Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Marsa and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in La Marsa: $772 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

La Marsa
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$772
/mo nomad
Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $772 in La Marsa versus $918 in Cebu.

  • La Marsa $772
  • Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,291 in La Marsa versus $1,409 in Cebu.

  • La Marsa $1,291
  • Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,809 in La Marsa versus $1,900 in Cebu.

  • La Marsa $1,809
  • Cebu $1,900

Living in La Marsa costs roughly 16% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: La Marsa 43% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
La Marsa
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.41 TND 10.21
$3.09 ₱194
10.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.34 TND 60.9
$24.22 ₱1,525
-16.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.24 TND 15.69
$3.92 ₱247
33.67%
Cappuccino
$1.30 TND 3.88
$2.51 ₱158
-48.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.60 TND 1.79
$1.59 ₱100
-62.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.26 TND 0.77
$0.53 ₱33.43
-50.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.48 TND 4.44
$1.78 ₱112
-16.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 TND 5.92
$2.17 ₱137
-8.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
La Marsa
Cebu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.53 TND 1.60
$1.92 ₱121
-72.40%
White Bread (500g)
$0.31 TND 0.94
$1.36 ₱85.4
-77.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.32 TND 6.96
$1.01 ₱63.5
129.70%
Eggs
$1.85 TND 5.53
$2.03 ₱128
-8.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.51 TND 28.49
$9.86 ₱621
-3.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.65 TND 19.93
$4.39 ₱277
51.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.01 TND 38.98
$7.60 ₱479
71.18%
Apples (1kg)
$2.03 TND 6.08
$3.30 ₱208
-38.48%
Banana (1kg)
$3.58 TND 10.71
$1.39 ₱87.8
157.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.47 TND 4.42
$2.33 ₱147
-36.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.67 TND 2.00
$1.50 ₱94.3
-55.33%
Potato (1kg)
$0.60 TND 1.79
$2.36 ₱149
-74.58%
Onion (1kg)
$0.65 TND 1.96
$1.90 ₱119
-65.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.40 TND 1.21
$1.19 ₱74.9
-66.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.30 TND 0.91
$0.63 ₱39.71
-52.38%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.64 TND 10.91
$3.00 ₱189
21.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.50 TND 19.47
$6.03 ₱379
7.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 TND 3.79
$1.23 ₱77.7
3.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 TND 4.84
$1.75 ₱110
-8.00%
🚌 Getting Around
La Marsa
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 TND 1.03
$0.25 ₱15.86
36.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$6.99 TND 20.93
$12.64 ₱796
-44.70%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.29 TND 0.86
$0.77 ₱48.62
-62.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.42 TND 1.27
$0.23 ₱14.53
82.61%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.10 TND 12.28
$4.46 ₱281
-8.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.87 TND 2.60
$1.31 ₱82.8
-33.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.9K TND 110.5K
$21.2K ₱1.3M
73.62%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.1K TND 93.1K
$19.1K ₱1.2M
62.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
La Marsa
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$33.98 TND 102
$120 ₱7,569
-71.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.23 TND 36.62
$14.00 ₱882
-12.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.32 TND 54.9
$27.54 ₱1,734
-33.48%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
La Marsa
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.68 TND 125
$32.33 ₱2,035
28.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.45 TND 22.30
$6.65 ₱419
12.03%
Cinema Ticket
$5.27 TND 15.80
$5.65 ₱356
-6.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
La Marsa
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$59.5 TND 178
$275 ₱17.3K
-78.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,560 TND 7,666
$7,918 ₱498.5K
-67.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
La Marsa
Cebu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.5 TND 190
$49.33 ₱3,106
28.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$69.4 TND 208
$25.24 ₱1,589
174.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.9 TND 272
$77.0 ₱4,846
18.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.9 TND 269
$57.2 ₱3,601
57.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
La Marsa
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$288 TND 863
$500 ₱31.5K
-42.33%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$233 TND 697
$309 ₱19.4K
-24.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$707 TND 2,116
$1,078 ₱67.9K
-34.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$572 TND 1,712
$615 ₱38.7K
-7.08%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,831 TND 5,485
$2,886 ₱181.7K
-36.55%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,018 TND 3,049
$1,917 ₱120.7K
-46.88%
💵 Salaries & Financials
La Marsa
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$334 TND 1,000
$346 ₱21.8K
-3.47%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
14
7.2
94.44%

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

Last update for La Marsa: 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
La Marsa
$233
Cebu
$309 32.8% $76
Groceries & Markets
La Marsa
$198
Cebu
$206 4.1% $8.1
Clothing & Footwear
La Marsa
$141
Cebu
$94 33.5% $47
Eating Out
La Marsa
$73
Cebu
$88 20.4% $15
Monthly Utilities & Internet
La Marsa
$65
Cebu
$162 151% $97
Sport & Entertainment
La Marsa
$52
Cebu
$44 16.5% $8.6
Getting Around
La Marsa
$11
Cebu
$16 44.6% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $288 in La Marsa and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 4% 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: $20.00 in La Marsa vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $206 per month, with La Marsa cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇳 La Marsa
🇵🇭 Cebu
🕒 Local time
00:38 12:38 AM
07:38 7:38 AM
7 h ahead of La Marsa
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
92,987
964,169
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • La Marsa Cebu 11,340 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • La Marsa
  • 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
La Marsa vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cebu cheaper than La Marsa?
La Marsa is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 19% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: La Marsa or Cebu?
On paper, salaries run 4% 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.
What is the rent difference between La Marsa and Cebu?
Rent for a central apartment: $288 in La Marsa versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in La Marsa and in Cebu?
All in, you'll spend $772 per month in La Marsa versus $918 in Cebu – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in La Marsa runs roughly 81% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,000 enough for either La Marsa or Cebu?
Either city works on $1,000 a month, though La Marsa gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is La Marsa or Cebu more family-friendly?
For families, La Marsa 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.
Which city is safer, La Marsa or Cebu?
Safety-wise, La Marsa 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find La Marsa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

La Marsa vs other spots: cost of living compared

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