Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Middelburg and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,283 in Middelburg, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Middelburg
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Middelburg Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Middelburg

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,283

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,283 in Middelburg versus $918 in Cebu.

Middelburg $2,283
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,354 in Middelburg versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Middelburg $3,354
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,425 in Middelburg versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Middelburg $4,425
Cebu $1,900

Living in Middelburg is roughly 149% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Middelburg is 69% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.10 €11.65

$3.09 ₱194

323.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.9 €80.0

$24.22 ₱1,525

271.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.20 €10.86

$3.92 ₱247

211.22%

Cappuccino

$4.11 €3.65

$2.51 ₱158

63.75%

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

$3.41 €3.04

$1.59 ₱100

114.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 €2.84

$0.53 ₱33.43

501.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.01 €6.23

$1.78 ₱112

293.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 €6.13

$2.17 ₱137

217.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.92 ₱121

-29.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 €1.96

$1.36 ₱85.4

62.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.01 ₱63.5

95.05%

Eggs

$4.45 €3.95

$2.03 ₱128

119.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 €10.96

$9.86 ₱621

25.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.89 €11.47

$4.39 ₱277

193.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.18 €17.06

$7.60 ₱479

152.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$3.30 ₱208

-18.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.39 ₱87.8

61.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.33 ₱147

-12.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 €3.16

$1.50 ₱94.3

136.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.36 ₱149

-45.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.90 ₱119

-40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.19 ₱74.9

-5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.82

$0.63 ₱39.71

46.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.61 €10.32

$3.00 ₱189

287.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.78 €5.14

$6.03 ₱379

-4.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.23 ₱77.7

9.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.75 ₱110

6.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 €4.09

$0.77 ₱48.62

496.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.46 €3.08

$0.23 ₱14.53

1404.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.26 €29.58

$4.46 ₱281

645.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 €2.06

$1.31 ₱82.8

77.10%

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

$41.7K €37.1K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

96.16%

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

$38.1K €33.9K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

99.25%

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

$142 €127

$120 ₱7,569

18.36%

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

$28.79 €25.60

$14.00 ₱882

105.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 €47.91

$27.54 ₱1,734

95.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.01 €40.03

$32.33 ₱2,035

39.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.09 €12.53

$6.65 ₱419

111.88%

Cinema Ticket

$10.14 €9.02

$5.65 ₱356

79.47%

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

$2,381 €2,117

$275 ₱17.3K

764.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.4K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

48.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.4 €84.9

$49.33 ₱3,106

93.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.76 €38.93

$25.24 ₱1,589

73.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.2

$77.0 ₱4,846

37.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 €124

$57.2 ₱3,601

144.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 €1,252

$500 ₱31.5K

181.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 €1,081

$309 ₱19.4K

293.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,045 €1,819

$1,078 ₱67.9K

89.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,874 €1,667

$615 ₱38.7K

204.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,112 €3,658

$346 ₱21.8K

1088.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

7.2

-52.78%

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

Last update for Middelburg: 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

Middelburg

$1.2K 53.2%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 74.6% $907

Groceries & Markets

Middelburg

$317 13.9%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 35% $111

Eating Out

Middelburg

$266 11.6%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 66.8% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Middelburg

$225 9.9%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 28.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Middelburg

$173 7.6%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 45.8% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Middelburg

$65 2.9%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 33.2% $22

Getting Around

Middelburg

$22 * 1%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 28.9% $6.3

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 $1,407 in Middelburg and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Middelburg pays 1089% 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: $90.0 in Middelburg vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $317 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Middelburg

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

16:39 4:39 PM

22:39 10:39 PM

6 h ahead of Middelburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,345

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

Middelburg Cebu 11,090 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Middelburg
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

Middelburg vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 149% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1089% higher in Middelburg, 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: $1,407 in Middelburg versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Middelburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,283 per month in Middelburg versus $918 in Cebu – a 149% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $2,283 in Middelburg, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Middelburg. 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 Middelburg, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Middelburg 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 149% less than in Middelburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.