Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mlava and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,406 in Mlava, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Mlava
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Mlava Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Mlava

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,406

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,406 in Mlava versus $918 in Cebu.

Mlava $1,406
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,992 in Mlava versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Mlava $1,992
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,577 in Mlava versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Mlava $2,577
Cebu $1,900

Living in Mlava is roughly 53% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mlava is 4% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.13 zł 39.35

$3.09 ₱194

227.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.39 zł 98.7

$24.22 ₱1,525

4.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 zł 29.51

$3.92 ₱247

93.88%

Cappuccino

$2.50 zł 9.70

$2.51 ₱158

-0.40%

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

$1.86 zł 7.24

$1.59 ₱100

16.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 zł 6.25

$0.53 ₱33.43

203.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 zł 9.58

$1.78 ₱112

38.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 zł 14.69

$2.17 ₱137

74.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 zł 4.04

$1.92 ₱121

-45.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 zł 6.46

$1.36 ₱85.4

22.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 zł 3.74

$1.01 ₱63.5

-4.95%

Eggs

$3.64 zł 14.13

$2.03 ₱128

79.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.72 zł 33.87

$9.86 ₱621

-11.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 zł 26.65

$4.39 ₱277

56.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.68 zł 45.38

$7.60 ₱479

53.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.36 zł 5.27

$3.30 ₱208

-58.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 zł 6.71

$1.39 ₱87.8

24.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 zł 6.05

$2.33 ₱147

-33.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 zł 12.55

$1.50 ₱94.3

115.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 zł 3.81

$2.36 ₱149

-58.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 zł 5.11

$1.90 ₱119

-31.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 zł 4.27

$1.19 ₱74.9

-7.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 zł 2.68

$0.63 ₱39.71

9.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.58 zł 17.79

$3.00 ₱189

52.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.42 zł 24.94

$6.03 ₱379

6.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 zł 4.12

$1.23 ₱77.7

-13.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 zł 5.41

$1.75 ₱110

-20.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 zł 3.71

$0.25 ₱15.86

284.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.25 zł 125

$12.64 ₱796

155.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 zł 8.14

$0.77 ₱48.62

172.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 zł 3.21

$0.23 ₱14.53

260.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.71 zł 37.71

$4.46 ₱281

117.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 zł 6.10

$1.31 ₱82.8

19.85%

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

$30.7K zł 119.1K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

44.32%

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

$27.4K zł 106.6K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

43.27%

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

$283 zł 1,099

$120 ₱7,569

135.37%

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

$6.26 zł 24.33

$14.00 ₱882

-55.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.61 zł 29.55

$27.54 ₱1,734

-72.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.86 zł 147

$32.33 ₱2,035

17.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.41 zł 87.1

$6.65 ₱419

236.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.21 zł 20.24

$5.65 ₱356

-7.79%

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

$329 zł 1,279

$275 ₱17.3K

19.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,139 zł 20.0K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-35.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.3 zł 312

$49.33 ₱3,106

62.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.28 zł 145

$25.24 ₱1,589

47.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 zł 340

$77.0 ₱4,846

13.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.1 zł 296

$57.2 ₱3,601

32.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$608 zł 2,363

$500 ₱31.5K

21.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 zł 1,962

$309 ₱19.4K

63.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 zł 3,802

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-9.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$805 zł 3,129

$615 ₱38.7K

30.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,881 zł 11.2K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-0.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,203 zł 8,560

$1,917 ₱120.7K

14.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,013 zł 3,935

$346 ₱21.8K

192.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

7.2

-4.31%

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

Last update for Mlava: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mlava

$505 35.9%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 38.8% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mlava

$297 21.1%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 45.5% $135

Groceries & Markets

Mlava

$220 15.6%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 6.3% $14

Eating Out

Mlava

$168 11.9%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 47.3% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Mlava

$127 9%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 25.8% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Mlava

$48 3.4%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 9.7% $4.7

Getting Around

Mlava

$42 3%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 63.2% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $608 in Mlava and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mlava pays 193% 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: $25.00 in Mlava vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $220 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Mlava

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

01:34 1:34 AM

07:34 7:34 AM

6 h ahead of Mlava

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,130

964,169

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

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 PLN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mlava Cebu 9,980 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Mlava
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

Mlava vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 53% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 193% higher in Mlava, 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: $608 in Mlava versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,406 per month in Mlava versus $918 in Cebu – a 53% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 155% less than in Mlava. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,406 in Mlava, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Mlava. 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 Mlava, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Mlava 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 53% less than in Mlava. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.