Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kos and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,498 in Kos, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Kos
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Kos Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Kos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,498

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,498 in Kos versus $918 in Cebu.

Kos $1,498
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,242 in Kos versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Kos $2,242
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,985 in Kos versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Kos $2,985
Cebu $1,900

Living in Kos is roughly 63% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kos is 11% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.75 €12.23

$3.09 ₱194

344.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$24.22 ₱1,525

173.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.20 €9.96

$3.92 ₱247

185.71%

Cappuccino

$3.94 €3.50

$2.51 ₱158

56.97%

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

$3.04 €2.71

$1.59 ₱100

91.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.53 ₱33.43

107.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 €4.04

$1.78 ₱112

155.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 €6.10

$2.17 ₱137

216.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.92 ₱121

22.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.36 ₱85.4

19.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.60 €2.31

$1.01 ₱63.5

157.43%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.21

$2.03 ₱128

133.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.53 €12.04

$9.86 ₱621

37.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.99 €8.89

$4.39 ₱277

127.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 €12.54

$7.60 ₱479

85.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$3.30 ₱208

-32.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.39 ₱87.8

46.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.33 ₱147

-41.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.50 ₱94.3

32.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$2.36 ₱149

-51.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.90 ₱119

-38.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.19 ₱74.9

-10.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.63 ₱39.71

30.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.14 €4.58

$3.00 ₱189

71.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.83 €6.07

$6.03 ₱379

13.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.23 ₱77.7

70.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 €2.32

$1.75 ₱110

48.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 €1.56

$0.25 ₱15.86

604.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.70 €39.76

$12.64 ₱796

253.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.26 €3.79

$0.77 ₱48.62

453.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.01

$0.23 ₱14.53

395.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.09 €14.31

$4.46 ₱281

260.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.31 ₱82.8

59.54%

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

$27.4K €24.4K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

29.11%

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

$25.5K €22.7K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

33.34%

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

$202 €180

$120 ₱7,569

68.36%

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

$22.74 €20.23

$14.00 ₱882

62.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.73 €30.89

$27.54 ₱1,734

26.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 €45.89

$32.33 ₱2,035

59.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.44 €25.29

$6.65 ₱419

327.67%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 €8.07

$5.65 ₱356

60.53%

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

$430 €382

$275 ₱17.3K

56.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,795 €6,934

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-1.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.4 €78.7

$49.33 ₱3,106

79.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.00 €35.58

$25.24 ₱1,589

58.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.4 €78.6

$77.0 ₱4,846

14.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$57.2 ₱3,601

106.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 €548

$500 ₱31.5K

23.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$422 €376

$309 ₱19.4K

36.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$738 €656

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-31.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 €511

$615 ₱38.7K

-6.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,685 €2,388

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-6.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,416 €2,149

$1,917 ₱120.7K

26.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$893 €794

$346 ₱21.8K

158.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

7.2

-38.06%

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

Last update for Kos: 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

Kos

$422 28.2%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 26.9% $114

Groceries & Markets

Kos

$290 19.4%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 29% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kos

$260 17.4%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 37.8% $98

Eating Out

Kos

$244 16.3%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 63.8% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Kos

$151 10.1%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 37.7% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Kos

$70 4.7%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 37.4% $26

Getting Around

Kos

$62 4.1%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 74.8% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Kos and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kos pays 158% 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: $66.0 in Kos vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Kos

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

08:37 8:37 AM

13:37 1:37 PM

5 h ahead of Kos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,947

964,169

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kos Cebu 9,920 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Kos
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

Kos vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 63% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 158% higher in Kos, 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: $616 in Kos versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,498 per month in Kos versus $918 in Cebu – a 63% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 254% less than in Kos. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,498 in Kos, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Kos. 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 Kos, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Kos 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 63% less than in Kos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.