Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marsta and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,642 in Marsta, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Marsta
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Marsta Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Marsta

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,642

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,642 in Marsta versus $918 in Cebu.

Marsta $1,642
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Marsta versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Marsta $2,549
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,456 in Marsta versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Marsta $3,456
Cebu $1,900

Living in Marsta is roughly 79% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Marsta is 22% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.20 SEK 131

$3.09 ₱194

327.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 SEK 652

$24.22 ₱1,525

171.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.22 SEK 101

$3.92 ₱247

160.71%

Cappuccino

$4.42 SEK 43.82

$2.51 ₱158

76.10%

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

$2.00 SEK 19.85

$1.59 ₱100

25.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 SEK 17.30

$0.53 ₱33.43

230.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.12 SEK 70.6

$1.78 ₱112

300.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 SEK 67.2

$2.17 ₱137

212.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 SEK 16.77

$1.92 ₱121

-11.98%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 SEK 30.15

$1.36 ₱85.4

123.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.64 SEK 55.9

$1.01 ₱63.5

458.42%

Eggs

$3.57 SEK 35.39

$2.03 ₱128

75.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.48 SEK 134

$9.86 ₱621

36.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.95 SEK 88.7

$4.39 ₱277

103.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.90 SEK 167

$7.60 ₱479

122.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 SEK 30.05

$3.30 ₱208

-8.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 SEK 26.49

$1.39 ₱87.8

92.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 SEK 19.43

$2.33 ₱147

-15.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 SEK 36.89

$1.50 ₱94.3

148.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 SEK 13.98

$2.36 ₱149

-40.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 SEK 14.66

$1.90 ₱119

-22.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 SEK 19.31

$1.19 ₱74.9

63.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 SEK 18.10

$0.63 ₱39.71

190.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.15 SEK 70.9

$3.00 ₱189

138.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.10 SEK 100

$6.03 ₱379

67.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 SEK 18.56

$1.23 ₱77.7

52.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 SEK 20.13

$1.75 ₱110

16.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.36 SEK 33.27

$0.25 ₱15.86

1244.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.8 SEK 751

$12.64 ₱796

499.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$13.16 SEK 130

$0.77 ₱48.62

1609.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 SEK 19.86

$0.23 ₱14.53

769.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.4 SEK 559

$4.46 ₱281

1165.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.20

$1.31 ₱82.8

32.82%

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

$32.4K SEK 321.1K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

52.56%

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

$32.5K SEK 321.9K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

69.68%

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

$60.2 SEK 597

$120 ₱7,569

-49.90%

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

$27.96 SEK 277

$14.00 ₱882

99.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.22 SEK 389

$27.54 ₱1,734

42.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.67 SEK 373

$32.33 ₱2,035

16.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.55 SEK 263

$6.65 ₱419

299.25%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 SEK 159

$5.65 ₱356

183.72%

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

$216 SEK 2,137

$275 ₱17.3K

-21.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,033 SEK 49.9K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-36.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.36 SEK 489

$49.33 ₱3,106

0.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.13 SEK 299

$25.24 ₱1,589

19.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 SEK 885

$77.0 ₱4,846

16.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 SEK 995

$57.2 ₱3,601

75.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 SEK 7,943

$500 ₱31.5K

60.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$610 SEK 6,042

$309 ₱19.4K

97.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,347 SEK 13.3K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

24.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 SEK 9,954

$615 ₱38.7K

63.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,974 SEK 39.4K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

37.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,757 SEK 27.3K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

43.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,563 SEK 45.2K

$346 ₱21.8K

1218.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

7.2

-61.11%

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

Last update for Marsta: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Marsta

$610 37.1%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 49.4% $301

Groceries & Markets

Marsta

$348 21.2%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 40.9% $142

Eating Out

Marsta

$254 15.4%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 65.2% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marsta

$127 7.8%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 27% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Marsta

$121 7.4%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 22.5% $27

Getting Around

Marsta

$112 6.8%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 86.1% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Marsta

$70 4.3%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 37.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $802 in Marsta and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Marsta pays 1219% 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: $66.0 in Marsta vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $348 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Marsta

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

11:25 11:25 AM

17:25 5:25 PM

6 h ahead of Marsta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,068

964,169

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Marsta Cebu 9,900 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Marsta
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

Marsta vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 1219% higher in Marsta, 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: $802 in Marsta versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,642 per month in Marsta versus $918 in Cebu – a 79% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 500% less than in Marsta. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,642 in Marsta, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Marsta. 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 Marsta, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Marsta 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 79% less than in Marsta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.