Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Novi Sad and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,371 in Novi Sad, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Novi Sad
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Novi Sad Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Novi Sad

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,371

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Novi Sad versus $934 in Cebu.

Novi Sad $1,371
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,114 in Novi Sad versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Novi Sad $2,114
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,856 in Novi Sad versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Novi Sad $2,856
Cebu $1,896

Living in Novi Sad is roughly 47% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Novi Sad is 2% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.93 RSD 1,037

$3.03 ₱191

227.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 RSD 5,188

$23.48 ₱1,476

111.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.00 RSD 1,253

$4.09 ₱257

193.40%

Cappuccino

$2.61 RSD 273

$2.52 ₱158

3.57%

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

$2.32 RSD 243

$1.54 ₱97.2

50.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 RSD 192

$0.49 ₱31.06

273.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.91 RSD 303

$1.79 ₱113

62.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 RSD 394

$2.26 ₱142

67.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 RSD 146

$1.95 ₱122

-28.21%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 RSD 99.2

$1.43 ₱89.9

-33.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 RSD 280

$1.02 ₱64.0

162.75%

Eggs

$2.54 RSD 265

$2.06 ₱129

23.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.09 RSD 1,367

$9.81 ₱617

33.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.52 RSD 785

$4.61 ₱290

63.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 RSD 1,499

$7.70 ₱484

86.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.71 RSD 179

$3.31 ₱208

-48.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 RSD 207

$1.45 ₱91.2

36.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$2.36 ₱148

-29.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 RSD 266

$1.54 ₱96.6

65.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 RSD 105

$2.36 ₱148

-57.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 RSD 71.0

$1.99 ₱125

-65.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 RSD 100

$1.15 ₱72.3

-16.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 RSD 68.5

$0.67 ₱42.26

-1.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 RSD 505

$3.00 ₱189

61.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 RSD 779

$6.35 ₱399

17.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 RSD 95.7

$1.31 ₱82.1

-29.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 RSD 231

$1.73 ₱109

27.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 RSD 104

$0.25 ₱15.82

296.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.45 RSD 2,552

$12.65 ₱796

93.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.33 RSD 244

$0.74 ₱46.44

214.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 RSD 96.9

$0.21 ₱13.15

342.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.35 RSD 1,081

$4.33 ₱272

139.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 RSD 191

$1.33 ₱83.7

37.59%

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

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

$21.8K ₱1.4M

41.19%

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

$26.3K RSD 2.7M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

35.51%

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

$223 RSD 23.2K

$121 ₱7,583

84.62%

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

$20.57 RSD 2,147

$14.45 ₱909

42.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.21 RSD 3,467

$28.29 ₱1,779

17.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.61 RSD 3,823

$32.68 ₱2,055

12.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.06 RSD 1,155

$6.39 ₱402

73.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.30 RSD 763

$5.46 ₱343

33.70%

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

$372 RSD 38.8K

$273 ₱17.2K

36.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,710 RSD 804.9K

$8,156 ₱512.9K

-5.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$119 RSD 12.4K

$49.57 ₱3,117

140.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.40 RSD 4,531

$24.87 ₱1,564

74.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 RSD 14.3K

$76.6 ₱4,817

78.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 RSD 12.9K

$59.3 ₱3,727

108.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 RSD 51.6K

$506 ₱31.8K

-2.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 RSD 42.3K

$309 ₱19.5K

31.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$955 RSD 99.7K

$1,052 ₱66.1K

-9.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$753 RSD 78.6K

$619 ₱38.9K

21.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,527 RSD 368.2K

$2,915 ₱183.4K

20.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,586 RSD 270.0K

$1,867 ₱117.4K

38.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 RSD 129.5K

$341 ₱21.5K

263.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.21

7.2

-27.64%

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

Last update for Novi Sad: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Novi Sad

$405 29.2%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 23.7% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Novi Sad

$276 19.9%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 40.9% $113

Groceries & Markets

Novi Sad

$244 17.6%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 13.8% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Novi Sad

$190 13.7%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 50.3% $96

Eating Out

Novi Sad

$186 13.4%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 52.4% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Novi Sad

$51 3.7%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 14.9% $7.6

Getting Around

Novi Sad

$35 2.6%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 56.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $495 in Novi Sad and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Novi Sad pays 264% 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: $50.0 in Novi Sad vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Novi Sad

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

05:24 5:24 AM

11:24 11:24 AM

6 h ahead of Novi Sad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

260,438

964,169

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Novi Sad Cebu 10,270 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Novi Sad
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

Novi Sad vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 47% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 264% higher in Novi Sad, 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: $495 in Novi Sad versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,371 per month in Novi Sad versus $934 in Cebu – a 47% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 93% less than in Novi Sad. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,371 in Novi Sad, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Novi Sad. 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 Novi Sad, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Novi Sad 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 47% less than in Novi Sad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.