Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matosinhos and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,926 in Matosinhos, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Matosinhos
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Matosinhos Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Matosinhos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,926

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,926 in Matosinhos versus $918 in Cebu.

Matosinhos $1,926
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,803 in Matosinhos versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Matosinhos $2,803
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,680 in Matosinhos versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Matosinhos $3,680
Cebu $1,900

Living in Matosinhos is roughly 110% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Matosinhos is 43% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.41 €11.93

$3.09 ₱194

333.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.70 €42.43

$24.22 ₱1,525

96.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.91 €8.81

$3.92 ₱247

152.81%

Cappuccino

$2.69 €2.40

$2.51 ₱158

7.17%

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

$2.07 €1.84

$1.59 ₱100

30.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.34

$0.53 ₱33.43

184.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 €1.94

$1.78 ₱112

23.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.94

$2.17 ₱137

52.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.98

$1.92 ₱121

-42.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.36 ₱85.4

23.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.01 ₱63.5

68.32%

Eggs

$3.36 €2.99

$2.03 ₱128

65.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.61 €10.33

$9.86 ₱621

17.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.21 €6.42

$4.39 ₱277

64.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 €12.76

$7.60 ₱479

88.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$3.30 ₱208

-33.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.39 ₱87.8

7.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.33 ₱147

-23.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.50 ₱94.3

64.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.36 ₱149

-31.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.90 ₱119

-2.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.19 ₱74.9

28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.68

$0.63 ₱39.71

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.43 €5.72

$3.00 ₱189

114.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 €4.94

$6.03 ₱379

-7.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.23 ₱77.7

11.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.75 ₱110

18.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 €2.40

$0.25 ₱15.86

980.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.17 €39.29

$12.64 ₱796

249.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 €3.98

$0.77 ₱48.62

480.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 €0.72

$0.23 ₱14.53

252.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.19 €12.62

$4.46 ₱281

218.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.31 ₱82.8

62.60%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

58.52%

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

$38.1K €33.9K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

99.10%

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

$158 €141

$120 ₱7,569

31.82%

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

$22.04 €19.60

$14.00 ₱882

57.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.78 €29.15

$27.54 ₱1,734

19.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.3 €55.4

$32.33 ₱2,035

92.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.15 €19.70

$6.65 ₱419

233.08%

Cinema Ticket

$9.20 €8.18

$5.65 ₱356

62.83%

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

$567 €504

$275 ₱17.3K

105.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K €9,324

$7,918 ₱498.5K

32.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.9 €85.3

$49.33 ₱3,106

94.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.94 €32.86

$25.24 ₱1,589

46.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 €82.0

$77.0 ₱4,846

19.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €90.4

$57.2 ₱3,601

77.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 €1,032

$500 ₱31.5K

132.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$973 €866

$309 ₱19.4K

215.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,225 €1,979

$1,078 ₱67.9K

106.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,571 €1,397

$615 ₱38.7K

155.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,329 €3,850

$2,886 ₱181.7K

49.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,785 €3,367

$1,917 ₱120.7K

97.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,565 €1,392

$346 ₱21.8K

352.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

7.2

-49.03%

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

Last update for Matosinhos: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Matosinhos

$973 50.5%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 68.3% $664

Groceries & Markets

Matosinhos

$248 12.9%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 16.8% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matosinhos

$213 11.1%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 24.2% $52

Eating Out

Matosinhos

$201 10.5%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 56.1% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Matosinhos

$147 7.6%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 36.1% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Matosinhos

$81 4.2%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 45.9% $37

Getting Around

Matosinhos

$64 3.3%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 75.5% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,160 in Matosinhos and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Matosinhos pays 352% 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: $48.00 in Matosinhos vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $248 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Matosinhos

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

22:28 10:28 PM

05:28 5:28 AM

7 h ahead of Matosinhos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,586

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Matosinhos Cebu 12,510 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Matosinhos
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

Matosinhos vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 110% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 352% higher in Matosinhos, 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: $1,160 in Matosinhos versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,926 per month in Matosinhos versus $918 in Cebu – a 110% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 249% less than in Matosinhos. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,926 in Matosinhos, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Matosinhos. 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 Matosinhos, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Matosinhos 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 110% less than in Matosinhos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.