Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Magelang and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Magelang: $522 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Magelang
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Magelang Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Magelang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$522

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $522 in Magelang versus $934 in Cebu.

Magelang $522
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $829 in Magelang versus $1,423 in Cebu.

Magelang $829
Cebu $1,423

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,136 in Magelang versus $1,913 in Cebu.

Magelang $1,136
Cebu $1,913

Living in Magelang costs roughly 44% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Magelang 62% lower, Cebu 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.41 Rp 25.6K

$3.79 ₱243

-62.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.48 Rp 153.9K

$23.33 ₱1,493

-63.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.54 Rp 46.1K

$3.94 ₱252

-35.53%

Cappuccino

$0.74 Rp 13.3K

$2.54 ₱163

-70.87%

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

$0.32 Rp 5,749

$1.57 ₱100

-79.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 Rp 3,098

$0.47 ₱29.87

-63.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

$1.77 ₱113

-26.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 Rp 48.0K

$2.22 ₱142

19.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 Rp 18.7K

$1.90 ₱121

-45.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 Rp 20.5K

$1.36 ₱87.3

-16.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

$0.94 ₱59.9

-20.21%

Eggs

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

$1.99 ₱127

-40.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.45 Rp 117.1K

$9.70 ₱621

-33.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

$4.32 ₱276

-47.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.95 Rp 126.1K

$7.51 ₱481

-7.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 Rp 36.8K

$3.31 ₱212

-38.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

$1.37 ₱87.6

-18.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 Rp 22.6K

$2.34 ₱150

-47.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

$1.49 ₱95.5

-42.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 Rp 18.2K

$2.30 ₱147

-56.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 Rp 24.2K

$1.87 ₱120

-28.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 Rp 14.5K

$1.10 ₱70.4

-27.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.36 Rp 6,478

$0.63 ₱40.42

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.92 Rp 34.8K

$2.86 ₱183

-32.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.50 Rp 299.4K

$6.08 ₱389

171.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 Rp 27.7K

$1.27 ₱81.6

20.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 Rp 38.4K

$1.72 ₱110

23.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 Rp 5,325

$0.22 ₱14.01

31.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.28 Rp 204.7K

$12.34 ₱790

-8.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.43 Rp 7,755

$0.74 ₱47.60

-41.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 Rp 5,787

$0.22 ₱14.10

45.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 Rp 39.5K

$4.28 ₱274

-49.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

$1.31 ₱83.8

-44.27%

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

$25.4K Rp 460.5M

$20.8K ₱1.3M

22.22%

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

$28.0K Rp 507.7M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

46.90%

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

$46.08 Rp 836.0K

$118 ₱7,577

-61.08%

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

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

$15.76 ₱1,009

-74.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.56 Rp 354.9K

$28.33 ₱1,813

-30.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.49 Rp 244.7K

$32.94 ₱2,108

-59.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.64 Rp 66.0K

$6.49 ₱415

-43.91%

Cinema Ticket

$2.54 Rp 46.1K

$5.45 ₱349

-53.39%

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

$43.82 Rp 795.1K

$276 ₱17.6K

-84.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,925 Rp 71.2M

$7,789 ₱498.4K

-49.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.01 Rp 345.0K

$48.18 ₱3,083

-60.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.05 Rp 345.6K

$24.47 ₱1,566

-22.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.2 Rp 1.0M

$75.3 ₱4,817

-23.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.7 Rp 937.3K

$58.0 ₱3,713

-10.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$226 Rp 4.1M

$477 ₱30.5K

-52.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$146 Rp 2.7M

$322 ₱20.6K

-54.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$561 Rp 10.2M

$963 ₱61.6K

-41.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 Rp 6.6M

$626 ₱40.0K

-42.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,159 Rp 21.0M

$4,551 ₱291.2K

-74.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$800 Rp 14.5M

$3,028 ₱193.8K

-73.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$170 Rp 3.1M

$333 ₱21.3K

-49.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

7.2

4.17%

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

Last update for Magelang: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Magelang

$165 31.6%

Cebu

$204 21.8% 23.5% $39

Accommodation & Living

Magelang

$146 28.1%

Cebu

$322 34.5% 120% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Magelang

$70 13.3%

Cebu

$163 17.4% 134% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Magelang

$66 12.7%

Cebu

$93 9.9% 40.1% $27

Eating Out

Magelang

$41 8%

Cebu

$94 10.1% 127% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Magelang

$19 3.6%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 136% $25

Getting Around

Magelang

$14 2.8%

Cebu

$15 1.6% 4% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $226 in Magelang and $477 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 96% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $8 in Magelang vs $23 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $165 vs $204 per month, with Magelang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Magelang

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

23:16 11:16 PM

00:16 12:16 AM

1 h ahead of Magelang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

118,227

964,169

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,281 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.52 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Magelang Cebu 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Magelang
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

Magelang vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Magelang is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 79% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Magelang. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $226 in Magelang versus $477 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $522 per month in Magelang versus $934 in Cebu – a 79% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Magelang runs roughly 9% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Magelang gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Magelang 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 Magelang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.