Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mdina and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,080 in Mdina, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Mdina
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Mdina Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Mdina

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,080

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,080 in Mdina versus $918 in Cebu.

Mdina $2,080
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,064 in Mdina versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Mdina $3,064
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,048 in Mdina versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Mdina $4,048
Cebu $1,900

Living in Mdina is roughly 127% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mdina is 54% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.17 €17.05

$3.09 ₱194

520.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.3 €75.9

$24.22 ₱1,525

252.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.90

$3.92 ₱247

241.33%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.47

$2.51 ₱158

10.76%

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

$3.15 €2.80

$1.59 ₱100

98.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.94

$0.53 ₱33.43

311.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.42 €3.93

$1.78 ₱112

148.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 €4.50

$2.17 ₱137

133.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.92 ₱121

-30.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.36 ₱85.4

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.31 €3.83

$1.01 ₱63.5

326.73%

Eggs

$4.25 €3.78

$2.03 ₱128

109.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.34 €7.42

$9.86 ₱621

-15.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.26 €9.13

$4.39 ₱277

133.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.48 €16.44

$7.60 ₱479

143.16%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 €3.60

$3.30 ₱208

22.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$1.39 ₱87.8

100.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 €3.23

$2.33 ₱147

55.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 €3.01

$1.50 ₱94.3

125.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 €2.16

$2.36 ₱149

2.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.90 ₱119

7.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.19 ₱74.9

90.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.19

$0.63 ₱39.71

112.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €6.06

$3.00 ₱189

127.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.23 €7.32

$6.03 ₱379

36.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.23 ₱77.7

44.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.75 ₱110

34.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 €2.27

$0.25 ₱15.86

920.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 €4.85

$0.77 ₱48.62

607.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 €1.96

$0.23 ₱14.53

860.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.64 €23.70

$4.46 ₱281

497.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.31 ₱82.8

12.21%

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

$37.6K €33.4K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

76.93%

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

$38.9K €34.6K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

103.06%

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

$104 €92.5

$120 ₱7,569

-13.55%

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

$25.81 €22.96

$14.00 ₱882

84.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.04 €37.39

$27.54 ₱1,734

52.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.5 €62.7

$32.33 ₱2,035

118.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$9.90 €8.80

$5.65 ₱356

75.22%

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

$370 €329

$275 ₱17.3K

34.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K €9,820

$7,918 ₱498.5K

39.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.3 €77.6

$49.33 ₱3,106

76.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.22 €35.78

$25.24 ₱1,589

59.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.4 €87.5

$77.0 ₱4,846

27.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 €70.4

$57.2 ₱3,601

38.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 €1,040

$500 ₱31.5K

134.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,045 €930

$309 ₱19.4K

238.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 €1,383

$1,078 ₱67.9K

44.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,544 €1,374

$615 ₱38.7K

151.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,557 €3,164

$2,886 ₱181.7K

23.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,055 €2,717

$1,917 ₱120.7K

59.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,467 €1,305

$346 ₱21.8K

324.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

7.2

-59.72%

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

Last update for Mdina: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mdina

$1K 50.3%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 70.5% $737

Groceries & Markets

Mdina

$328 15.8%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 37.2% $122

Eating Out

Mdina

$280 13.5%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 68.5% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mdina

$172 8.3%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 5.8% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Mdina

$137 6.6%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 31.6% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Mdina

$90 4.3%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 51.7% $47

Getting Around

Mdina

$27 * 1.3%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 41.7% $11

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 $1,170 in Mdina and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mdina pays 324% 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: $85.0 in Mdina vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Mdina

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

19:04 7:04 PM

01:04 1:04 AM

6 h ahead of Mdina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

193

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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Mdina Cebu 11,040 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mdina
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

Mdina vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 127% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 324% higher in Mdina, 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: $1,170 in Mdina versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 59% higher in Mdina. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,080 per month in Mdina versus $918 in Cebu – a 127% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $2,080 in Mdina, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Mdina. 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 Mdina, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Mdina 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 127% less than in Mdina. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.