Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Narita and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,198 in Narita, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Narita
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Narita Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Narita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,198

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,198 in Narita versus $918 in Cebu.

Narita $1,198
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,862 in Narita versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Narita $1,862
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,527 in Narita versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Narita $2,527
Cebu $1,900

Living in Narita is roughly 30% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Narita 11% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.72 ¥904

$3.09 ₱194

85.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.53 ¥6,403

$24.22 ₱1,525

67.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.32 ¥682

$3.92 ₱247

10.20%

Cappuccino

$3.08 ¥486

$2.51 ₱158

22.71%

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

$0.74 ¥117

$1.59 ₱100

-53.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥126

$0.53 ₱33.43

50.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.09 ¥330

$1.78 ₱112

17.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ¥489

$2.17 ₱137

42.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥203

$1.92 ₱121

-32.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 ¥275

$1.36 ₱85.4

27.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.59 ¥567

$1.01 ₱63.5

255.45%

Eggs

$2.01 ¥317

$2.03 ₱128

-0.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.31 ¥1,628

$9.86 ₱621

4.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.88 ¥929

$4.39 ₱277

33.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.64 ¥2,312

$7.60 ₱479

92.63%

Apples (1kg)

$5.75 ¥909

$3.30 ₱208

74.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 ¥423

$1.39 ₱87.8

92.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 ¥455

$2.33 ₱147

23.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 ¥673

$1.50 ₱94.3

184.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 ¥398

$2.36 ₱149

6.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 ¥399

$1.90 ₱119

33.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥203

$1.19 ₱74.9

7.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥125

$0.63 ₱39.71

25.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥606

$3.00 ₱189

27.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.12 ¥968

$6.03 ₱379

1.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥275

$1.23 ₱77.7

41.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ¥328

$1.75 ₱110

18.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ¥229

$0.25 ₱15.86

480.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.9 ¥9,458

$12.64 ₱796

373.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ¥500

$0.77 ₱48.62

311.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 ¥257

$0.23 ₱14.53

604.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.39 ¥3,221

$4.46 ₱281

357.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 ¥165

$1.31 ₱82.8

-20.61%

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

$21.2K ¥3.4M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-0.10%

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

$18.6K ¥2.9M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

-3.05%

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

$134 ¥21.1K

$120 ₱7,569

11.31%

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

$24.48 ¥3,867

$14.00 ₱882

74.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.93 ¥4,413

$27.54 ₱1,734

1.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ¥8,250

$32.33 ₱2,035

61.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ¥1,786

$5.65 ₱356

100.18%

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

$631 ¥99.7K

$275 ₱17.3K

129.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K ¥2.4M

$7,918 ₱498.5K

88.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ¥10.0K

$49.33 ₱3,106

28.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.27 ¥5,888

$25.24 ₱1,589

47.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 ¥9,657

$77.0 ₱4,846

-20.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 ¥15.9K

$57.2 ₱3,601

75.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$541 ¥85.5K

$500 ₱31.5K

8.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$336 ¥53.1K

$309 ₱19.4K

8.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$996 ¥157.3K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-7.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ¥100.0K

$615 ₱38.7K

2.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,458 ¥704.3K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

54.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,527 ¥241.3K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-20.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 ¥202.2K

$346 ₱21.8K

269.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

7.2

-63.33%

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

Last update for Narita: 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

Narita

$336 28.1%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 8.1% $27

Groceries & Markets

Narita

$287 24%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 28.2% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Narita

$186 15.6%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 13.1% $24

Eating Out

Narita

$118 9.9%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 25.5% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Narita

$118 9.9%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 20.4% $24

Getting Around

Narita

$77 6.4%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 79.8% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Narita

$75 6.3%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 41.7% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $541 in Narita and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Narita pays 270% 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: $41.00 in Narita vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Narita

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

04:26 4:26 AM

1 h behind Narita

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

131,613

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

Narita Cebu 3,280 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Narita
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

Narita vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 270% higher in Narita, 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: $541 in Narita versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,198 per month in Narita versus $918 in Cebu – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 374% less than in Narita. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,198 in Narita, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Narita. 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 Narita, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Narita 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 30% less than in Narita. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.