Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pontianak and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Pontianak: $484 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Pontianak
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Pontianak Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Pontianak

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$484

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $484 in Pontianak versus $918 in Cebu.

Pontianak $484
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $600 in Pontianak versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Pontianak $600
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $717 in Pontianak versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Pontianak $717
Cebu $1,900

Living in Pontianak costs roughly 47% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pontianak 64% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.77 Rp 31.9K

$3.09 ₱194

-42.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.14 Rp 146.4K

$24.22 ₱1,525

-66.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.99 Rp 53.8K

$3.92 ₱247

-23.72%

Cappuccino

$1.24 Rp 22.3K

$2.51 ₱158

-50.60%

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

$0.46 Rp 8,327

$1.59 ₱100

-71.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 Rp 3,762

$0.53 ₱33.43

-60.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.81 Rp 50.6K

$1.78 ₱112

57.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 Rp 67.1K

$2.17 ₱137

71.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 Rp 19.4K

$1.92 ₱121

-43.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

$1.36 ₱85.4

4.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 Rp 16.9K

$1.01 ₱63.5

-6.93%

Eggs

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

$2.03 ₱128

-26.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.32 Rp 59.7K

$4.39 ₱277

-24.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 Rp 54.8K

$3.30 ₱208

-7.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 Rp 34.6K

$1.39 ₱87.8

38.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 Rp 39.6K

$2.33 ₱147

-5.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 Rp 8,633

$0.63 ₱39.71

-23.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 Rp 50.7K

$3.00 ₱189

-6.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.55 Rp 405.9K

$6.03 ₱379

273.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 Rp 32.0K

$1.23 ₱77.7

44.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 Rp 40.1K

$1.75 ₱110

27.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,796

$0.25 ₱15.86

8.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

$1.31 ₱82.8

-44.27%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

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

$68.5 Rp 1.2M

$120 ₱7,569

-43.03%

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

$5.51 Rp 99.2K

$14.00 ₱882

-60.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.14 Rp 398.4K

$27.54 ₱1,734

-19.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.86 Rp 429.5K

$32.33 ₱2,035

-26.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.79 Rp 212.2K

$6.65 ₱419

77.29%

Cinema Ticket

$3.73 Rp 67.1K

$5.65 ₱356

-33.98%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.12 Rp 596.2K

$49.33 ₱3,106

-32.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.53 Rp 603.5K

$25.24 ₱1,589

32.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$169 Rp 3.0M

$500 ₱31.5K

-66.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$113 Rp 2.0M

$309 ₱19.4K

-63.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$262 Rp 4.7M

$346 ₱21.8K

-24.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

38.89%

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

Last update for Pontianak: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pontianak

$151 * 31.2%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 36.3% $55

Accommodation & Living

Pontianak

$113 23.3%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 174% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pontianak

$96 19.8%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 68.3% $66

Eating Out

Pontianak

$62 12.8%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 42% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Pontianak

$31 6.5%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 39.3% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Pontianak

$30 * 6.2%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 213% $64

Getting Around

Pontianak

$1.1 * 0.2%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 1355% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $169 in Pontianak and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 32% 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: $8.00 in Pontianak vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $151 vs $206 per month, with Pontianak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Pontianak

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

08:50 8:50 AM

09:50 9:50 AM

1 h ahead of Pontianak

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

672,440

964,169

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 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).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Pontianak Cebu 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Pontianak
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

Pontianak vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pontianak is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 89% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Cebu. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $169 in Pontianak versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Pontianak – a meal for two runs $8.00 versus $24.00 in Cebu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Pontianak gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Pontianak is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cebu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Pontianak 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 Pontianak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 89% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.