57% less than in Ilsan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.