Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Msida and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,778 in Msida, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Msida
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Msida Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Msida

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,778

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,778 in Msida versus $918 in Cebu.

Msida $1,778
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,648 in Msida versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Msida $2,648
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,519 in Msida versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Msida $3,519
Cebu $1,900

Living in Msida is roughly 94% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.27 €10.03

$3.09 ₱194

264.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 €43.99

$24.22 ₱1,525

104.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 €9.72

$3.92 ₱247

178.57%

Cappuccino

$2.19 €1.95

$2.51 ₱158

-12.75%

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

$2.17 €1.93

$1.59 ₱100

36.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.53 ₱33.43

105.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.64 €4.13

$1.78 ₱112

160.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 €2.92

$2.17 ₱137

51.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.92 ₱121

-41.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.36 ₱85.4

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.20 €3.74

$1.01 ₱63.5

315.84%

Eggs

$2.66 €2.36

$2.03 ₱128

31.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.11 €7.21

$9.86 ₱621

-17.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.22 €9.09

$4.39 ₱277

132.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.25 €16.23

$7.60 ₱479

140.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 €3.65

$3.30 ₱208

24.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.39 ₱87.8

101.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 €3.20

$2.33 ₱147

54.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 €3.01

$1.50 ₱94.3

125.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.36 ₱149

6.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.90 ₱119

5.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.19 ₱74.9

91.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.63 ₱39.71

115.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.63 €5.90

$3.00 ₱189

121.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.16 €7.26

$6.03 ₱379

35.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.23 ₱77.7

41.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 €2.16

$1.75 ₱110

38.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 €1.95

$0.25 ₱15.86

780.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.67 €5.04

$0.77 ₱48.62

636.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.23 ₱14.53

852.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.74 €23.79

$4.46 ₱281

499.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.31

$1.31 ₱82.8

12.98%

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

$37.2K €33.1K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

74.96%

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

$39.1K €34.8K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

104.09%

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

$83.7 €74.4

$120 ₱7,569

-30.43%

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

$25.23 €22.44

$14.00 ₱882

80.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.58 €24.53

$27.54 ₱1,734

0.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.2 €50.0

$32.33 ₱2,035

73.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$10.01 €8.91

$5.65 ₱356

77.17%

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

$371 €330

$275 ₱17.3K

34.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K €9,724

$7,918 ₱498.5K

38.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.9 €76.4

$49.33 ₱3,106

74.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.53 €36.06

$25.24 ₱1,589

60.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.8 €87.0

$77.0 ₱4,846

27.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.3 €68.7

$57.2 ₱3,601

35.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 €919

$500 ₱31.5K

106.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$895 €796

$309 ₱19.4K

189.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,758 €1,564

$1,078 ₱67.9K

63.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,479 €1,315

$615 ₱38.7K

140.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,714 €2,414

$346 ₱21.8K

684.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

7.2

-59.72%

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

Last update for Msida: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Msida

$895 50.3%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 65.5% $586

Groceries & Markets

Msida

$318 17.9%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 35.3% $112

Eating Out

Msida

$192 10.8%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 54% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Msida

$136 7.7%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 18.5% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Msida

$136 7.6%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 30.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Msida

$76 4.3%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 42.8% $33

Getting Around

Msida

$25 * 1.4%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 38.7% $9.8

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 $1,033 in Msida and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Msida pays 684% 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: $49.00 in Msida vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Msida

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

17:32 5:32 PM

23:32 11:32 PM

6 h ahead of Msida

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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 = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Msida Cebu 11,030 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Msida
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

Msida vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 94% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 684% higher in Msida, 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: $1,033 in Msida versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Msida. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,778 per month in Msida versus $918 in Cebu – a 94% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,778 in Msida, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Msida. 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 Msida, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Msida 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 94% less than in Msida. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.