Measurement units Temperature, distance and clock format
Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Ismailia and Cebu
For one person, living is cheaper in Ismailia: $330 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ismailia and in Cebu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $330 in Ismailia versus $915 in Cebu.
Ismailia $330
Cebu $915
Estimated couple costs with rent: $561 in Ismailia versus $1,418 in Cebu.
Ismailia $561
Cebu $1,418
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $792 in Ismailia versus $1,921 in Cebu.
Ismailia $792
Cebu $1,921
🌍
Living in Ismailia costs roughly 64% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.
📊
Both cities sit below the global median: Ismailia76% lower, Cebu33% lower.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Ismailia
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.30E£176
$3.05₱192
8.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$14.58E£778
$24.00₱1,511
-39.25%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$3.76E£201
$3.99₱251
-5.76%
Cappuccino
$1.04E£55.5
$2.50₱157
-58.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30E£15.91
$1.54₱97.1
-80.52%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.13E£6.85
$0.50₱31.37
-74.00%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$1.32E£70.6
$1.78₱112
-25.84%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80E£96.0
$2.17₱136
-17.05%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ismailia
Cebu
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$0.79E£42.30
$2.00₱126
-60.50%
White Bread(500g)
$0.36E£19.07
$1.37₱86.2
-73.72%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$0.60E£32.12
$1.03₱64.9
-41.75%
Eggs
$1.15E£61.5
$2.03₱128
-43.35%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$3.49E£186
$10.20₱642
-65.78%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$3.98E£213
$4.45₱280
-10.56%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$6.95E£371
$7.67₱483
-9.39%
Apples(1kg)
$1.45E£77.3
$3.31₱208
-56.19%
Banana(1kg)
$0.54E£29.05
$1.46₱91.8
-63.01%
Oranges(1kg)
$0.41E£22.01
$2.32₱146
-82.33%
Tomato(1kg)
$0.31E£16.79
$1.49₱94.0
-79.19%
Potato(1kg)
$0.26E£13.89
$2.34₱147
-88.89%
Onion(1kg)
$0.32E£17.12
$1.94₱122
-83.51%
Lettuce(1 head)
$0.23E£12.31
$1.16₱73.0
-80.17%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.20E£10.67
$0.68₱42.89
-70.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$1.86E£99.5
$2.99₱188
-37.79%
Wine(Bottle)
$5.48E£293
$6.24₱393
-12.18%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.04E£55.4
$1.23₱77.3
-15.45%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89E£101
$1.73₱109
9.25%
🚌 Getting Around
Ismailia
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.23E£12.26
$0.23₱14.36
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$3.77E£201
$12.34₱777
-69.45%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$0.39E£20.60
$0.79₱49.96
-50.63%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.48E£25.72
$0.22₱13.86
118.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$1.13E£60.2
$4.54₱286
-75.11%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$0.42E£22.18
$1.32₱82.9
-68.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.6KE£1.5M
$21.0K₱1.3M
31.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$14.6KE£780.2K
$19.4K₱1.2M
-24.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ismailia
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$13.94E£744
$119₱7,464
-88.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.66E£355
$14.22₱896
-53.16%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$7.33E£391
$27.47₱1,730
-73.32%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ismailia
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$9.65E£515
$32.31₱2,034
-70.13%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.42E£984
$6.50₱409
183.38%
Cinema Ticket
$1.82E£97.4
$5.40₱340
-66.30%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ismailia
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$65.6E£3,502
$276₱17.4K
-76.24%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$1,171E£62.5K
$7,866₱495.3K
-85.11%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ismailia
Cebu
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$12.92E£690
$49.37₱3,108
-73.83%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$9.19E£491
$24.58₱1,548
-62.61%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$127E£6,764
$76.6₱4,825
65.29%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$27.53E£1,470
$58.9₱3,706
-53.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ismailia
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$78.3E£4,181
$503₱31.7K
-84.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$31.44E£1,679
$305₱19.2K
-89.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$120E£6,414
$1,075₱67.7K
-88.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$75.2E£4,017
$632₱39.8K
-88.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$458E£24.5K
$2,870₱180.7K
-84.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$131E£6,984
$1,877₱118.2K
-93.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ismailia
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$101E£5,387
$336₱21.1K
-69.97%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
21.33
7.2
196.25%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Ismailia: October 19, 2026
Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🛒Groceries & Markets
Ismailia
$108 32.8%
Cebu
$210 22.9% ↑ 93.9%$102
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Ismailia
$79 24.1%
Cebu
$94 10.3% ↑ 18.8%$15
🍽Eating Out
Ismailia
$62 18.8%
Cebu
$88 9.6% ↑ 41.5%$26
🏠Accommodation & Living
Ismailia
$31 9.5%
Cebu
$305 33.3% ↑ 869%$273
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ismailia
$28 8.5%
Cebu
$160 17.5% ↑ 474%$132
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Ismailia
$13 4%
Cebu
$43 4.7% ↑ 224%$30
🚌Getting Around
Ismailia
$7.5 2.3%
Cebu
$15 1.7% ↑ 103%$7.7
🛒Groceries & Markets
Ismailia
$249 31.5%
Cebu
$491 25.6% ↑ 97.2%$242
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Ismailia
$176 22.3%
Cebu
$209 10.9% ↑ 18.8%$33
🍽Eating Out
Ismailia
$196 24.8%
Cebu
$290 15.1% ↑ 47.8%$94
🏠Accommodation & Living
Ismailia
$75 9.5%
Cebu
$632 32.9% ↑ 740%$557
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ismailia
$35 4.4%
Cebu
$174 9.1% ↑ 405%$140
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Ismailia
$45 5.7%
Cebu
$93 4.8% ↑ 106%$48
🚌Getting Around
Ismailia
$15 2%
Cebu
$31 1.6% ↑ 99.4%$15
Cost Breakdown
🏠A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $78.3 in Ismailia and $503 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Cebu pays 233% 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: $15.00 in Ismailia vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $108 vs $210 per month, with Ismailia cheaper across the board.
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
Ismailia vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cebu cheaper than Ismailia?
Ismailia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 177% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Ismailia or Cebu?
On paper, salaries run 233% lower in Cebu. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Ismailia and Cebu?
Rent for a central apartment: $78.3 in Ismailia versus $503 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Ismailia and in Cebu?
All in, you'll spend $330 per month in Ismailia versus $915 in Cebu – a 177% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Ismailia runs roughly 227% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $800 enough for either Ismailia or Cebu?
Either city works on $800 a month, though Ismailia gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is Ismailia or Cebu more family-friendly?
For families, Ismailia 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.
Which city is safer, Ismailia or Cebu?
Safety-wise, Ismailia 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Ismailia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 177% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.