Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oita and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,279 in Oita, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Oita
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,279
/mo nomad
Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,279 in Oita versus $918 in Cebu.

  • Oita $1,279
  • Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,015 in Oita versus $1,409 in Cebu.

  • Oita $2,015
  • Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,750 in Oita versus $1,900 in Cebu.

  • Oita $2,750
  • Cebu $1,900

Living in Oita 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: Oita 5% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Oita
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.34 ¥1,159
$3.09 ₱194
137.54%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.25 ¥6,833
$24.22 ₱1,525
78.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.83 ¥921
$3.92 ₱247
48.72%
Cappuccino
$3.75 ¥592
$2.51 ₱158
49.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.00 ¥158
$1.59 ₱100
-37.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 ¥114
$0.53 ₱33.43
35.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.76 ¥595
$1.78 ₱112
111.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.16 ¥342
$2.17 ₱137
-0.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Oita
Cebu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.55 ¥245
$1.92 ₱121
-19.27%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 ¥294
$1.36 ₱85.4
36.76%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$6.62 ¥1,046
$1.01 ₱63.5
555.45%
Eggs
$2.22 ¥351
$2.03 ₱128
9.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.34 ¥2,897
$9.86 ₱621
86.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.23 ¥826
$4.39 ₱277
19.13%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.72 ¥2,957
$7.60 ₱479
146.32%
Apples (1kg)
$3.65 ¥577
$3.30 ₱208
10.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.84 ¥291
$1.39 ₱87.8
32.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.77 ¥438
$2.33 ₱147
18.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.30 ¥522
$1.50 ₱94.3
120.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.14 ¥338
$2.36 ₱149
-9.32%
Onion (1kg)
$2.55 ¥402
$1.90 ₱119
34.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.03 ¥162
$1.19 ₱74.9
-13.45%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.92 ¥145
$0.63 ₱39.71
46.03%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.80 ¥600
$3.00 ₱189
26.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.13 ¥968
$6.03 ₱379
1.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.71 ¥270
$1.23 ₱77.7
39.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.84 ¥290
$1.75 ₱110
5.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Oita
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.69 ¥267
$0.25 ₱15.86
576.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$52.2 ¥8,243
$12.64 ₱796
312.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.84 ¥607
$0.77 ₱48.62
398.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.09 ¥330
$0.23 ₱14.53
808.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.75 ¥2,804
$4.46 ₱281
297.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.07 ¥169
$1.31 ₱82.8
-18.32%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.5K ¥3.4M
$21.2K ₱1.3M
1.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.2K ¥2.7M
$19.1K ₱1.2M
-10.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Oita
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$214 ¥33.8K
$120 ₱7,569
77.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.58 ¥3,884
$14.00 ₱882
75.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.56 ¥5,302
$27.54 ₱1,734
21.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Oita
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 ¥8,122
$32.33 ₱2,035
59.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$6.65 ₱419
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.13 ¥1,758
$5.65 ₱356
96.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Oita
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$126 ¥19.9K
$275 ₱17.3K
-54.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.4K ¥2.0M
$7,918 ₱498.5K
57.11%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Oita
Cebu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.61 ¥7,679
$49.33 ₱3,106
-1.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.85 ¥4,083
$25.24 ₱1,589
2.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$66.3 ¥10.5K
$77.0 ₱4,846
-13.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$47.05 ¥7,433
$57.2 ₱3,601
-17.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Oita
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$464 ¥73.3K
$500 ₱31.5K
-7.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$310 ¥49.0K
$309 ₱19.4K
0.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,229 ¥194.2K
$1,078 ₱67.9K
14.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$718 ¥113.4K
$615 ₱38.7K
16.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,620 ¥571.9K
$2,886 ₱181.7K
25.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,555 ¥245.6K
$1,917 ₱120.7K
-18.88%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Oita
Cebu
Difference
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 Oita: 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
Oita
$315
Cebu
$206 34.6% $109
Accommodation & Living
Oita
$310
Cebu
$309 0.4% $1.3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Oita
$272
Cebu
$162 40.5% $110
Eating Out
Oita
$151
Cebu
$88 41.6% $63
Clothing & Footwear
Oita
$85
Cebu
$94 11.2% $9.4
Sport & Entertainment
Oita
$74
Cebu
$44 40.8% $30
Getting Around
Oita
$73
Cebu
$16 78.7% $58

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $464 in Oita and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43.00 in Oita vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Oita
🇵🇭 Cebu
🕒 Local time
22:59 10:59 PM
21:59 9:59 PM
1 h behind Oita
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
475,614
964,169
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Oita Cebu 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Oita
  • 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
Oita vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cebu cheaper than Oita?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,919 in Oita 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.
What is the rent difference between Oita and Cebu?
Rent for a central apartment: $464 in Oita versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Oita and in Cebu?
All in, you'll spend $1,279 per month in Oita versus $918 in Cebu – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 313% less than in Oita. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Oita or in Cebu?
At $918 in Cebu versus $1,279 in Oita, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Oita. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Oita or Cebu more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Oita, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Oita or Cebu?
Safety-wise, Oita 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Oita. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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