Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nagasaki and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,277 in Nagasaki, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Nagasaki
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Nagasaki Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Nagasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,277

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,277 in Nagasaki versus $918 in Cebu.

Nagasaki $1,277
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,859 in Nagasaki versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Nagasaki $1,859
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,441 in Nagasaki versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Nagasaki $2,441
Cebu $1,900

Living in Nagasaki is roughly 39% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nagasaki 5% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.00 ¥789

$3.09 ₱194

61.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.95 ¥2,994

$24.22 ₱1,525

-21.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.92 ¥778

$3.92 ₱247

25.51%

Cappuccino

$3.76 ¥594

$2.51 ₱158

49.80%

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

$1.05 ¥166

$1.59 ₱100

-33.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥113

$0.53 ₱33.43

35.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 ¥355

$1.78 ₱112

25.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 ¥356

$2.17 ₱137

3.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥244

$1.92 ₱121

-19.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 ¥299

$1.36 ₱85.4

38.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.32 ¥998

$1.01 ₱63.5

525.74%

Eggs

$2.02 ¥319

$2.03 ₱128

-0.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 ¥1,531

$9.86 ₱621

-1.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.18 ¥502

$4.39 ₱277

-27.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 ¥3,028

$7.60 ₱479

152.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.71 ¥586

$3.30 ₱208

12.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 ¥296

$1.39 ₱87.8

35.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 ¥435

$2.33 ₱147

18.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 ¥530

$1.50 ₱94.3

123.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 ¥340

$2.36 ₱149

-8.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 ¥402

$1.90 ₱119

34.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ¥170

$1.19 ₱74.9

-10.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥146

$0.63 ₱39.71

46.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 ¥628

$3.00 ₱189

32.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 ¥977

$6.03 ₱379

2.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥260

$1.23 ₱77.7

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ¥292

$1.75 ₱110

5.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 ¥261

$0.25 ₱15.86

560.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ¥8,518

$12.64 ₱796

326.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 ¥625

$0.77 ₱48.62

414.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 ¥321

$0.23 ₱14.53

782.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.87 ¥2,823

$4.46 ₱281

300.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥169

$1.31 ₱82.8

-18.32%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

3.49%

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

$17.7K ¥2.8M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

-7.70%

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

$209 ¥33.0K

$120 ₱7,569

73.78%

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

$24.63 ¥3,892

$14.00 ₱882

75.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.77 ¥5,178

$27.54 ₱1,734

18.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 ¥7,281

$32.33 ₱2,035

42.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$11.22 ¥1,772

$5.65 ₱356

98.58%

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

$126 ¥19.8K

$275 ₱17.3K

-54.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K ¥1.9M

$7,918 ₱498.5K

55.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.78 ¥7,864

$49.33 ₱3,106

0.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.03 ¥4,113

$25.24 ₱1,589

3.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.6 ¥10.5K

$77.0 ₱4,846

-13.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.35 ¥7,480

$57.2 ₱3,601

-17.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 ¥84.6K

$500 ₱31.5K

7.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 ¥60.1K

$309 ₱19.4K

23.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 ¥188.5K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

10.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$683 ¥108.0K

$615 ₱38.7K

11.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,200 ¥663.6K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

45.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,759 ¥277.9K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-8.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

7.2

-72.64%

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

Last update for Nagasaki: 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

Nagasaki

$380 29.8%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 18.8% $71

Groceries & Markets

Nagasaki

$279 21.9%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 26.2% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nagasaki

$266 20.9%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 39.3% $105

Eating Out

Nagasaki

$123 9.6%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 28% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Nagasaki

$85 6.7%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 10% $8.5

Getting Around

Nagasaki

$75 5.8%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 79.1% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Nagasaki

$69 5.4%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 36.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $535 in Nagasaki and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19.00 in Nagasaki vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $279 vs $206, with Cebu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Nagasaki

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

15:43 3:43 PM

14:43 2:43 PM

1 h behind Nagasaki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

409,118

964,169

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 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 JPY in detail →

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Between locations

Nagasaki Cebu 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Nagasaki
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

Nagasaki vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,915 in Nagasaki 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: $535 in Nagasaki versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,277 per month in Nagasaki versus $918 in Cebu – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 327% less than in Nagasaki. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,277 in Nagasaki, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Nagasaki. 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 Nagasaki, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nagasaki 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 39% less than in Nagasaki. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.