Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Midlands and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Midlands: $621 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Midlands
🇲🇺 Mauritius
$621
/mo nomad
Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $621 in Midlands versus $918 in Cebu.

  • Midlands $621
  • Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,041 in Midlands versus $1,409 in Cebu.

  • Midlands $1,041
  • Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,461 in Midlands versus $1,900 in Cebu.

  • Midlands $1,461
  • Cebu $1,900

Living in Midlands costs roughly 32% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Midlands 54% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Midlands
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.78 MUR 272
$3.09 ₱194
87.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.17 MUR 1,797
$24.22 ₱1,525
57.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.46 MUR 351
$3.92 ₱247
90.31%
Cappuccino
$2.69 MUR 127
$2.51 ₱158
7.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 MUR 52.8
$1.59 ₱100
-29.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.67 MUR 31.64
$0.53 ₱33.43
26.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.60 MUR 123
$1.78 ₱112
46.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.74 MUR 223
$2.17 ₱137
118.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Midlands
Cebu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.60 MUR 75.3
$1.92 ₱121
-16.67%
White Bread (500g)
$0.71 MUR 33.65
$1.36 ₱85.4
-47.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.10 MUR 51.8
$1.01 ₱63.5
8.91%
Eggs
$2.63 MUR 124
$2.03 ₱128
29.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.33 MUR 251
$9.86 ₱621
-45.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.14 MUR 289
$4.39 ₱277
39.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.08 MUR 522
$7.60 ₱479
45.79%
Apples (1kg)
$2.74 MUR 129
$3.30 ₱208
-16.97%
Banana (1kg)
$2.64 MUR 125
$1.39 ₱87.8
89.93%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.42 MUR 67.1
$2.33 ₱147
-39.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.98 MUR 140
$1.50 ₱94.3
98.67%
Potato (1kg)
$0.92 MUR 43.45
$2.36 ₱149
-61.02%
Onion (1kg)
$1.00 MUR 47.23
$1.90 ₱119
-47.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.68 MUR 31.98
$1.19 ₱74.9
-42.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 MUR 41.57
$0.63 ₱39.71
39.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.47 MUR 304
$3.00 ₱189
115.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.63 MUR 406
$6.03 ₱379
43.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.64 MUR 77.2
$1.23 ₱77.7
33.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.35 MUR 111
$1.75 ₱110
34.29%
🚌 Getting Around
Midlands
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.25 ₱15.86
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$12.64 ₱796
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.23 MUR 199
$0.77 ₱48.62
449.35%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.13 MUR 148
$0.23 ₱14.53
1260.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.28 MUR 1,002
$4.46 ₱281
377.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.40 MUR 65.8
$1.31 ₱82.8
6.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.0K MUR 1.7M
$21.2K ₱1.3M
73.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.1K MUR 1.5M
$19.1K ₱1.2M
62.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Midlands
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$44.88 MUR 2,113
$120 ₱7,569
-62.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.59 MUR 499
$14.00 ₱882
-24.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.02 MUR 1,366
$27.54 ₱1,734
5.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Midlands
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$32.33 ₱2,035
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$6.65 ₱419
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.46 MUR 304
$5.65 ₱356
14.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Midlands
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$128 MUR 6,031
$275 ₱17.3K
-53.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,748 MUR 364.8K
$7,918 ₱498.5K
-2.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Midlands
Cebu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$77.7 MUR 3,657
$49.33 ₱3,106
57.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$72.9 MUR 3,433
$25.24 ₱1,589
188.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 MUR 5,712
$77.0 ₱4,846
57.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$76.1 MUR 3,584
$57.2 ₱3,601
33.09%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Midlands
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$500 ₱31.5K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$309 ₱19.4K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,078 ₱67.9K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$615 ₱38.7K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,886 ₱181.7K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,917 ₱120.7K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Midlands
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$346 ₱21.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.67
7.2
-7.36%

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

Last update for Midlands: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Midlands
$216
Cebu
$206 4.9% $11
Clothing & Footwear
Midlands
$157
Cebu
$94 40% $63
Eating Out
Midlands
$131
Cebu
$88 32.4% $42
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Midlands
$85
Cebu
$162 91.4% $77
Getting Around
Midlands
$20 *
Cebu
$16 21.8% $4.3
Sport & Entertainment
Midlands
$13 *
Cebu
$44 238% $31
Accommodation & Living
Midlands
- *
Cebu
$309

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $38.00 in Midlands vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $216 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇺 Midlands
🇵🇭 Cebu
🕒 Local time
18:06 6:06 PM
22:06 10:06 PM
4 h ahead of Midlands
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,546
964,169
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Midlands Cebu 8,010 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Midlands
  • 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
Midlands vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cebu cheaper than Midlands?
Midlands is cheaper overall, especially in utilities and leisure. The 48% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $931 in Midlands and $1,377 in Cebu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do food prices compare in Midlands and in Cebu?
Shoppers in Cebu pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
What are total monthly expenses in Midlands and in Cebu?
All in, you'll spend $621 per month in Midlands versus $918 in Cebu – a 48% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $800 enough for either Midlands or Cebu?
Either city works on $800 a month, though Midlands gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is Midlands or Cebu more family-friendly?
For families, Midlands is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cebu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Midlands or Cebu?
Safety-wise, Midlands 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 Midlands gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Midlands vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?