Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rome and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,982 in Rome, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Rome
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Rome Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,982

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,982 in Rome versus $934 in Cebu.

Rome $1,982
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,148 in Rome versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Rome $3,148
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,314 in Rome versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Rome $4,314
Cebu $1,896

Living in Rome is roughly 112% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rome is 48% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.88 €15.05

$3.03 ₱191

457.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$23.48 ₱1,476

187.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.04 €9.84

$4.09 ₱257

169.93%

Cappuccino

$2.05 €1.83

$2.52 ₱158

-18.65%

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

$3.05 €2.72

$1.54 ₱97.2

98.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.36

$0.49 ₱31.06

210.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.73 €5.11

$1.79 ₱113

220.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 €6.12

$2.26 ₱142

203.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.95 ₱122

-12.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.43 ₱89.9

57.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 €2.77

$1.02 ₱64.0

203.92%

Eggs

$4.81 €4.29

$2.06 ₱129

133.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$9.81 ₱617

53.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.53 €11.18

$4.61 ₱290

171.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.82 €17.67

$7.70 ₱484

157.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 €2.37

$3.31 ₱208

-19.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.45 ₱91.2

60.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.36 ₱148

3.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.54 ₱96.6

50.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 €1.28

$2.36 ₱148

-39.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.99 ₱125

-23.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.15 ₱72.3

17.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 €0.47

$0.67 ₱42.26

-22.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.40 €6.60

$3.00 ₱189

146.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.45 €4.86

$6.35 ₱399

-14.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.31 ₱82.1

25.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.73 ₱109

52.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.25 ₱15.82

592.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.99 €35.66

$12.65 ₱796

216.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.91 €6.16

$0.74 ₱46.44

833.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 €1.45

$0.21 ₱13.15

676.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.18 €30.48

$4.33 ₱272

689.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.33 ₱83.7

60.90%

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

$35.1K €31.3K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

61.41%

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

$34.4K €30.7K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

77.38%

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

$209 €186

$121 ₱7,583

72.96%

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

$11.57 €10.31

$14.45 ₱909

-19.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.88 €28.42

$28.29 ₱1,779

12.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 €58.6

$32.68 ₱2,055

101.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.73 €21.15

$6.39 ₱402

271.36%

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 €9.98

$5.46 ₱343

105.13%

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

$483 €431

$273 ₱17.2K

76.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K €15.1K

$8,156 ₱512.9K

107.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 €63.0

$49.57 ₱3,117

42.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.68 €31.81

$24.87 ₱1,564

43.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 €73.3

$76.6 ₱4,817

7.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €110

$59.3 ₱3,727

107.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 €1,074

$506 ₱31.8K

138.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$892 €795

$309 ₱19.5K

188.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 €2,253

$1,052 ₱66.1K

140.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,687 €1,504

$619 ₱38.9K

172.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,407 €7,495

$2,915 ₱183.4K

188.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,096 €2,760

$1,867 ₱117.4K

65.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,980 €1,766

$341 ₱21.5K

480.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

7.2

-51.11%

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

Last update for Rome: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rome

$892 44.2%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 65.3% $583

Groceries & Markets

Rome

$331 16.4%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 36.4% $120

Eating Out

Rome

$253 12.6%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 65.1% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rome

$252 12.5%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 35.2% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Rome

$140 7%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 32.5% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Rome

$88 4.4%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 50.5% $45

Getting Around

Rome

$62 3.1%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 75.1% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,205 in Rome and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rome pays 481% 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: $68.0 in Rome vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $331 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Rome

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

04:46 4:46 AM

10:46 10:46 AM

6 h ahead of Rome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,848,084 Capital

964,169

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rome Cebu 10,950 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Rome
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

Rome vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 112% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 481% higher in Rome, 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: $1,205 in Rome versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,982 per month in Rome versus $934 in Cebu – a 112% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 216% less than in Rome. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,982 in Rome, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Rome. 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 Rome, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Rome 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 112% less than in Rome. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.