Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maia and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $2,182 in Maia, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Maia
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Maia Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Maia

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,182

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,182 in Maia versus $915 in Cebu.

Maia $2,182
Cebu $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,718 in Maia versus $1,418 in Cebu.

Maia $2,718
Cebu $1,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,254 in Maia versus $1,921 in Cebu.

Maia $3,254
Cebu $1,921

Living in Maia is roughly 139% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Maia is 61% above, Cebu is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.42 €10.16

$3.05 ₱192

274.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.0 €44.49

$24.00 ₱1,511

108.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.88 €7.90

$3.99 ₱251

122.56%

Cappuccino

$2.00 €1.78

$2.50 ₱157

-20.00%

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

$1.93 €1.71

$1.54 ₱97.1

25.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.50 ₱31.37

190.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.78 ₱112

25.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 €3.57

$2.17 ₱136

84.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.98

$2.00 ₱126

-45.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.37 ₱86.2

23.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.03 ₱64.9

48.54%

Eggs

$2.89 €2.57

$2.03 ₱128

42.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.29 €11.82

$10.20 ₱642

30.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.93 €7.05

$4.45 ₱280

78.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.73 €13.10

$7.67 ₱483

92.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$3.31 ₱208

-32.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.46 ₱91.8

19.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.32 ₱146

-10.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$1.49 ₱94.0

56.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$2.34 ₱147

-5.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.94 ₱122

12.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 €0.82

$1.16 ₱73.0

-19.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.68 ₱42.89

61.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.62 €5.89

$2.99 ₱188

121.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$6.24 ₱393

-26.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.23 ₱77.3

6.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.73 ₱109

42.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 €2.20

$0.23 ₱14.36

973.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.74 €39.80

$12.34 ₱777

262.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.55 €4.04

$0.79 ₱49.96

475.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.22 ₱13.86

554.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.93 €15.06

$4.54 ₱286

272.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.32 ₱82.9

59.09%

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

$32.3K €28.7K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

53.58%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

98.29%

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

$106 €94.3

$119 ₱7,464

-10.54%

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

$20.07 €17.85

$14.22 ₱896

41.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.05 €33.84

$27.47 ₱1,730

38.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.89 €39.93

$32.31 ₱2,034

38.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.01 €30.25

$6.50 ₱409

423.23%

Cinema Ticket

$8.65 €7.70

$5.40 ₱340

60.19%

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

$439 €390

$276 ₱17.4K

59.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,437 €5,726

$7,866 ₱495.3K

-18.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €98.9

$49.37 ₱3,108

125.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.04 €19.60

$24.58 ₱1,548

-10.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.9 €67.5

$76.6 ₱4,825

-0.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.0

$58.9 ₱3,706

79.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,072 €953

$503 ₱31.7K

112.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 €1,168

$305 ₱19.2K

331.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,706 €1,518

$1,075 ₱67.7K

58.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 €1,105

$632 ₱39.8K

96.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,036 €2,701

$2,870 ₱180.7K

5.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,673 €1,488

$1,877 ₱118.2K

-10.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,420 €1,263

$336 ₱21.1K

322.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.7

7.2

-48.61%

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

Last update for Maia: October 17, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maia

$1.3K 60.2%

Cebu

$305 33.3% 76.8% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Maia

$259 11.9%

Cebu

$210 22.9% 19.2% $50

Eating Out

Maia

$175 8%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 49.8% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maia

$164 7.5%

Cebu

$160 17.5% 2.4% $3.9

Clothing & Footwear

Maia

$142 6.5%

Cebu

$94 10.3% 33.5% $47

Getting Around

Maia

$66 3%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 77.2% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Maia

$62 2.9%

Cebu

$43 4.7% 30.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,072 in Maia and $503 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Maia pays 323% 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: $50.0 in Maia vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $259 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Maia

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

21:22 9:22 PM

04:22 4:22 AM

7 h ahead of Maia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

134,988

964,169

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 PHP = 1.59 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Maia Cebu 12,510 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Maia
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

Maia vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 139% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 323% higher in Maia, 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: $1,072 in Maia versus $503 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,182 per month in Maia versus $915 in Cebu – a 139% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 263% less than in Maia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $915 in Cebu versus $2,182 in Maia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Maia. 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 Maia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Maia 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 139% less than in Maia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.