Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kitakyushu and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,240 in Kitakyushu, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Kitakyushu
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Kitakyushu Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Kitakyushu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,240

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,240 in Kitakyushu versus $918 in Cebu.

Kitakyushu $1,240
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,919 in Kitakyushu versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Kitakyushu $1,919
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,599 in Kitakyushu versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Kitakyushu $2,599
Cebu $1,900

Living in Kitakyushu is roughly 35% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kitakyushu 8% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.30 ¥1,153

$3.09 ₱194

136.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.63 ¥5,314

$24.22 ₱1,525

38.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.49 ¥868

$3.92 ₱247

40.05%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ¥525

$2.51 ₱158

32.27%

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

$0.99 ¥157

$1.59 ₱100

-37.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥118

$0.53 ₱33.43

41.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.00 ¥475

$1.78 ₱112

68.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 ¥348

$2.17 ₱137

1.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.92 ₱121

-22.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 ¥209

$1.36 ₱85.4

-2.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.31 ¥839

$1.01 ₱63.5

425.74%

Eggs

$2.30 ¥363

$2.03 ₱128

13.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 ¥1,494

$9.86 ₱621

-4.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.29 ¥835

$4.39 ₱277

20.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.56 ¥2,932

$7.60 ₱479

144.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.71 ¥586

$3.30 ₱208

12.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 ¥282

$1.39 ₱87.8

28.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ¥459

$2.33 ₱147

24.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 ¥455

$1.50 ₱94.3

92.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 ¥347

$2.36 ₱149

-6.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 ¥399

$1.90 ₱119

33.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.19 ₱74.9

-10.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥145

$0.63 ₱39.71

46.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 ¥626

$3.00 ₱189

32.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.44 ¥1,017

$6.03 ₱379

6.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ¥272

$1.23 ₱77.7

39.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥269

$1.75 ₱110

-2.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 ¥261

$0.25 ₱15.86

560.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ¥8,405

$12.64 ₱796

320.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 ¥617

$0.77 ₱48.62

407.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 ¥331

$0.23 ₱14.53

808.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.98 ¥2,840

$4.46 ₱281

303.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 ¥164

$1.31 ₱82.8

-20.61%

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

$20.8K ¥3.3M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-2.08%

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

$17.8K ¥2.8M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

-7.12%

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

$195 ¥30.9K

$120 ₱7,569

62.49%

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

$24.96 ¥3,944

$14.00 ₱882

78.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.31 ¥5,105

$27.54 ₱1,734

17.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 ¥8,126

$32.33 ₱2,035

59.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.22 ¥508

$6.65 ₱419

-51.58%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 ¥1,768

$5.65 ₱356

98.05%

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

$371 ¥58.7K

$275 ₱17.3K

34.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ¥2.0M

$7,918 ₱498.5K

56.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ¥7,832

$49.33 ₱3,106

0.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.75 ¥4,069

$25.24 ₱1,589

2.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.4 ¥10.5K

$77.0 ₱4,846

-13.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.8 ¥8,658

$57.2 ₱3,601

-4.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$522 ¥82.5K

$500 ₱31.5K

4.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ¥52.6K

$309 ₱19.4K

7.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 ¥174.7K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

2.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 ¥114.6K

$615 ₱38.7K

17.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,174 ¥659.5K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

44.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,729 ¥273.1K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-9.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,510 ¥238.5K

$346 ₱21.8K

336.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.69

7.2

-76.53%

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

Last update for Kitakyushu: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kitakyushu

$333 26.9%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 7.3% $24

Groceries & Markets

Kitakyushu

$276 22.3%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 25.5% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kitakyushu

$253 20.4%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 36% $91

Eating Out

Kitakyushu

$141 11.4%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 37.5% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Kitakyushu

$88 7.1%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 6.2% $5.5

Getting Around

Kitakyushu

$74 6%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 79% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Kitakyushu

$74 6%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 40.9% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $522 in Kitakyushu and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kitakyushu pays 336% 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: $34.00 in Kitakyushu vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $276 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kitakyushu

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

14:37 2:37 PM

13:37 1:37 PM

1 h behind Kitakyushu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

939,029

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

Kitakyushu Cebu 2,720 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Kitakyushu
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

Kitakyushu vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 35% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 336% higher in Kitakyushu, 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: $522 in Kitakyushu versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,240 per month in Kitakyushu versus $918 in Cebu – a 35% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 321% less than in Kitakyushu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,240 in Kitakyushu, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Kitakyushu. 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 Kitakyushu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Kitakyushu 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 35% less than in Kitakyushu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.