Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kozhikode and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kozhikode: $397 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Kozhikode
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Kozhikode Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Kozhikode

🇮🇳 India

$397

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $397 in Kozhikode versus $934 in Cebu.

Kozhikode $397
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $614 in Kozhikode versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Kozhikode $614
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $832 in Kozhikode versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Kozhikode $832
Cebu $1,896

Living in Kozhikode costs roughly 58% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kozhikode 70% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.57 ₹152

$3.03 ₱190

-48.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.12 ₹883

$23.48 ₱1,473

-61.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.20 ₹310

$4.09 ₱256

-21.76%

Cappuccino

$1.36 ₹132

$2.52 ₱158

-46.03%

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

$0.34 ₹32.65

$1.54 ₱96.9

-77.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 ₹12.31

$0.49 ₱30.98

-73.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.42 ₹137

$1.79 ₱112

-20.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₹180

$2.26 ₱142

-17.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.57 ₹54.8

$1.95 ₱122

-70.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.48 ₹46.60

$1.43 ₱89.7

-66.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.49 ₹47.29

$1.02 ₱63.8

-51.96%

Eggs

$0.83 ₹80.0

$2.06 ₱129

-59.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.72 ₹360

$9.81 ₱615

-62.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.62 ₹351

$4.61 ₱289

-21.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱483

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 ₹194

$3.31 ₱207

-39.27%

Banana (1kg)

$0.57 ₹54.8

$1.45 ₱90.9

-60.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.87 ₹84.2

$2.36 ₱148

-63.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.45 ₹43.51

$1.54 ₱96.4

-70.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.35 ₹33.47

$2.36 ₱148

-85.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 ₹39.31

$1.99 ₱125

-79.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ₹57.1

$1.15 ₱72.1

-48.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₹26.33

$0.67 ₱42.15

-59.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.91 ₹475

$3.00 ₱188

63.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.21 ₹504

$6.35 ₱398

-17.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 ₹189

$1.31 ₱81.9

49.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 ₹206

$1.73 ₱108

22.54%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.31 ₹321

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 ₹17.70

$0.25 ₱15.78

-28.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.20 ₹504

$12.65 ₱793

-58.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 ₹84.1

$0.74 ₱46.32

17.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 ₹43.95

$0.21 ₱13.11

114.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.07 ₹200

$4.33 ₱271

-52.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ₹108

$1.33 ₱83.5

-15.79%

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

$13.1K ₹1.3M

$21.8K ₱1.4M

-39.67%

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

$19.3K ₹1.9M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

-0.60%

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

$53.9 ₹5,219

$121 ₱7,563

-55.28%

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

$3.06 ₹296

$14.45 ₱907

-78.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.95 ₹576

$28.29 ₱1,774

-78.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.45 ₹1,882

$32.68 ₱2,050

-40.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.92 ₹573

$6.39 ₱401

-7.36%

Cinema Ticket

$2.57 ₹249

$5.46 ₱342

-52.93%

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

$45.46 ₹4,400

$273 ₱17.1K

-83.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$496 ₹48.1K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-93.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.03 ₹2,713

$49.57 ₱3,109

-43.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.34 ₹2,646

$24.87 ₱1,560

9.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.5 ₹6,727

$76.6 ₱4,804

-9.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.95 ₹3,576

$59.3 ₱3,717

-37.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$111 ₹10.7K

$506 ₱31.7K

-78.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.4 ₹7,103

$309 ₱19.4K

-76.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₹29.9K

$1,052 ₱66.0K

-70.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$163 ₹15.8K

$619 ₱38.8K

-73.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$880 ₹85.1K

$2,915 ₱182.9K

-69.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$666 ₹64.5K

$1,867 ₱117.1K

-64.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$277 ₹26.8K

$341 ₱21.4K

-18.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.37

7.2

30.14%

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

Last update for Kozhikode: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kozhikode

$96 24.6%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 119% $114

Accommodation & Living

Kozhikode

$73 18.8%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 322% $236

Clothing & Footwear

Kozhikode

$73 18.7%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 30% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kozhikode

$63 16.1%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 160% $100

Eating Out

Kozhikode

$51 13.1%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 72.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Kozhikode

$25 6.3%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 77.4% $19

Getting Around

Kozhikode

$9.1 2.3%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 70% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $111 in Kozhikode and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 23% 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: $9.00 in Kozhikode vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $96.0 vs $210 per month, with Kozhikode cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Kozhikode

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

07:52 7:52 AM

10:22 10:22 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Kozhikode

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

550,440

964,169

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kozhikode Cebu 5,250 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kozhikode
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

Kozhikode vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kozhikode is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 136% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in Cebu. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $111 in Kozhikode versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $397 per month in Kozhikode versus $934 in Cebu – a 136% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kozhikode runs roughly 143% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Kozhikode gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Kozhikode is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cebu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Kozhikode 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 Kozhikode gentler on the wallet – expenses run 136% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.