Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montijo and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,889 in Montijo, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Montijo
🇵🇹 Portugal
$1,889
/mo nomad
Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,889 in Montijo versus $918 in Cebu.

  • Montijo $1,889
  • Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,635 in Montijo versus $1,409 in Cebu.

  • Montijo $2,635
  • Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,380 in Montijo versus $1,900 in Cebu.

  • Montijo $3,380
  • Cebu $1,900

Living in Montijo is roughly 106% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montijo is 40% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Montijo
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.33 €10.97
$3.09 ₱194
299.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.50 €40.47
$24.22 ₱1,525
87.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.06 €8.06
$3.92 ₱247
131.12%
Cappuccino
$2.58 €2.29
$2.51 ₱158
2.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 €1.85
$1.59 ₱100
30.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 €1.53
$0.53 ₱33.43
224.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.38 €3.01
$1.78 ₱112
89.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.99 €3.55
$2.17 ₱137
83.87%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Montijo
Cebu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.32 €1.18
$1.92 ₱121
-31.25%
White Bread (500g)
$2.14 €1.90
$1.36 ₱85.4
57.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.04 €1.81
$1.01 ₱63.5
101.98%
Eggs
$3.38 €3.01
$2.03 ₱128
66.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.73 €9.55
$9.86 ₱621
8.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.95 €6.19
$4.39 ₱277
58.31%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.33 €13.63
$7.60 ₱479
101.71%
Apples (1kg)
$2.77 €2.46
$3.30 ₱208
-16.06%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 €1.26
$1.39 ₱87.8
1.44%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.84 €1.64
$2.33 ₱147
-21.03%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.84 €2.53
$1.50 ₱94.3
89.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.61 €1.43
$2.36 ₱149
-31.78%
Onion (1kg)
$2.12 €1.88
$1.90 ₱119
11.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.62 €1.44
$1.19 ₱74.9
36.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.79 €0.70
$0.63 ₱39.71
25.40%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.94 €5.29
$3.00 ₱189
98.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.76 €6.01
$6.03 ₱379
12.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.90 €0.80
$1.23 ₱77.7
-26.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 €1.40
$1.75 ₱110
-10.29%
🚌 Getting Around
Montijo
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.17 €1.93
$0.25 ₱15.86
768.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.19 €39.31
$12.64 ₱796
249.60%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.20 €1.96
$0.77 ₱48.62
185.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 €0.91
$0.23 ₱14.53
343.48%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.29 €16.27
$4.46 ₱281
310.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.14 €1.90
$1.31 ₱82.8
63.36%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K €30.3K
$21.2K ₱1.3M
60.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.5K €33.4K
$19.1K ₱1.2M
96.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montijo
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$136 €121
$120 ₱7,569
12.86%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.08 €18.75
$14.00 ₱882
50.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$57.8 €51.4
$27.54 ₱1,734
109.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Montijo
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.97 €19.54
$32.33 ₱2,035
-32.04%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.56 €15.62
$6.65 ₱419
164.06%
Cinema Ticket
$7.91 €7.04
$5.65 ₱356
40.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Montijo
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$457 €407
$275 ₱17.3K
66.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K €10.1K
$7,918 ₱498.5K
43.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Montijo
Cebu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$65.7 €58.4
$49.33 ₱3,106
33.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.27 €33.15
$25.24 ₱1,589
47.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.1 €63.2
$77.0 ₱4,846
-7.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$95.0 €84.5
$57.2 ₱3,601
66.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Montijo
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,176 €1,046
$500 ₱31.5K
135.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$999 €889
$309 ₱19.4K
223.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,698 €1,510
$1,078 ₱67.9K
57.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,421 €1,264
$615 ₱38.7K
131.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,064 €2,726
$2,886 ₱181.7K
6.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,230 €1,983
$1,917 ₱120.7K
16.34%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Montijo
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,113 €990
$346 ₱21.8K
221.71%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.67
7.2
-49.03%

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

Last update for Montijo: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Montijo
$999
Cebu
$309 69.1% $691
Groceries & Markets
Montijo
$259
Cebu
$206 20.6% $53
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montijo
$215
Cebu
$162 24.6% $53
Eating Out
Montijo
$197
Cebu
$88 55.2% $109
Clothing & Footwear
Montijo
$121
Cebu
$94 22.4% $27
Getting Around
Montijo
$60
Cebu
$16 74.1% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Montijo
$38
Cebu
$44 15.4% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,176 in Montijo and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montijo pays 222% 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: $45.00 in Montijo vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $259 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Montijo
🇵🇭 Cebu
🕒 Local time
23:31 11:31 PM
06:31 6:31 AM
7 h ahead of Montijo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
55,689
964,169
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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
  • Montijo Cebu 12,700 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Montijo
  • 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
Montijo vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cebu cheaper than Montijo?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 106% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Montijo or Cebu?
Average pay runs 222% higher in Montijo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Montijo and Cebu?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,176 in Montijo versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Montijo and in Cebu?
All in, you'll spend $1,889 per month in Montijo versus $918 in Cebu – a 106% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 250% less than in Montijo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Montijo or in Cebu?
At $918 in Cebu versus $1,889 in Montijo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Montijo. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Montijo or Cebu more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Montijo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Montijo or Cebu?
Safety-wise, Montijo 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 106% less than in Montijo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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