Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saitama and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,003 in Saitama, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Saitama despite lower rent and utilities.

49

Cost of Living Index in Saitama
Learn more

Saitama Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Saitama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,003

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,003 in Saitama versus $918 in Cebu.

Saitama $1,003
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,327 in Saitama versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Saitama $1,327
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,650 in Saitama versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Saitama $1,650
Cebu $1,900

Living in Saitama is roughly 9% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Saitama 26% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.50 ¥869

$3.09 ₱194

77.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.36 ¥4,955

$24.22 ₱1,525

29.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.80 ¥758

$3.92 ₱247

22.45%

Cappuccino

$2.92 ¥461

$2.51 ₱158

16.33%

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

$0.70 ¥111

$1.59 ₱100

-55.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥92.0

$0.53 ₱33.43

9.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥396

$1.78 ₱112

41.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 ¥511

$2.17 ₱137

48.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 ¥220

$1.92 ₱121

-27.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥259

$1.36 ₱85.4

20.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 ¥436

$1.01 ₱63.5

173.27%

Eggs

$2.00 ¥315

$2.03 ₱128

-1.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 ¥1,609

$9.86 ₱621

3.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.44 ¥859

$4.39 ₱277

23.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 ¥2,243

$7.60 ₱479

86.84%

Apples (1kg)

$5.61 ¥887

$3.30 ₱208

70.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 ¥342

$1.39 ₱87.8

55.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ¥459

$2.33 ₱147

24.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 ¥678

$1.50 ₱94.3

186.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 ¥395

$2.36 ₱149

5.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 ¥255

$1.90 ₱119

-15.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.19 ₱74.9

9.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥114

$0.63 ₱39.71

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 ¥615

$3.00 ₱189

29.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.45 ¥1,018

$6.03 ₱379

6.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥284

$1.23 ₱77.7

46.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ¥318

$1.75 ₱110

14.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.32 ¥525

$0.25 ₱15.86

1228.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 ¥512

$0.77 ₱48.62

320.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 ¥416

$0.23 ₱14.53

1043.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.14 ¥3,181

$4.46 ₱281

351.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.31 ₱82.8

-16.03%

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

$21.4K ¥3.4M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

0.92%

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

$14.2K ¥2.2M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

-26.01%

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

$133 ¥21.0K

$120 ₱7,569

10.37%

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

$18.15 ¥2,867

$14.00 ₱882

29.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.67 ¥5,162

$27.54 ₱1,734

18.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.7 ¥9,909

$32.33 ₱2,035

94.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 ¥1,752

$5.65 ₱356

96.28%

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

$634 ¥100.1K

$275 ₱17.3K

130.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K ¥2.3M

$7,918 ₱498.5K

83.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.01 ¥5,531

$49.33 ₱3,106

-29.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.25 ¥3,989

$25.24 ₱1,589

0.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.0 ¥8,686

$77.0 ₱4,846

-28.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.6 ¥9,891

$57.2 ₱3,601

9.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$413 ¥65.3K

$500 ₱31.5K

-17.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 ¥36.8K

$309 ₱19.4K

-24.55%

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)

$1,550 ¥244.9K

$346 ₱21.8K

348.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.06

7.2

-71.39%

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

Last update for Saitama: 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

Saitama

$274 27.4%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 24.9% $68

Accommodation & Living

Saitama

$233 23.2%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 32.5% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saitama

$184 18.3%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 11.9% $22

Eating Out

Saitama

$118 11.7%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 24.9% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Saitama

$85 8.5%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 48.6% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Saitama

$80 8%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 17.4% $14

Getting Around

Saitama

$30 * 3%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 47.6% $14

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 $413 in Saitama and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saitama pays 348% 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: $31.00 in Saitama vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Saitama

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

02:59 2:59 AM

01:59 1:59 AM

1 h behind Saitama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,182,115

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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saitama Cebu 3,260 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Saitama
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

Saitama vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 348% higher in Saitama, 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: $413 in Saitama versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Saitama. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,003 per month in Saitama versus $918 in Cebu – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,003 in Saitama, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Saitama. 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 Saitama, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Saitama 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 9% less than in Saitama. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.