Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jakarta and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Jakarta: $793 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

38

Cost of Living Index in Jakarta
Learn more

Jakarta Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Jakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$793

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $793 in Jakarta versus $934 in Cebu.

Jakarta $793
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,283 in Jakarta versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Jakarta $1,283
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,772 in Jakarta versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Jakarta $1,772
Cebu $1,896

Living in Jakarta costs roughly 15% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Jakarta 41% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.63 Rp 47.1K

$3.03 ₱191

-13.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.93 Rp 302.9K

$23.48 ₱1,476

-27.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.33 Rp 59.5K

$4.09 ₱257

-18.58%

Cappuccino

$2.00 Rp 35.8K

$2.52 ₱158

-20.63%

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

$0.43 Rp 7,775

$1.54 ₱97.2

-72.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 Rp 4,472

$0.49 ₱31.06

-48.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 Rp 45.9K

$1.79 ₱113

43.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 Rp 68.9K

$2.26 ₱142

70.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

$1.95 ₱122

-27.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 Rp 19.4K

$1.43 ₱89.9

-23.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 Rp 16.2K

$1.02 ₱64.0

-10.78%

Eggs

$1.77 Rp 31.7K

$2.06 ₱129

-14.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 Rp 164.9K

$9.81 ₱617

-6.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.11 Rp 55.6K

$4.61 ₱290

-32.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.78 Rp 139.1K

$7.70 ₱484

1.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 Rp 51.4K

$3.31 ₱208

-13.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 Rp 23.5K

$1.45 ₱91.2

-8.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 Rp 44.6K

$2.36 ₱148

5.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 Rp 24.9K

$1.54 ₱96.6

-9.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 Rp 24.8K

$2.36 ₱148

-41.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 Rp 37.6K

$1.99 ₱125

5.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 Rp 16.8K

$1.15 ₱72.3

-18.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,105

$0.67 ₱42.26

-23.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.80 Rp 50.1K

$3.00 ₱189

-6.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.83 Rp 372.7K

$6.35 ₱399

228.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 Rp 36.7K

$1.31 ₱82.1

56.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 Rp 54.4K

$1.73 ₱109

75.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,809

$0.25 ₱15.82

8.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.86 Rp 212.1K

$12.65 ₱796

-6.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 Rp 8,982

$0.74 ₱46.44

-32.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 Rp 5,888

$0.21 ₱13.15

57.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 Rp 61.2K

$4.33 ₱272

-21.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 Rp 15.6K

$1.33 ₱83.7

-34.59%

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

$27.8K Rp 496.8M

$21.8K ₱1.4M

27.60%

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

$32.6K Rp 583.5M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

68.13%

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

$106 Rp 1.9M

$121 ₱7,583

-12.21%

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

$6.04 Rp 108.0K

$14.45 ₱909

-58.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.04 Rp 340.7K

$28.29 ₱1,779

-32.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.65 Rp 458.8K

$32.68 ₱2,055

-21.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.65 Rp 244.3K

$6.39 ₱402

113.62%

Cinema Ticket

$3.29 Rp 58.8K

$5.46 ₱343

-39.74%

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

$153 Rp 2.7M

$273 ₱17.2K

-43.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,270 Rp 147.9M

$8,156 ₱512.9K

1.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.7 Rp 1.0M

$49.57 ₱3,117

18.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.37 Rp 507.5K

$24.87 ₱1,564

14.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

$76.6 ₱4,817

-7.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 Rp 1.9M

$59.3 ₱3,727

78.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 Rp 6.6M

$506 ₱31.8K

-26.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$200 Rp 3.6M

$309 ₱19.5K

-35.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 Rp 20.7M

$1,052 ₱66.1K

9.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$556 Rp 10.0M

$619 ₱38.9K

-10.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,023 Rp 54.1M

$2,915 ₱183.4K

3.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 Rp 25.9M

$1,867 ₱117.4K

-22.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$449 Rp 8.0M

$341 ₱21.5K

31.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

7.2

31.39%

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

Last update for Jakarta: October 6, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jakarta

$218 27.5%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 3.4% $7.4

Accommodation & Living

Jakarta

$200 25.3%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 54.5% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jakarta

$131 16.5%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 24.7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Jakarta

$119 15%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 20.3% $24

Eating Out

Jakarta

$78 9.9%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 12.8% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Jakarta

$32 4.1%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 35.3% $11

Getting Around

Jakarta

$15 1.9%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 2.4% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $370 in Jakarta and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jakarta pays 32% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $17.00 in Jakarta vs $23.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $218 vs $210, with Cebu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Jakarta

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

09:47 9:47 AM

10:47 10:47 AM

1 h ahead of Jakarta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,337,563 Capital

964,169

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,890 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,065 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jakarta Cebu 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Jakarta
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

Jakarta vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jakarta is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and utilities. The 18% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 32% higher in Jakarta, 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: $370 in Jakarta versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $793 per month in Jakarta versus $934 in Cebu – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Jakarta runs roughly 7% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Jakarta gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Jakarta 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, Jakarta 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 Jakarta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.