Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melissia and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,449 in Melissia, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Melissia
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,449
/mo nomad
Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,449 in Melissia versus $918 in Cebu.

  • Melissia $1,449
  • Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,207 in Melissia versus $1,409 in Cebu.

  • Melissia $2,207
  • Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,966 in Melissia versus $1,900 in Cebu.

  • Melissia $2,966
  • Cebu $1,900

Living in Melissia is roughly 58% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melissia is 7% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Melissia
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.22 €10.01
$3.09 ₱195
263.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$59.7 €53.3
$24.22 ₱1,526
146.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.11 €8.12
$3.92 ₱247
132.40%
Cappuccino
$4.00 €3.57
$2.51 ₱158
59.36%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.05
$1.59 ₱100
44.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 €0.52
$0.53 ₱33.47
11.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.58 €4.08
$1.78 ₱112
157.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.15 €4.59
$2.17 ₱137
137.33%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Melissia
Cebu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.90 €1.69
$1.92 ₱121
-1.04%
White Bread (500g)
$1.40 €1.25
$1.36 ₱85.5
2.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.79 €2.49
$1.01 ₱63.6
176.24%
Eggs
$5.17 €4.61
$2.03 ₱128
154.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.12 €9.91
$9.86 ₱622
12.78%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.13 €9.03
$4.39 ₱277
130.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.83 €16.79
$7.60 ₱479
147.76%
Apples (1kg)
$2.23 €1.98
$3.30 ₱208
-32.42%
Banana (1kg)
$1.92 €1.71
$1.39 ₱87.9
38.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.38 €1.23
$2.33 ₱147
-40.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.98 €1.77
$1.50 ₱94.4
32.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.11 €0.99
$2.36 ₱149
-52.97%
Onion (1kg)
$1.12 €1.00
$1.90 ₱119
-41.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.87 €0.77
$1.19 ₱75.0
-26.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.86 €0.77
$0.63 ₱39.75
36.51%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.47 €4.87
$3.00 ₱189
82.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.17 €9.07
$6.03 ₱380
68.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.16 €1.93
$1.23 ₱77.7
75.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.33 €2.08
$1.75 ₱110
33.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Melissia
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 €1.05
$0.25 ₱15.87
368.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.14 €40.24
$12.64 ₱796
257.12%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.42 €3.94
$0.77 ₱48.66
474.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.01 €0.90
$0.23 ₱14.54
339.13%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.15 €12.61
$4.46 ₱281
217.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.17 €1.93
$1.31 ₱82.9
65.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.4K €25.3K
$21.2K ₱1.3M
33.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.4K €20.8K
$19.1K ₱1.2M
22.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Melissia
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$203 €181
$120 ₱7,577
69.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.57 €21.91
$14.00 ₱883
75.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.60 €25.50
$27.54 ₱1,736
3.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Melissia
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.3 €52.0
$32.33 ₱2,037
80.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.37 €19.94
$6.65 ₱419
236.39%
Cinema Ticket
$8.94 €7.98
$5.65 ₱356
58.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Melissia
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$479 €427
$275 ₱17.3K
73.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,505 €4,017
$7,918 ₱499.0K
-43.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Melissia
Cebu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.0 €78.5
$49.33 ₱3,109
78.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.95 €32.05
$25.24 ₱1,591
42.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 €91.0
$77.0 ₱4,850
32.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$125 €111
$57.2 ₱3,605
117.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Melissia
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$461 €411
$500 ₱31.5K
-7.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$390 €348
$309 ₱19.5K
26.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$757 €675
$1,078 ₱67.9K
-29.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$621 €554
$615 ₱38.8K
0.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,608 €2,325
$2,886 ₱181.9K
-9.65%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,213 €1,973
$1,917 ₱120.8K
15.45%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Melissia
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,362 €1,214
$346 ₱21.8K
293.59%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.48
7.2
-37.78%

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

Last update for Melissia: 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
Melissia
$390
Cebu
$309 20.9% $82
Groceries & Markets
Melissia
$299
Cebu
$206 31.1% $93
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Melissia
$257
Cebu
$162 36.9% $95
Eating Out
Melissia
$210
Cebu
$88 57.9% $122
Clothing & Footwear
Melissia
$158
Cebu
$94 40.5% $64
Sport & Entertainment
Melissia
$76
Cebu
$44 42.8% $33
Getting Around
Melissia
$59
Cebu
$16 73.7% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $461 in Melissia and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melissia pays 294% 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: $60.0 in Melissia vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇷 Melissia
🇵🇭 Cebu
🕒 Local time
16:32 4:32 PM
21:32 9:32 PM
5 h ahead of Melissia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,588
964,169
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 63.02 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.68 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Melissia Cebu 10,170 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Melissia
  • 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
Melissia vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cebu cheaper than Melissia?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 58% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Melissia or Cebu?
Average pay runs 294% higher in Melissia, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Melissia and Cebu?
Rent for a central apartment: $461 in Melissia versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Melissia and in Cebu?
All in, you'll spend $1,449 per month in Melissia versus $918 in Cebu – a 58% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 257% less than in Melissia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Melissia or in Cebu?
At $918 in Cebu versus $1,449 in Melissia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Melissia. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Melissia or Cebu more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Melissia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Melissia or Cebu?
Safety-wise, Melissia 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Melissia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Melissia vs other spots: cost of living compared

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