For one person, living is cheaper in M'Sila: $459 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in M'Sila and in Cebu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $459 in M'Sila versus $915 in Cebu.
M'Sila $459
Cebu $915
Estimated couple costs with rent: $753 in M'Sila versus $1,418 in Cebu.
M'Sila $753
Cebu $1,418
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,046 in M'Sila versus $1,921 in Cebu.
M'Sila $1,046
Cebu $1,921
🌍
Living in M'Sila costs roughly 50% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.
📊
Both cities sit below the global median: M'Sila66% lower, Cebu33% lower.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
M'Sila
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.88DZD 252
$3.05₱192
-38.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.82DZD 2,520
$24.00₱1,511
-21.58%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$3.70DZD 496
$3.99₱251
-7.27%
Cappuccino
$0.35DZD 47.31
$2.50₱157
-86.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.51DZD 67.8
$1.54₱97.1
-66.88%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.20DZD 26.58
$0.50₱31.37
-60.00%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$2.17DZD 290
$1.78₱112
21.91%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17DZD 291
$2.17₱136
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
M'Sila
Cebu
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$0.78DZD 104
$2.00₱126
-61.00%
White Bread(500g)
$0.13DZD 16.96
$1.37₱86.2
-90.51%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$1.15DZD 155
$1.03₱64.9
11.65%
Eggs
$1.19DZD 160
$2.03₱128
-41.38%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$2.92DZD 391
$10.20₱642
-71.37%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$3.94DZD 528
$4.45₱280
-11.46%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$9.30DZD 1,245
$7.67₱483
21.25%
Apples(1kg)
$2.09DZD 280
$3.31₱208
-36.86%
Banana(1kg)
$2.68DZD 359
$1.46₱91.8
83.56%
Oranges(1kg)
$1.07DZD 143
$2.32₱146
-53.88%
Tomato(1kg)
$0.55DZD 74.0
$1.49₱94.0
-63.09%
Potato(1kg)
$0.50DZD 67.0
$2.34₱147
-78.63%
Onion(1kg)
$0.27DZD 35.63
$1.94₱122
-86.08%
Lettuce(1 head)
$0.12DZD 16.21
$1.16₱73.0
-89.66%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.25DZD 33.34
$0.68₱42.89
-63.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$2.71DZD 363
$2.99₱188
-9.36%
Wine(Bottle)
$6.75DZD 904
$6.24₱393
8.17%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.27DZD 171
$1.23₱77.3
3.25%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.86DZD 249
$1.73₱109
7.51%
🚌 Getting Around
M'Sila
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.24DZD 32.27
$0.23₱14.36
4.35%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$6.53DZD 874
$12.34₱777
-47.08%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$0.55DZD 73.4
$0.79₱49.96
-30.38%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.43DZD 57.5
$0.22₱13.86
95.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$5.69DZD 762
$4.54₱286
25.33%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$0.33DZD 44.76
$1.32₱82.9
-75.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.9KDZD 4.7M
$21.0K₱1.3M
66.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.6KDZD 4.6M
$19.4K₱1.2M
78.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
M'Sila
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$23.25DZD 3,112
$119₱7,464
-80.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.50DZD 1,004
$14.22₱896
-47.26%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.44DZD 1,665
$27.47₱1,730
-54.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
M'Sila
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$22.17DZD 2,968
$32.31₱2,034
-31.38%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$6.50₱409
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.36DZD 584
$5.40₱340
-19.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
M'Sila
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$115DZD 15.4K
$276₱17.4K
-58.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$6,439DZD 862.1K
$7,866₱495.3K
-18.14%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
M'Sila
Cebu
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$32.63DZD 4,368
$49.37₱3,108
-33.91%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.92DZD 4,541
$24.58₱1,548
38.00%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$67.7DZD 9,064
$76.6₱4,825
-11.66%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.9DZD 10.7K
$58.9₱3,706
35.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
M'Sila
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$144DZD 19.2K
$503₱31.7K
-71.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$92.2DZD 12.3K
$305₱19.2K
-69.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$270DZD 36.1K
$1,075₱67.7K
-74.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$192DZD 25.7K
$632₱39.8K
-69.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$961DZD 128.7K
$2,870₱180.7K
-66.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$623DZD 83.4K
$1,877₱118.2K
-66.83%
💵 Salaries & Financials
M'Sila
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$243DZD 32.5K
$336₱21.1K
-27.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
5.3
7.2
-26.39%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for M'Sila: October 18, 2026
Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🛒Groceries & Markets
M'Sila
$138 30%
Cebu
$210 22.9% ↑ 52.4%$72
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
M'Sila
$96 21%
Cebu
$94 10.3% ↓ 2.2%$2.1
🏠Accommodation & Living
M'Sila
$92 20.1%
Cebu
$305 33.3% ↑ 230%$212
🍽Eating Out
M'Sila
$48 10.6%
Cebu
$88 9.6% ↑ 81.3%$39
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
M'Sila
$43 9.4%
Cebu
$160 17.5% ↑ 271%$117
🎉Sport & Entertainment
M'Sila
$31 6.7%
Cebu
$43 4.7% ↑ 39.5%$12
🚌Getting Around
M'Sila
$10 2.2%
Cebu
$15 1.7% ↑ 48.7%$5
🛒Groceries & Markets
M'Sila
$321 30.7%
Cebu
$491 25.6% ↑ 52.9%$170
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
M'Sila
$214 20.5%
Cebu
$209 10.9% ↓ 2.2%$4.7
🏠Accommodation & Living
M'Sila
$192 18.4%
Cebu
$632 32.9% ↑ 229%$440
🍽Eating Out
M'Sila
$185 17.7%
Cebu
$290 15.1% ↑ 56.5%$105
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
M'Sila
$51 4.8%
Cebu
$174 9.1% ↑ 244%$124
🎉Sport & Entertainment
M'Sila
$62 * 5.9%
Cebu
$93 4.8% ↑ 50%$31
🚌Getting Around
M'Sila
$21 2%
Cebu
$31 1.6% ↑ 47.4%$9.9
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 $144 in M'Sila and $503 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Cebu pays 39% 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: $19.00 in M'Sila vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $138 vs $210 per month, with M'Sila cheaper across the board.
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
M'Sila vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cebu cheaper than M'Sila?
M'Sila is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 99% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: M'Sila or Cebu?
On paper, salaries run 39% lower in Cebu. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between M'Sila and Cebu?
Rent for a central apartment: $144 in M'Sila versus $503 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in M'Sila and in Cebu?
All in, you'll spend $459 per month in M'Sila versus $915 in Cebu – a 99% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in M'Sila runs roughly 89% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,000 enough for either M'Sila or Cebu?
Either city works on $1,000 a month, though M'Sila gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is M'Sila or Cebu more family-friendly?
For families, M'Sila 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.
Which city is safer, M'Sila or Cebu?
Safety-wise, M'Sila 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find M'Sila gentler on the wallet – expenses run 99% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.