Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monaghan and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,403 in Monaghan, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Monaghan
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Monaghan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Monaghan

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,403

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,403 in Monaghan versus $918 in Cebu.

Monaghan $2,403
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,383 in Monaghan versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Monaghan $3,383
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,363 in Monaghan versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Monaghan $4,363
Cebu $1,900

Living in Monaghan is roughly 162% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monaghan is 78% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.64

$3.09 ₱195

469.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 €51.1

$24.22 ₱1,525

137.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 €10.74

$3.92 ₱247

207.91%

Cappuccino

$4.33 €3.85

$2.51 ₱158

72.51%

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

$2.82 €2.50

$1.59 ₱100

77.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.53 ₱33.45

305.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 €6.09

$1.78 ₱112

284.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.76 €6.01

$2.17 ₱137

211.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.92 ₱121

-17.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.36 ₱85.5

60.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.01 ₱63.6

93.07%

Eggs

$4.29 €3.81

$2.03 ₱128

111.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.10 €8.98

$9.86 ₱621

2.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.81 €11.40

$4.39 ₱277

191.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.64 €12.13

$7.60 ₱479

79.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 €2.73

$3.30 ₱208

-6.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.39 ₱87.8

61.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.04 €2.70

$2.33 ₱147

30.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 €4.28

$1.50 ₱94.3

220.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.36 ₱149

-11.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 €1.31

$1.90 ₱119

-22.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.15

$1.19 ₱74.9

9.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.83

$0.63 ₱39.73

226.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.42 €18.16

$3.00 ₱189

580.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.17 €11.71

$6.03 ₱380

118.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 €2.60

$1.23 ₱77.7

138.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 €3.16

$1.75 ₱110

102.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.65 €2.36

$0.25 ₱15.87

960.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 €4.53

$0.77 ₱48.64

561.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.32

$0.23 ₱14.54

547.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.36 €31.45

$4.46 ₱281

692.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.31 ₱82.8

45.80%

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

$39.2K €34.8K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

84.43%

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

$37.7K €33.6K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

97.05%

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

$236 €210

$120 ₱7,573

96.44%

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

$19.05 €16.94

$14.00 ₱882

36.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 €45.76

$27.54 ₱1,735

86.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 €51.5

$32.33 ₱2,036

79.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$13.65 €12.14

$5.65 ₱356

141.59%

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

$1,018 €906

$275 ₱17.3K

269.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,685 €5,057

$7,918 ₱498.8K

-28.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.9 €83.5

$49.33 ₱3,107

90.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.80 €40.74

$25.24 ₱1,590

81.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €97.5

$77.0 ₱4,848

42.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$57.2 ₱3,603

114.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 €1,160

$500 ₱31.5K

161.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,174 €1,044

$309 ₱19.5K

280.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,213 €1,969

$1,078 ₱67.9K

105.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,762 €1,567

$615 ₱38.8K

186.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,880 €3,450

$346 ₱21.8K

1021.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

7.2

-42.50%

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

Last update for Monaghan: 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

Monaghan

$1.2K 48.9%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 73.7% $865

Groceries & Markets

Monaghan

$350 14.6%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 41.2% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monaghan

$307 12.8%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 47.2% $145

Eating Out

Monaghan

$297 12.3%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 70.2% $208

Clothing & Footwear

Monaghan

$167 7%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 43.9% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Monaghan

$85 3.6%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 48.8% $42

Getting Around

Monaghan

$23 * 1%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 32.7% $7.6

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 $1,304 in Monaghan and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monaghan pays 1021% 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: $57.0 in Monaghan vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Monaghan

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

11:40 11:40 AM

18:40 6:40 PM

7 h ahead of Monaghan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,700

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monaghan Cebu 11,490 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Monaghan
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

Monaghan vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 162% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1021% higher in Monaghan, 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: $1,304 in Monaghan versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 70% higher in Monaghan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,403 per month in Monaghan versus $918 in Cebu – a 162% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $2,403 in Monaghan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Monaghan. 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 Monaghan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Monaghan 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 162% less than in Monaghan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.