Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Las Terrenas and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Las Terrenas: $873 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $540 less a year. The total is higher in Cebu despite lower rent and utilities.

42

Cost of Living Index in Las Terrenas
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Las Terrenas Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Las Terrenas

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$873

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $873 in Las Terrenas versus $918 in Cebu.

Las Terrenas $873
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,843 in Las Terrenas versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Las Terrenas $1,843
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,813 in Las Terrenas versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Las Terrenas $2,813
Cebu $1,900

Living in Las Terrenas costs roughly 5% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Las Terrenas 35% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.27 DOP 506

$3.09 ₱194

167.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.34 DOP 2,532

$24.22 ₱1,525

70.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 DOP 312

$3.92 ₱247

29.85%

Cappuccino

$1.02 DOP 62.7

$2.51 ₱158

-59.36%

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

$0.67 DOP 40.74

$1.59 ₱100

-57.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 DOP 24.74

$0.53 ₱33.43

-24.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.52 DOP 154

$1.78 ₱112

41.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 DOP 237

$2.17 ₱137

77.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 DOP 60.5

$1.92 ₱121

-48.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 DOP 69.1

$1.36 ₱85.4

-16.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 DOP 65.7

$1.01 ₱63.5

5.94%

Eggs

$1.19 DOP 72.7

$2.03 ₱128

-41.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.09 DOP 373

$9.86 ₱621

-38.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.50 DOP 215

$4.39 ₱277

-20.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.66 DOP 286

$7.60 ₱479

-38.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 DOP 138

$3.30 ₱208

-31.82%

Banana (1kg)

$0.63 DOP 38.64

$1.39 ₱87.8

-54.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 DOP 133

$2.33 ₱147

-6.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 DOP 137

$1.50 ₱94.3

48.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 DOP 134

$2.36 ₱149

-7.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 DOP 65.4

$1.90 ₱119

-43.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 DOP 57.3

$1.19 ₱74.9

-21.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 DOP 59.9

$0.63 ₱39.71

55.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.71 DOP 289

$3.00 ₱189

57.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.04 DOP 431

$6.03 ₱379

16.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 DOP 144

$1.23 ₱77.7

91.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 DOP 120

$1.75 ₱110

12.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 DOP 154

$0.77 ₱48.62

225.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.27 DOP 200

$0.23 ₱14.53

1321.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 DOP 70.0

$1.31 ₱82.8

-12.98%

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

$19.7K DOP 1.2M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-7.28%

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

$24.2K DOP 1.5M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

26.57%

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

$50.4 DOP 3,084

$120 ₱7,569

-58.12%

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

$9.94 DOP 609

$14.00 ₱882

-29.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.91 DOP 1,220

$27.54 ₱1,734

-27.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 DOP 306

$5.65 ₱356

-11.50%

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

$100 DOP 6,143

$275 ₱17.3K

-63.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,338 DOP 327.0K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-32.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.30 DOP 1,672

$49.33 ₱3,106

-44.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.76 DOP 2,742

$25.24 ₱1,589

77.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.9 DOP 3,856

$77.0 ₱4,846

-18.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.6 DOP 4,079

$57.2 ₱3,601

16.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 DOP 47.2K

$500 ₱31.5K

54.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$386 DOP 23.7K

$309 ₱19.4K

25.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,654 DOP 101.3K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

53.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 DOP 100.5K

$615 ₱38.7K

166.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,789 DOP 109.6K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-38.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$408 DOP 25.0K

$346 ₱21.8K

17.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

52.78%

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

Last update for Las Terrenas: 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

Las Terrenas

$386 44.3%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 20.1% $78

Groceries & Markets

Las Terrenas

$169 19.3%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 22% $37

Eating Out

Las Terrenas

$118 13.6%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 25.4% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Las Terrenas

$91 10.4%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 3.5% $3.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Las Terrenas

$80 9.2%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 102% $82

Getting Around

Las Terrenas

$19 * 2.2%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 17.4% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Las Terrenas

$10 * 1.1%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 337% $34

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 $770 in Las Terrenas and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Las Terrenas pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $41.00 in Las Terrenas vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $169 vs $206, with Las Terrenas cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Las Terrenas

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

07:28 7:28 AM

19:28 7:28 PM

12 h ahead of Las Terrenas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,713

964,169

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 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 DOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Las Terrenas Cebu 16,410 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Las Terrenas
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

Las Terrenas vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Las Terrenas is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Las Terrenas, 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: $770 in Las Terrenas versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $873 per month in Las Terrenas versus $918 in Cebu – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $873 in Las Terrenas versus $918 in Cebu, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Las Terrenas but tight or insufficient in Cebu. The gap between the two cities makes Las Terrenas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Las Terrenas 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, Las Terrenas 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 Las Terrenas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.