Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $934 in Cebu.

Lisbon $2,210
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,423 in Cebu.

Lisbon $3,275
Cebu $1,423

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,913 in Cebu.

Lisbon $4,341
Cebu $1,913

Living in Lisbon is roughly 137% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Cebu is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$3.79 ₱242

339.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$23.33 ₱1,487

164.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$3.94 ₱251

188.32%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.54 ₱162

16.93%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.57 ₱99.9

45.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.47 ₱29.74

270.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$1.77 ₱112

92.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$2.22 ₱141

49.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.90 ₱121

-38.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.36 ₱86.9

40.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$0.94 ₱59.7

60.64%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.99 ₱127

102.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$9.70 ₱618

33.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$4.32 ₱275

79.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$7.51 ₱479

136.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.31 ₱211

-30.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.37 ₱87.3

26.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.34 ₱149

-20.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.49 ₱95.1

73.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.30 ₱146

-20.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.87 ₱119

5.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.10 ₱70.2

33.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.63 ₱40.25

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$2.86 ₱182

130.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$6.08 ₱388

-7.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.27 ₱81.2

7.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.72 ₱109

24.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.22 ₱13.95

959.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$12.34 ₱786

262.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$0.74 ₱47.40

420.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.22 ₱14.05

386.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$4.28 ₱272

284.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.31 ₱83.5

67.94%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$20.8K ₱1.3M

64.65%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

103.31%

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

$161 €144

$118 ₱7,545

36.15%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$15.76 ₱1,004

16.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$28.33 ₱1,805

15.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$32.94 ₱2,099

35.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$6.49 ₱413

194.30%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$5.45 ₱347

76.15%

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

$668 €598

$276 ₱17.6K

142.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$7,789 ₱496.3K

126.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$48.18 ₱3,070

111.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$24.47 ₱1,559

81.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$75.3 ₱4,797

30.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$58.0 ₱3,697

113.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$477 ₱30.4K

236.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$322 ₱20.5K

269.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$963 ₱61.4K

191.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$626 ₱39.9K

221.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$4,551 ₱290.0K

72.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$3,028 ₱193.0K

51.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$333 ₱21.2K

372.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

7.2

-46.53%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Cebu

$322 34.5% 73% $868

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Cebu

$204 21.8% 25.2% $69

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Cebu

$94 10.1% 61.2% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Cebu

$163 17.4% 23.5% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Cebu

$93 9.9% 44.1% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 31.2% $20

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Cebu

$15 1.6% 76.2% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $477 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 4.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $23 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $204 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

23:53 11:53 PM

07:53 7:53 AM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

964,169

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 63.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.15 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Cebu 12,710 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Lisbon vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is about 58% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 4.7 times higher, 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $477 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $934 in Cebu – Cebu is about 58% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 72% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Cebu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.