Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Murmansk and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,033 in Murmansk, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Murmansk despite lower rent and utilities.

52

Cost of Living Index in Murmansk
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Murmansk Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Murmansk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,033

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,033 in Murmansk versus $918 in Cebu.

Murmansk $1,033
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,618 in Murmansk versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Murmansk $1,618
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,204 in Murmansk versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Murmansk $2,204
Cebu $1,900

Living in Murmansk is roughly 13% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Murmansk 23% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.69 ₽976

$3.09 ₱194

278.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.34 ₽3,033

$24.22 ₱1,525

50.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.17 ₽515

$3.92 ₱247

57.40%

Cappuccino

$2.77 ₽232

$2.51 ₱158

10.36%

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

$1.10 ₽92.0

$1.59 ₱100

-30.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₽48.30

$0.53 ₱33.43

9.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.56 ₽130

$1.78 ₱112

-12.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ₽224

$2.17 ₱137

23.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 ₽92.9

$1.92 ₱121

-42.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 ₽62.9

$1.36 ₱85.4

-44.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ₽113

$1.01 ₱63.5

33.66%

Eggs

$1.55 ₽129

$2.03 ₱128

-23.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 ₽926

$9.86 ₱621

12.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.20 ₽434

$4.39 ₱277

18.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.53 ₽962

$7.60 ₱479

51.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 ₽139

$3.30 ₱208

-49.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ₽133

$1.39 ₱87.8

15.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 ₽170

$2.33 ₱147

-12.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 ₽234

$1.50 ₱94.3

86.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₽72.9

$2.36 ₱149

-63.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 ₽51.4

$1.90 ₱119

-67.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₽93.2

$1.19 ₱74.9

-5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ₽63.6

$0.63 ₱39.71

20.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 ₽270

$3.00 ₱189

8.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.96 ₽581

$6.03 ₱379

15.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 ₽92.0

$1.23 ₱77.7

-10.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ₽176

$1.75 ₱110

20.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ₽47.24

$0.25 ₱15.86

128.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.22 ₽2,522

$12.64 ₱796

139.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ₽176

$0.77 ₱48.62

174.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ₽29.55

$0.23 ₱14.53

52.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 ₽479

$4.46 ₱281

28.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 ₽68.2

$1.31 ₱82.8

-37.40%

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

$35.2K ₽2.9M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

65.87%

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

$32.8K ₽2.7M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

71.41%

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

$123 ₽10.3K

$120 ₱7,569

2.48%

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

$5.90 ₽493

$14.00 ₱882

-57.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.23 ₽687

$27.54 ₱1,734

-70.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.55 ₽2,884

$32.33 ₱2,035

6.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.90 ₽2,245

$6.65 ₱419

304.51%

Cinema Ticket

$6.29 ₽525

$5.65 ₱356

11.33%

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

$385 ₽32.1K

$275 ₱17.3K

39.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,488 ₽458.0K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-30.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.0 ₽6,593

$49.33 ₱3,106

60.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.5 ₽4,379

$25.24 ₱1,589

107.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 ₽10.1K

$77.0 ₱4,846

57.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ₽8,704

$57.2 ₱3,601

82.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$488 ₽40.7K

$500 ₱31.5K

-2.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$281 ₽23.5K

$309 ₱19.4K

-8.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ₽75.7K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-15.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ₽42.5K

$615 ₱38.7K

-17.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,056 ₽171.6K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-28.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,314 ₽109.6K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-31.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.45

7.2

197.92%

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

Last update for Murmansk: 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

Murmansk

$281 27.2%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 9.9% $28

Groceries & Markets

Murmansk

$205 19.9%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 0.3% $0.6

Eating Out

Murmansk

$165 16%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 46.6% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Murmansk

$161 15.6%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 41.6% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Murmansk

$137 13.3%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 17.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Murmansk

$47 4.6%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 7.4% $3.5

Getting Around

Murmansk

$36 3.5%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 57.2% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $488 in Murmansk and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $36.00 in Murmansk vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $205 vs $206, with Murmansk cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Murmansk

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

14:25 2:25 PM

19:25 7:25 PM

5 h ahead of Murmansk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

282,851

964,169

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

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).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Murmansk Cebu 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Murmansk
Cebu

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Murmansk vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,550 in Murmansk and $1,377 in Cebu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $488 in Murmansk versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,033 per month in Murmansk versus $918 in Cebu – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 139% less than in Murmansk. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,033 in Murmansk, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Murmansk. 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 Murmansk, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Murmansk 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 13% less than in Murmansk. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.