Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kawagoe and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,084 in Kawagoe, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. The total is higher in Kawagoe despite lower rent and utilities.

53

Cost of Living Index in Kawagoe
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Kawagoe Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Kawagoe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,084

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,084 in Kawagoe versus $918 in Cebu.

Kawagoe $1,084
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,747 in Kawagoe versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Kawagoe $1,747
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Kawagoe versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Kawagoe $2,409
Cebu $1,900

Living in Kawagoe is roughly 18% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kawagoe 20% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.38 ¥1,008

$3.09 ₱194

106.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.89 ¥6,460

$24.22 ₱1,525

68.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.02 ¥793

$3.92 ₱247

28.06%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥539

$2.51 ₱158

35.86%

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

$0.93 ¥146

$1.59 ₱100

-41.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ¥78.0

$0.53 ₱33.43

-7.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.92 ¥304

$1.78 ₱112

7.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 ¥417

$2.17 ₱137

21.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 ¥183

$1.92 ₱121

-39.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 ¥203

$1.36 ₱85.4

-5.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.59 ¥566

$1.01 ₱63.5

255.45%

Eggs

$2.02 ¥320

$2.03 ₱128

-0.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.14 ¥970

$9.86 ₱621

-37.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.24 ¥987

$4.39 ₱277

42.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.67 ¥2,318

$7.60 ₱479

93.03%

Apples (1kg)

$5.61 ¥887

$3.30 ₱208

70.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ¥364

$1.39 ₱87.8

65.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 ¥445

$2.33 ₱147

20.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 ¥492

$1.50 ₱94.3

107.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 ¥403

$2.36 ₱149

8.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ¥296

$1.90 ₱119

-1.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥206

$1.19 ₱74.9

9.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥117

$0.63 ₱39.71

17.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.86 ¥609

$3.00 ₱189

28.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.87 ¥770

$6.03 ₱379

-19.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥275

$1.23 ₱77.7

41.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ¥320

$1.75 ₱110

16.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 ¥471

$0.25 ₱15.86

1092.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.7 ¥8,488

$12.64 ₱796

325.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 ¥504

$0.77 ₱48.62

314.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 ¥431

$0.23 ₱14.53

1086.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.42 ¥3,226

$4.46 ₱281

357.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.31 ₱82.8

-15.27%

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

$15.7K ¥2.5M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-25.96%

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

$12.9K ¥2.0M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

-32.80%

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

$131 ¥20.7K

$120 ₱7,569

8.87%

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

$22.38 ¥3,536

$14.00 ₱882

59.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.77 ¥5,020

$27.54 ₱1,734

15.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.88 ¥6,932

$32.33 ₱2,035

35.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.08 ¥5,068

$6.65 ₱419

382.41%

Cinema Ticket

$11.12 ¥1,757

$5.65 ₱356

96.81%

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

$315 ¥49.8K

$275 ₱17.3K

14.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,305 ¥996.1K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-20.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.87 ¥5,035

$49.33 ₱3,106

-35.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.30 ¥5,261

$25.24 ₱1,589

31.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$43.84 ¥6,926

$77.0 ₱4,846

-43.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 ¥15.2K

$57.2 ₱3,601

68.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$417 ¥65.8K

$500 ₱31.5K

-16.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 ¥43.1K

$309 ₱19.4K

-11.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$844 ¥133.4K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-21.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥93.8K

$615 ₱38.7K

-3.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,561 ¥404.5K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-11.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,760 ¥278.0K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-8.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,614 ¥255.0K

$346 ₱21.8K

366.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.6

7.2

-77.78%

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

Last update for Kawagoe: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kawagoe

$273 25.2%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 13.1% $36

Groceries & Markets

Kawagoe

$257 23.7%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 20% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kawagoe

$185 17.1%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 12.6% $23

Eating Out

Kawagoe

$128 11.8%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 30.9% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Kawagoe

$92 8.5%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 1.7% $1.6

Getting Around

Kawagoe

$83 7.6%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 81.1% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Kawagoe

$66 6.1%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 34% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $417 in Kawagoe and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kawagoe pays 367% 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: $41.00 in Kawagoe vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kawagoe

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

09:48 9:48 AM

08:48 8:48 AM

1 h behind Kawagoe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

350,745

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 19, 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 19, 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

Kawagoe Cebu 3,250 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kawagoe
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

Kawagoe vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 367% higher in Kawagoe, 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: $417 in Kawagoe versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,084 per month in Kawagoe versus $918 in Cebu – a 18% 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 Kawagoe. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,084 in Kawagoe, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Kawagoe. 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 Kawagoe, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Kawagoe 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 18% less than in Kawagoe. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.