Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nagoya and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,369 in Nagoya, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Nagoya
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Nagoya Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Nagoya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,369

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,369 in Nagoya versus $918 in Cebu.

Nagoya $1,369
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,170 in Nagoya versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Nagoya $2,170
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,972 in Nagoya versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Nagoya $2,972
Cebu $1,900

Living in Nagoya is roughly 49% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nagoya is 1% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.57 ¥1,355

$3.09 ₱194

177.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.14 ¥4,919

$24.22 ₱1,525

28.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥808

$3.92 ₱247

30.36%

Cappuccino

$2.39 ¥377

$2.51 ₱158

-4.78%

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

$1.24 ¥195

$1.59 ₱100

-22.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 ¥135

$0.53 ₱33.43

60.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 ¥489

$1.78 ₱112

73.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ¥505

$2.17 ₱137

47.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ¥239

$1.92 ₱121

-21.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ¥241

$1.36 ₱85.4

11.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.03 ¥637

$1.01 ₱63.5

299.01%

Eggs

$2.15 ¥339

$2.03 ₱128

5.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.68 ¥2,477

$9.86 ₱621

59.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.14 ¥1,129

$4.39 ₱277

62.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.92 ¥2,674

$7.60 ₱479

122.63%

Apples (1kg)

$8.42 ¥1,330

$3.30 ₱208

155.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.90 ¥459

$1.39 ₱87.8

108.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.86 ¥768

$2.33 ₱147

108.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.84 ¥1,238

$1.50 ₱94.3

422.67%

Potato (1kg)

$4.08 ¥645

$2.36 ₱149

72.88%

Onion (1kg)

$4.75 ¥750

$1.90 ₱119

150.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ¥180

$1.19 ₱74.9

-4.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥148

$0.63 ₱39.71

49.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.86 ¥610

$3.00 ₱189

28.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.47 ¥1,496

$6.03 ₱379

57.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 ¥393

$1.23 ₱77.7

102.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥345

$1.75 ₱110

24.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 ¥235

$0.25 ₱15.86

496.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$118 ¥18.6K

$12.64 ₱796

832.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 ¥505

$0.77 ₱48.62

315.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.85 ¥451

$0.23 ₱14.53

1139.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.80 ¥2,495

$4.46 ₱281

254.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥173

$1.31 ₱82.8

-16.03%

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

1.85%

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

$14.9K ¥2.4M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

-22.25%

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

$115 ¥18.2K

$120 ₱7,569

-4.31%

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

$23.65 ¥3,736

$14.00 ₱882

68.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 ¥4,926

$27.54 ₱1,734

13.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.5 ¥7,971

$32.33 ₱2,035

56.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.41 ¥2,119

$6.65 ₱419

101.65%

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 ¥1,784

$5.65 ₱356

99.82%

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

$572 ¥90.3K

$275 ₱17.3K

107.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$7,918 ₱498.5K

86.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.53 ¥7,826

$49.33 ₱3,106

0.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.86 ¥5,666

$25.24 ₱1,589

42.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.7 ¥9,427

$77.0 ₱4,846

-22.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.5 ¥15.7K

$57.2 ₱3,601

74.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$537 ¥84.9K

$500 ₱31.5K

7.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 ¥55.6K

$309 ₱19.4K

13.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 ¥189.5K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

11.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 ¥118.3K

$615 ₱38.7K

21.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,031 ¥320.8K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-29.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,030 ¥162.7K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-46.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,882 ¥297.4K

$346 ₱21.8K

444.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

7.2

-71.94%

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

Last update for Nagoya: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nagoya

$380 27.8%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 45.8% $174

Accommodation & Living

Nagoya

$352 25.7%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 12.2% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nagoya

$170 12.4%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 4.8% $8.1

Eating Out

Nagoya

$143 10.4%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 38.2% $55

Getting Around

Nagoya

$141 10.3%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 89% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Nagoya

$110 8%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 14.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Nagoya

$73 5.3%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 40.3% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $537 in Nagoya and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nagoya pays 444% 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: $31.00 in Nagoya vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $380 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Nagoya

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

14:47 2:47 PM

13:47 1:47 PM

1 h behind Nagoya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,236,000

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Nagoya Cebu 3,060 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nagoya
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

Nagoya vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 49% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 444% higher in Nagoya, 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: $537 in Nagoya versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,369 per month in Nagoya versus $918 in Cebu – a 49% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 833% less than in Nagoya. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,369 in Nagoya, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Nagoya. 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 Nagoya, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nagoya 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 49% less than in Nagoya. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.