Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lulea and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,823 in Lulea, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Lulea
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Lulea Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Lulea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,823

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,823 in Lulea versus $934 in Cebu.

Lulea $1,823
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,920 in Lulea versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Lulea $2,920
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,016 in Lulea versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Lulea $4,016
Cebu $1,896

Living in Lulea is roughly 95% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lulea is 36% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.72 SEK 117

$3.03 ₱190

286.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.5 SEK 955

$23.48 ₱1,473

306.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.95 SEK 109

$4.09 ₱256

167.73%

Cappuccino

$4.36 SEK 43.52

$2.52 ₱158

73.02%

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

$2.51 SEK 25.10

$1.54 ₱96.9

62.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 SEK 18.66

$0.49 ₱30.98

281.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.58 SEK 85.8

$1.79 ₱112

379.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.49 SEK 94.8

$2.26 ₱142

319.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 SEK 17.71

$1.95 ₱122

-9.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 SEK 32.60

$1.43 ₱89.7

127.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.94 SEK 49.41

$1.02 ₱63.8

384.31%

Eggs

$4.65 SEK 46.43

$2.06 ₱129

125.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.25 SEK 122

$9.81 ₱615

24.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.21 SEK 132

$4.61 ₱289

186.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.18 SEK 262

$7.70 ₱483

240.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 SEK 25.47

$3.31 ₱207

-22.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.65 SEK 26.53

$1.45 ₱90.9

82.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 SEK 24.87

$2.36 ₱148

5.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.11 SEK 41.10

$1.54 ₱96.4

166.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 SEK 20.39

$2.36 ₱148

-13.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 SEK 15.43

$1.99 ₱125

-22.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.36 SEK 33.58

$1.15 ₱72.1

192.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 SEK 12.93

$0.67 ₱42.15

92.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.68 SEK 66.7

$3.00 ₱188

122.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.05 SEK 120

$6.35 ₱398

89.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SEK 17.77

$1.31 ₱81.9

35.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 SEK 17.15

$1.73 ₱108

-0.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.32 SEK 33.21

$0.25 ₱15.78

1228.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.4 SEK 554

$12.65 ₱793

338.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.04 SEK 90.3

$0.74 ₱46.32

1121.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 SEK 20.52

$0.21 ₱13.11

876.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.6 SEK 706

$4.33 ₱271

1530.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 SEK 17.65

$1.33 ₱83.5

33.08%

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

$31.9K SEK 318.5K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

46.40%

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

$33.5K SEK 334.6K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

72.62%

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

$160 SEK 1,603

$121 ₱7,563

33.04%

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

$31.51 SEK 315

$14.45 ₱907

118.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.96 SEK 269

$28.29 ₱1,774

-4.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.15 SEK 461

$32.68 ₱2,050

41.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.47 SEK 354

$6.39 ₱401

455.09%

Cinema Ticket

$12.94 SEK 129

$5.46 ₱342

137.00%

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

$153 SEK 1,528

$273 ₱17.1K

-44.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,466 SEK 54.6K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-32.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$117 SEK 1,168

$49.57 ₱3,109

135.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.97 SEK 320

$24.87 ₱1,560

28.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 SEK 1,202

$76.6 ₱4,804

57.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 SEK 1,611

$59.3 ₱3,717

171.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$778 SEK 7,773

$506 ₱31.7K

53.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$581 SEK 5,811

$309 ₱19.4K

87.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 SEK 14.2K

$1,052 ₱66.0K

34.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 SEK 11.0K

$619 ₱38.8K

77.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,049 SEK 30.5K

$2,915 ₱182.9K

4.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,254 SEK 22.5K

$1,867 ₱117.1K

20.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,595 SEK 25.9K

$341 ₱21.4K

660.96%

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 Lulea: 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

Lulea

$581 32%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 46.8% $272

Groceries & Markets

Lulea

$404 22.2%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 47.9% $193

Eating Out

Lulea

$258 14.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 65.8% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lulea

$219 12.1%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 25.4% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Lulea

$194 10.7%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 51.1% $99

Getting Around

Lulea

$88 4.9%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 82.5% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Lulea

$72 4%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 39.5% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $778 in Lulea and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lulea pays 661% 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: $96.0 in Lulea vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $404 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Lulea

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

07:23 7:23 AM

13:23 1:23 PM

6 h ahead of Lulea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,864

964,169

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lulea Cebu 9,500 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lulea
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

Lulea vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 95% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 661% higher in Lulea, 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: $778 in Lulea versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,823 per month in Lulea versus $934 in Cebu – a 95% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 338% less than in Lulea. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,823 in Lulea, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Lulea. 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 Lulea, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lulea 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 95% less than in Lulea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.