For one person, living is cheaper in Minya: $397 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Minya and in Cebu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $397 in Minya versus $915 in Cebu.
Minya $397
Cebu $915
Estimated couple costs with rent: $608 in Minya versus $1,418 in Cebu.
Minya $608
Cebu $1,418
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $819 in Minya versus $1,921 in Cebu.
Minya $819
Cebu $1,921
🌍
Living in Minya costs roughly 57% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.
📊
Both cities sit below the global median: Minya71% lower, Cebu33% lower.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Minya
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.77E£148
$3.05₱192
-9.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$7.27E£388
$24.00₱1,511
-69.71%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$4.57E£244
$3.99₱251
14.54%
Cappuccino
$1.16E£62.1
$2.50₱157
-53.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.20E£10.81
$1.54₱97.1
-87.01%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.11E£5.67
$0.50₱31.37
-78.00%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$1.08E£57.8
$1.78₱112
-39.33%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81E£150
$2.17₱136
29.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Minya
Cebu
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$0.78E£41.78
$2.00₱126
-61.00%
White Bread(500g)
$0.21E£11.21
$1.37₱86.2
-84.67%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$0.61E£32.67
$1.03₱64.9
-40.78%
Eggs
$1.28E£68.4
$2.03₱128
-36.95%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$2.36E£126
$10.20₱642
-76.86%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$3.62E£193
$4.45₱280
-18.65%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$7.01E£374
$7.67₱483
-8.60%
Apples(1kg)
$0.72E£38.40
$3.31₱208
-78.25%
Banana(1kg)
$0.51E£27.47
$1.46₱91.8
-65.07%
Oranges(1kg)
$0.41E£22.07
$2.32₱146
-82.33%
Tomato(1kg)
$0.31E£16.48
$1.49₱94.0
-79.19%
Potato(1kg)
$0.31E£16.35
$2.34₱147
-86.75%
Onion(1kg)
$0.36E£19.15
$1.94₱122
-81.44%
Lettuce(1 head)
$0.26E£13.83
$1.16₱73.0
-77.59%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.19E£10.06
$0.68₱42.89
-72.06%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$1.83E£97.6
$2.99₱188
-38.80%
Wine(Bottle)
$4.61E£246
$6.24₱393
-26.12%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.03E£55.3
$1.23₱77.3
-16.26%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61E£85.8
$1.73₱109
-6.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Minya
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.19E£10.05
$0.23₱14.36
-17.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
-
$12.34₱777
-
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$0.25E£13.19
$0.79₱49.96
-68.35%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.15E£8.07
$0.22₱13.86
-31.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$0.71E£38.09
$4.54₱286
-84.36%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$0.37E£19.61
$1.32₱82.9
-71.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.5KE£1.7M
$21.0K₱1.3M
49.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.2KE£1.3M
$19.4K₱1.2M
24.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Minya
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$14.76E£788
$119₱7,464
-87.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.95E£318
$14.22₱896
-58.16%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.32E£1,245
$27.47₱1,730
-15.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Minya
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$6.85E£366
$32.31₱2,034
-78.80%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$4.55E£243
$6.50₱409
-30.00%
Cinema Ticket
$3.63E£194
$5.40₱340
-32.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Minya
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$83.6E£4,464
$276₱17.4K
-69.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$2,271E£121.3K
$7,866₱495.3K
-71.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Minya
Cebu
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$9.00E£481
$49.37₱3,108
-81.77%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.60E£2,008
$24.58₱1,548
52.97%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$152E£8,138
$76.6₱4,825
98.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$53.9E£2,880
$58.9₱3,706
-8.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Minya
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$94.2E£5,028
$503₱31.7K
-81.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$65.4E£3,494
$305₱19.2K
-78.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$150E£8,008
$1,075₱67.7K
-86.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$98.3E£5,251
$632₱39.8K
-84.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$464E£24.8K
$2,870₱180.7K
-83.85%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$251E£13.4K
$1,877₱118.2K
-86.63%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Minya
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$73.3E£3,915
$336₱21.1K
-78.17%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
22.5
7.2
212.50%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Minya: October 17, 2026
Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Minya
$114 28.6%
Cebu
$94 10.3% ↓ 17.2%$20
🛒Groceries & Markets
Minya
$96 24.2%
Cebu
$210 22.9% ↑ 118%$113
🏠Accommodation & Living
Minya
$65 16.5%
Cebu
$305 33.3% ↑ 366%$239
🍽Eating Out
Minya
$62 15.6%
Cebu
$88 9.6% ↑ 41.4%$26
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Minya
$44 11.1%
Cebu
$160 17.5% ↑ 264%$116
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Minya
$14 3.6%
Cebu
$43 4.7% ↑ 206%$29
🚌Getting Around
Minya
$1.8 * 0.4%
Cebu
$15 1.7% ↑ 766%$13
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Minya
$253 30.9%
Cebu
$209 10.9% ↓ 17.2%$43
🛒Groceries & Markets
Minya
$222 27.2%
Cebu
$491 25.6% ↑ 121%$269
🏠Accommodation & Living
Minya
$98 12%
Cebu
$632 32.9% ↑ 543%$534
🍽Eating Out
Minya
$159 19.4%
Cebu
$290 15.1% ↑ 82.8%$131
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Minya
$50 6.1%
Cebu
$174 9.1% ↑ 249%$124
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Minya
$33 4%
Cebu
$93 4.8% ↑ 183%$60
🚌Getting Around
Minya
$3.9 * 0.5%
Cebu
$31 1.6% ↑ 691%$27
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 $94.2 in Minya and $503 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Cebu pays 358% 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: $7.00 in Minya vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $96.0 vs $210 per month, with Minya cheaper across the board.
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
Minya vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cebu cheaper than Minya?
Minya is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 130% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Minya or Cebu?
On paper, salaries run 358% lower in Cebu. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Minya and Cebu?
Rent for a central apartment: $94.2 in Minya versus $503 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Minya and in Cebu?
Supermarket bills run roughly 118% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Minya and in Cebu?
All in, you'll spend $397 per month in Minya versus $915 in Cebu – a 130% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,200 enough for either Minya or Cebu?
Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Minya gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is Minya or Cebu more family-friendly?
For families, Minya 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, Minya or Cebu?
Safety-wise, Minya 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 Minya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 130% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.