Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koror and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,772 in Koror, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Koror
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Koror Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Koror

🇵🇼 Palau

$1,772

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,772 in Koror versus $934 in Cebu.

Koror $1,772
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,856 in Koror versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Koror $2,856
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,940 in Koror versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Koror $3,940
Cebu $1,896

Living in Koror is roughly 90% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Koror is 32% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.21 $12.21

$3.03 ₱191

302.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.6 $74.6

$23.48 ₱1,476

217.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.94 $9.94

$4.09 ₱257

143.03%

Cappuccino

$4.11 $4.11

$2.52 ₱158

63.10%

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

$1.36 $1.36

$1.54 ₱97.2

-11.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 $1.10

$0.49 ₱31.06

124.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.79 ₱113

-17.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$2.26 ₱142

-0.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.95 ₱122

38.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.50 $3.50

$1.43 ₱89.9

144.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.26 $0.26

$1.02 ₱64.0

-74.51%

Eggs

$6.02 $6.02

$2.06 ₱129

192.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.84 $9.84

$9.81 ₱617

0.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.64 $13.64

$4.61 ₱290

195.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.38 $19.38

$7.70 ₱484

151.69%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$3.31 ₱208

58.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.45 ₱91.2

52.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$2.36 ₱148

127.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$16.37 $16.37

$1.54 ₱96.6

962.99%

Potato (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$2.36 ₱148

93.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.99 ₱125

63.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.15 ₱72.3

68.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 $1.64

$0.67 ₱42.26

144.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.30 $11.30

$3.00 ₱189

276.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.13 $22.13

$6.35 ₱399

248.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.38 $3.38

$1.31 ₱82.1

158.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 $3.38

$1.73 ₱109

95.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 $2.44

$0.74 ₱46.44

229.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.15

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.87 $5.87

$4.33 ₱272

35.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.33 ₱83.7

50.38%

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

$17.7K $17.7K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

-18.75%

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

$14.8K $14.8K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

-23.53%

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

$121 ₱7,583

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

$51.0 $51.0

$14.45 ₱909

253.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$202 $202

$28.29 ₱1,779

612.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.0 $80.0

$32.68 ₱2,055

144.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱402

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱343

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

$250 $250

$273 ₱17.2K

-8.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱512.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.1 $84.1

$49.57 ₱3,117

69.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.7 $65.7

$24.87 ₱1,564

164.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$199 $199

$76.6 ₱4,817

159.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$193 $193

$59.3 ₱3,727

225.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$728 $728

$506 ₱31.8K

44.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$531 $531

$309 ₱19.5K

71.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 $2,126

$1,052 ₱66.1K

102.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$939 $939

$619 ₱38.9K

51.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱183.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$790 $790

$341 ₱21.5K

131.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

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

Last update for Koror: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koror

$531 29.4%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 41.8% $222

Groceries & Markets

Koror

$501 27.7%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 58% $291

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koror

$253 * 14%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 35.4% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Koror

$244 13.5%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 61.2% $149

Eating Out

Koror

$198 11%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 55.5% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Koror

$80 * 4.4%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 45.5% $36

Getting Around

Koror

$2.4 * 0.1%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 533% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $728 in Koror and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Koror pays 132% 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: $75.0 in Koror vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $501 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇼 Koror

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

11:46 11:46 AM

10:46 10:46 AM

1 h behind Koror

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,000

964,169

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

PHP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Koror Cebu 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Koror
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

Koror vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and clothing. The 90% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 132% higher in Koror, 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: $728 in Koror versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 138% higher in Koror. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,772 per month in Koror versus $934 in Cebu – a 90% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,772 in Koror, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Koror. 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 Koror, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Koror 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 90% less than in Koror. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.