Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karlstad and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,713 in Karlstad, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Karlstad
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Karlstad Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Karlstad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,713

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,713 in Karlstad versus $918 in Cebu.

Karlstad $1,713
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,643 in Karlstad versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Karlstad $2,643
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,572 in Karlstad versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Karlstad $3,572
Cebu $1,900

Living in Karlstad is roughly 87% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Karlstad is 27% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.97 SEK 148

$3.09 ₱194

384.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.2 SEK 775

$24.22 ₱1,525

222.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 SEK 95.7

$3.92 ₱247

146.43%

Cappuccino

$4.80 SEK 47.60

$2.51 ₱158

91.24%

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

$2.54 SEK 25.21

$1.59 ₱100

59.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 SEK 20.98

$0.53 ₱33.43

300.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.69 SEK 76.2

$1.78 ₱112

332.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.45 SEK 63.9

$2.17 ₱137

197.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 SEK 15.00

$1.92 ₱121

-21.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 SEK 28.64

$1.36 ₱85.4

112.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 SEK 36.48

$1.01 ₱63.5

264.36%

Eggs

$4.50 SEK 44.60

$2.03 ₱128

121.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.84 SEK 97.5

$9.86 ₱621

-0.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.17 SEK 140

$4.39 ₱277

222.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.97 SEK 178

$7.60 ₱479

136.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 SEK 27.95

$3.30 ₱208

-14.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.64 SEK 26.12

$1.39 ₱87.8

89.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 SEK 30.57

$2.33 ₱147

32.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.09 SEK 50.4

$1.50 ₱94.3

239.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 SEK 18.88

$2.36 ₱149

-19.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SEK 16.58

$1.90 ₱119

-12.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 SEK 25.90

$1.19 ₱74.9

119.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 SEK 12.95

$0.63 ₱39.71

107.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 SEK 68.3

$3.00 ₱189

129.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.86 SEK 97.7

$6.03 ₱379

63.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.46

$1.23 ₱77.7

92.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 SEK 20.69

$1.75 ₱110

19.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 SEK 31.32

$0.25 ₱15.86

1164.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.9 SEK 792

$12.64 ₱796

532.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.42 SEK 53.7

$0.77 ₱48.62

603.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 SEK 13.16

$0.23 ₱14.53

478.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.5 SEK 609

$4.46 ₱281

1278.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 SEK 17.50

$1.31 ₱82.8

35.11%

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

$32.2K SEK 319.4K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

51.74%

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

$32.7K SEK 323.8K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

70.71%

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

$101 SEK 1,001

$120 ₱7,569

-15.95%

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

$15.82 SEK 157

$14.00 ₱882

13.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.59 SEK 442

$27.54 ₱1,734

61.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.52 SEK 441

$32.33 ₱2,035

37.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 SEK 168

$6.65 ₱419

154.89%

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 SEK 138

$5.65 ₱356

146.19%

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

$123 SEK 1,223

$275 ₱17.3K

-55.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 SEK 1,039

$49.33 ₱3,106

112.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.98 SEK 386

$25.24 ₱1,589

54.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.5 SEK 728

$77.0 ₱4,846

-4.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 SEK 1,403

$57.2 ₱3,601

147.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 SEK 8,264

$500 ₱31.5K

66.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$567 SEK 5,617

$309 ₱19.4K

83.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,154 SEK 11.4K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

7.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$861 SEK 8,528

$615 ₱38.7K

39.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,710 SEK 36.8K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

28.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,794 SEK 27.7K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

45.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,220 SEK 31.9K

$346 ₱21.8K

830.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

7.2

-47.22%

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

Last update for Karlstad: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Karlstad

$567 33.1%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 45.5% $258

Groceries & Markets

Karlstad

$370 21.6%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 44.3% $164

Eating Out

Karlstad

$276 16.1%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 68.1% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karlstad

$161 9.4%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 0.2% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Karlstad

$161 9.4%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 41.8% $68

Getting Around

Karlstad

$105 6.1%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 85.1% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Karlstad

$72 4.2%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 39.7% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $834 in Karlstad and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karlstad pays 831% 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: $78.0 in Karlstad vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $370 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Karlstad

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

15:27 3:27 PM

21:27 9:27 PM

6 h ahead of Karlstad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,797

964,169

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 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 SEK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Karlstad Cebu 10,140 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Karlstad
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

Karlstad vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 87% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 831% higher in Karlstad, 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: $834 in Karlstad versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,713 per month in Karlstad versus $918 in Cebu – a 87% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 532% less than in Karlstad. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,713 in Karlstad, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Karlstad. 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 Karlstad, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Karlstad 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 87% less than in Karlstad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.