Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kagoshima and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,133 in Kagoshima, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. The total is higher in Kagoshima despite lower rent and utilities.

55

Cost of Living Index in Kagoshima
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Kagoshima Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Kagoshima

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,133

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,133 in Kagoshima versus $918 in Cebu.

Kagoshima $1,133
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,887 in Kagoshima versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Kagoshima $1,887
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,641 in Kagoshima versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Kagoshima $2,641
Cebu $1,900

Living in Kagoshima is roughly 23% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kagoshima 16% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.46 ¥1,020

$3.09 ₱194

109.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ¥5,127

$24.22 ₱1,525

33.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.42 ¥856

$3.92 ₱247

38.27%

Cappuccino

$2.91 ¥459

$2.51 ₱158

15.94%

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

$1.01 ¥159

$1.59 ₱100

-36.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥118

$0.53 ₱33.43

41.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥396

$1.78 ₱112

41.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥344

$2.17 ₱137

0.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 ¥216

$1.92 ₱121

-29.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ¥180

$1.36 ₱85.4

-16.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.13 ¥811

$1.01 ₱63.5

407.92%

Eggs

$2.06 ¥325

$2.03 ₱128

1.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.48 ¥2,919

$9.86 ₱621

87.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 ¥863

$4.39 ₱277

24.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 ¥2,993

$7.60 ₱479

149.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.67 ¥580

$3.30 ₱208

11.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ¥293

$1.39 ₱87.8

33.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 ¥439

$2.33 ₱147

19.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.31 ¥523

$1.50 ₱94.3

120.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 ¥324

$2.36 ₱149

-13.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 ¥290

$1.90 ₱119

-3.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.19 ₱74.9

-10.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥126

$0.63 ₱39.71

26.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 ¥613

$3.00 ₱189

29.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.90 ¥932

$6.03 ₱379

-2.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 ¥180

$1.23 ₱77.7

-7.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥298

$1.75 ₱110

8.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 ¥201

$0.25 ₱15.86

408.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.8 ¥8,497

$12.64 ₱796

325.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 ¥631

$0.77 ₱48.62

419.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 ¥321

$0.23 ₱14.53

782.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.27 ¥1,780

$4.46 ₱281

152.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.31 ₱82.8

-19.85%

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

$21.8K ¥3.4M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

2.70%

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

$17.5K ¥2.8M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

-8.53%

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

$189 ¥29.8K

$120 ₱7,569

57.01%

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

$24.87 ¥3,928

$14.00 ₱882

77.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.44 ¥4,809

$27.54 ₱1,734

10.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 ¥8,107

$32.33 ₱2,035

58.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$11.81 ¥1,865

$5.65 ₱356

109.03%

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

$124 ¥19.5K

$275 ₱17.3K

-55.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K ¥1.9M

$7,918 ₱498.5K

55.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.61 ¥7,838

$49.33 ₱3,106

0.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.70 ¥4,060

$25.24 ₱1,589

1.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.6 ¥10.0K

$77.0 ₱4,846

-17.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.9 ¥12.0K

$57.2 ₱3,601

32.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$541 ¥85.5K

$500 ₱31.5K

8.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 ¥35.1K

$309 ₱19.4K

-28.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 ¥160.3K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-5.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 ¥118.2K

$615 ₱38.7K

21.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,824 ¥604.2K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

32.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,821 ¥287.8K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-4.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,831 ¥289.3K

$346 ₱21.8K

429.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

7.2

-72.64%

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

Last update for Kagoshima: 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

Kagoshima

$295 26.1%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 30.3% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kagoshima

$244 21.5%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 33.7% $82

Accommodation & Living

Kagoshima

$222 19.6%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 39% $87

Eating Out

Kagoshima

$127 11.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 30.3% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Kagoshima

$97 8.5%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 2.8% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Kagoshima

$75 6.6%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 41.8% $31

Getting Around

Kagoshima

$73 6.5%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 78.7% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $541 in Kagoshima and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kagoshima pays 429% 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: $32.00 in Kagoshima vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kagoshima

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

06:02 6:02 AM

1 h behind Kagoshima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,128

964,169

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kagoshima Cebu 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kagoshima
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

Kagoshima vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 23% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 429% higher in Kagoshima, 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: $541 in Kagoshima versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,133 per month in Kagoshima versus $918 in Cebu – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 325% less than in Kagoshima. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,133 in Kagoshima, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Kagoshima. 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 Kagoshima, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Kagoshima 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 23% less than in Kagoshima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.