Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saku and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,099 in Saku, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. The total is higher in Saku despite lower rent and utilities.

54

Cost of Living Index in Saku
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Saku Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Saku

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,099

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,099 in Saku versus $918 in Cebu.

Saku $1,099
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,717 in Saku versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Saku $1,717
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,335 in Saku versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Saku $2,335
Cebu $1,900

Living in Saku is roughly 20% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Saku 19% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.76 €14.91

$3.09 ₱194

442.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 €62.9

$24.22 ₱1,525

191.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.11 €9.88

$3.92 ₱247

183.42%

Cappuccino

$3.97 €3.53

$2.51 ₱158

58.17%

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

$2.23 €1.98

$1.59 ₱100

40.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 €2.00

$0.53 ₱33.43

322.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.54 €5.82

$1.78 ₱112

267.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.87 €6.11

$2.17 ₱137

216.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.92 ₱121

-41.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.36 ₱85.4

2.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 €2.11

$1.01 ₱63.5

135.64%

Eggs

$2.88 €2.56

$2.03 ₱128

41.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.22 €9.98

$9.86 ₱621

13.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.72 €7.76

$4.39 ₱277

98.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.88 €13.24

$7.60 ₱479

95.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$3.30 ₱208

-38.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.39 ₱87.8

3.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.33 ₱147

9.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 €2.60

$1.50 ₱94.3

94.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 €0.66

$2.36 ₱149

-68.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.90 ₱119

-60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.19 ₱74.9

57.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$0.63 ₱39.71

53.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.54 €5.82

$3.00 ₱189

118.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.88 €8.79

$6.03 ₱379

63.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.23 ₱77.7

51.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 €1.88

$1.75 ₱110

21.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 €3.12

$0.77 ₱48.62

355.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 €0.87

$0.23 ₱14.53

326.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.71 €23.75

$4.46 ₱281

498.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.31 ₱82.8

53.44%

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

$27.7K €24.6K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

30.34%

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

$30.6K €27.2K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

59.66%

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

$301 €268

$120 ₱7,569

150.70%

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

$17.48 €15.55

$14.00 ₱882

24.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.69 €29.07

$27.54 ₱1,734

18.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$11.71 €10.42

$5.65 ₱356

107.26%

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

$438 €390

$275 ₱17.3K

59.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,942 €8,844

$7,918 ₱498.5K

25.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 €89.0

$49.33 ₱3,106

102.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.96 €43.55

$25.24 ₱1,589

93.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.9

$77.0 ₱4,846

34.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$57.2 ₱3,601

111.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

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)

$4,013 €3,570

$2,886 ₱181.7K

39.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,700 €2,402

$1,917 ₱120.7K

40.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,813 €1,613

$346 ₱21.8K

424.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.44

7.2

-52.22%

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

Last update for Saku: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saku

$352 32%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 54% $190

Eating Out

Saku

$279 25.4%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 68.4% $191

Groceries & Markets

Saku

$268 24.4%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 23.2% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Saku

$168 15.3%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 44.1% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Saku

$23 * 2.1%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 86.2% $20

Getting Around

Saku

$8.4 * 0.8%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 85.4% $7.2

Accommodation & Living

Saku

- * 0%

Cebu

$309 33.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

Saku pays 424% 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: $71.0 in Saku vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇪 Saku

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

23:44 11:44 PM

04:44 4:44 AM

5 h ahead of Saku

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,548

964,169

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saku Cebu 9,540 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Saku
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

Saku vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 424% higher in Saku, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Saku. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,099 per month in Saku versus $918 in Cebu – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

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

Safety-wise, Saku 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 20% less than in Saku. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.