Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leiden and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $2,824 in Leiden, rent and utilities included – about $22,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Leiden
Learn more

Leiden Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Leiden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,824

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,824 in Leiden versus $934 in Cebu.

Leiden $2,824
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,929 in Leiden versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Leiden $3,929
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,034 in Leiden versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Leiden $5,034
Cebu $1,896

Living in Leiden is roughly 202% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Leiden is 111% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.79 €17.66

$3.03 ₱190

553.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.5 €80.8

$23.48 ₱1,473

285.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.71 €12.23

$4.09 ₱256

235.21%

Cappuccino

$3.92 €3.50

$2.52 ₱158

55.56%

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

$3.57 €3.18

$1.54 ₱96.9

131.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 €2.67

$0.49 ₱30.98

510.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.88 €7.04

$1.79 ₱112

340.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 €4.47

$2.26 ₱142

121.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.95 ₱122

-35.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.43 ₱89.7

57.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.46 €2.20

$1.02 ₱63.8

141.18%

Eggs

$4.67 €4.17

$2.06 ₱129

126.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.92 €13.32

$9.81 ₱615

52.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.67 €13.09

$4.61 ₱289

218.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.86 €14.15

$7.70 ₱483

105.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 €2.55

$3.31 ₱207

-13.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.45 ₱90.9

60.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$2.36 ₱148

-16.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 €4.45

$1.54 ₱96.4

223.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 €1.57

$2.36 ₱148

-25.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.99 ₱125

-3.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.15 ₱72.1

17.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$0.67 ₱42.15

11.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.50 €12.05

$3.00 ₱188

350.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 €6.42

$6.35 ₱398

13.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.31 ₱81.9

15.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 €2.42

$1.73 ₱108

56.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 €2.58

$0.25 ₱15.78

1056.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$128 €114

$12.65 ₱793

911.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 €3.03

$0.74 ₱46.32

359.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.28 €2.93

$0.21 ₱13.11

1461.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.71 €20.26

$4.33 ₱271

424.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.33 ₱83.5

85.71%

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

$41.7K €37.2K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

91.39%

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

$39.0K €34.8K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

101.25%

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

$276 €246

$121 ₱7,563

128.87%

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

$15.21 €13.57

$14.45 ₱907

5.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 €44.75

$28.29 ₱1,774

77.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.75 €40.83

$32.68 ₱2,050

39.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.86 €10.59

$6.39 ₱401

85.60%

Cinema Ticket

$14.64 €13.07

$5.46 ₱342

168.13%

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

$1,749 €1,561

$273 ₱17.1K

539.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K €11.8K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

62.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$118 €105

$49.57 ₱3,109

137.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.74 €42.60

$24.87 ₱1,560

91.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €104

$76.6 ₱4,804

52.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €124

$59.3 ₱3,717

135.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,696 €1,513

$506 ₱31.7K

235.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 €1,257

$309 ₱19.4K

355.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,511 €2,240

$1,052 ₱66.0K

138.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,974 €1,762

$619 ₱38.8K

218.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,402 €6,605

$2,915 ₱182.9K

153.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,788 €5,165

$1,867 ₱117.1K

209.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,100 €3,659

$341 ₱21.4K

1102.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

7.2

-61.11%

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

Last update for Leiden: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leiden

$1.4K 49.7%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 78% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leiden

$341 12%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 52.2% $178

Groceries & Markets

Leiden

$341 12%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 38.3% $131

Eating Out

Leiden

$322 11.4%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 72.6% $234

Clothing & Footwear

Leiden

$190 6.7%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 50.1% $95

Getting Around

Leiden

$159 5.6%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 90.3% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Leiden

$75 2.6%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 41.9% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,696 in Leiden and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Leiden pays 1102% 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: $91.0 in Leiden vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $341 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Leiden

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

14:09 2:09 PM

20:09 8:09 PM

6 h ahead of Leiden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,089

964,169

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.28 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Leiden Cebu 11,000 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Leiden
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

Leiden vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 202% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1102% higher in Leiden, 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: $1,696 in Leiden versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,824 per month in Leiden versus $934 in Cebu – a 202% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 912% less than in Leiden. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $2,824 in Leiden, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Leiden. 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 Leiden, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Leiden 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 202% less than in Leiden. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.