Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kandana and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandana: $507 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Kandana
Learn more

Kandana Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Kandana

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$507

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $507 in Kandana versus $918 in Cebu.

Kandana $507
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $823 in Kandana versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Kandana $823
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,140 in Kandana versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Kandana $1,140
Cebu $1,900

Living in Kandana costs roughly 45% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kandana 62% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.48 LKR 1,485

$3.09 ₱194

44.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.62 LKR 8,154

$24.22 ₱1,525

1.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.37 LKR 2,440

$3.92 ₱247

88.01%

Cappuccino

$2.40 LKR 794

$2.51 ₱158

-4.38%

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

$0.71 LKR 236

$1.59 ₱100

-55.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.4

$0.53 ₱33.43

-49.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 LKR 721

$1.78 ₱112

22.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 LKR 991

$2.17 ₱137

37.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 521

$1.92 ₱121

-18.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 LKR 174

$1.36 ₱85.4

-61.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.78 LKR 259

$1.01 ₱63.5

-22.77%

Eggs

$1.65 LKR 547

$2.03 ₱128

-18.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.93 LKR 4,612

$9.86 ₱621

41.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.99 LKR 1,653

$4.39 ₱277

13.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.25 LKR 2,401

$7.60 ₱479

-4.61%

Apples (1kg)

$6.73 LKR 2,230

$3.30 ₱208

103.94%

Banana (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 267

$1.39 ₱87.8

-42.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.42 LKR 1,464

$2.33 ₱147

89.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 LKR 421

$1.50 ₱94.3

-15.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 LKR 340

$2.36 ₱149

-56.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 LKR 248

$1.90 ₱119

-60.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 LKR 294

$1.19 ₱74.9

-25.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 LKR 156

$0.63 ₱39.71

-25.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.45 LKR 3,461

$3.00 ₱189

248.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.81 LKR 4,573

$6.03 ₱379

129.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 LKR 650

$1.23 ₱77.7

59.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 LKR 965

$1.75 ₱110

66.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$0.77 ₱48.62

-50.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 LKR 124

$0.23 ₱14.53

60.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 LKR 297

$4.46 ₱281

-79.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 LKR 444

$1.31 ₱82.8

2.29%

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

$37.7K LKR 12.5M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

77.32%

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

$41.2K LKR 13.7M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

115.29%

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

$54.9 LKR 18.2K

$120 ₱7,569

-54.37%

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

$4.26 LKR 1,411

$14.00 ₱882

-69.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.50 LKR 6,789

$27.54 ₱1,734

-25.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$4.35 LKR 1,439

$5.65 ₱356

-23.01%

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

$37.07 LKR 12.3K

$275 ₱17.3K

-86.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,230 LKR 407.2K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-84.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.89 LKR 5,926

$49.33 ₱3,106

-63.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.37 LKR 5,423

$25.24 ₱1,589

-35.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 LKR 25.8K

$77.0 ₱4,846

1.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.99 LKR 14.2K

$57.2 ₱3,601

-24.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

7.2

76.25%

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

Last update for Kandana: 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

Kandana

$239 47.1%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 13.8% $33

Eating Out

Kandana

$108 21.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 17.9% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kandana

$80 15.7%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 103% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Kandana

$70 13.8%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 34.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Kandana

$8.7 * 1.7%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 402% $35

Getting Around

Kandana

$2.3 * 0.4%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 592% $13

Accommodation & Living

Kandana

- * 0%

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $25.00 in Kandana vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $239 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kandana

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

21:25 9:25 PM

23:55 11:55 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Kandana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

964,169

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kandana Cebu 4,850 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kandana
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

Kandana vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kandana is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, utilities, and leisure. The 81% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $760 in Kandana and $1,377 in Cebu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Shoppers in Cebu pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $507 per month in Kandana versus $918 in Cebu – a 81% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Kandana gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Kandana 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, Kandana 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 Kandana gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.