Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lac and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,075 in Lac, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Lac despite lower rent and utilities.

53

Cost of Living Index in Lac
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Lac Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Lac

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,075

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,075 in Lac versus $918 in Cebu.

Lac $1,075
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,649 in Lac versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Lac $1,649
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,222 in Lac versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Lac $2,222
Cebu $1,900

Living in Lac is roughly 17% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lac 20% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.62 ALL 775

$3.09 ₱194

211.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.92 ALL 3,134

$24.22 ₱1,525

60.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.31 ALL 589

$3.92 ₱247

86.48%

Cappuccino

$1.92 ALL 155

$2.51 ₱158

-23.51%

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

$1.81 ALL 146

$1.59 ₱100

13.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 ALL 54.7

$0.53 ₱33.43

28.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ALL 202

$1.78 ₱112

41.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 ALL 266

$2.17 ₱137

52.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ALL 153

$1.92 ₱121

-1.04%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 ALL 78.6

$1.36 ₱85.4

-27.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ALL 163

$1.01 ₱63.5

100.99%

Eggs

$2.57 ALL 207

$2.03 ₱128

26.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.05 ALL 809

$9.86 ₱621

1.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.32 ALL 670

$4.39 ₱277

89.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.88 ALL 1,118

$7.60 ₱479

82.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ALL 151

$3.30 ₱208

-43.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 ALL 180

$1.39 ₱87.8

60.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 ALL 121

$2.33 ₱147

-35.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ALL 132

$1.50 ₱94.3

9.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 ALL 84.2

$2.36 ₱149

-55.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 ALL 98.2

$1.90 ₱119

-35.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ALL 95.3

$1.19 ₱74.9

-0.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ALL 63.2

$0.63 ₱39.71

23.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 ALL 351

$3.00 ₱189

45.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 ALL 646

$6.03 ₱379

33.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ALL 145

$1.23 ₱77.7

46.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 ALL 100

$1.75 ₱110

-28.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 ALL 43.38

$0.25 ₱15.86

116.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.41 ALL 1,563

$12.64 ₱796

53.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 ALL 301

$0.77 ₱48.62

384.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.74 ALL 301

$0.23 ₱14.53

1526.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.01 ALL 1,450

$4.46 ₱281

303.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 ALL 178

$1.31 ₱82.8

69.47%

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

$33.6K ALL 2.7M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

58.12%

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

$24.4K ALL 2.0M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

27.44%

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

$60.7 ALL 4,887

$120 ₱7,569

-49.53%

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

$16.51 ALL 1,330

$14.00 ₱882

17.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.83 ALL 1,355

$27.54 ₱1,734

-38.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 ALL 4,356

$32.33 ₱2,035

67.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$8.30 ALL 669

$5.65 ₱356

46.90%

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

$98.5 ALL 7,935

$275 ₱17.3K

-64.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.09 ALL 3,873

$49.33 ₱3,106

-2.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 ALL 4,415

$25.24 ₱1,589

117.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 ALL 7,958

$77.0 ₱4,846

28.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 ALL 11.7K

$57.2 ₱3,601

154.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$440 ALL 35.4K

$500 ₱31.5K

-11.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 ALL 25.3K

$309 ₱19.4K

1.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$642 ALL 51.7K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-40.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$464 ALL 37.3K

$615 ₱38.7K

-24.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,701 ALL 137.0K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-41.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,062 ALL 85.5K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-44.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

-30.56%

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

Last update for Lac: 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

Lac

$314 29.3%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 1.8% $5.6

Groceries & Markets

Lac

$245 22.8%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 15.9% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Lac

$156 14.5%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 39.9% $62

Eating Out

Lac

$151 14.1%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 41.6% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lac

$94 8.7%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 72.1% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Lac

$71 6.6%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 38.3% $27

Getting Around

Lac

$44 4.1%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 64.6% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $440 in Lac and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39.00 in Lac vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $245 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Lac

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

10:16 10:16 AM

16:16 4:16 PM

6 h ahead of Lac

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,086

964,169

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇱 Albanian Lek (L)

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to ALL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lac Cebu 10,400 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Lac
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

Lac vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,613 in Lac and $1,377 in Cebu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $440 in Lac versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,075 per month in Lac versus $918 in Cebu – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 54% less than in Lac. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,075 in Lac, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Lac. 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 Lac, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lac 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 17% less than in Lac. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.