Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sal and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Sal: $851 a month against $943 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

41

Cost of Living Index in Sal
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Sal Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Sal

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$851

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$943

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $851 in Sal versus $943 in Cebu.

Sal $851
Cebu $943

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,317 in Sal versus $1,437 in Cebu.

Sal $1,317
Cebu $1,437

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,784 in Sal versus $1,930 in Cebu.

Sal $1,784
Cebu $1,930

Living in Sal costs roughly 10% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sal 37% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.62 CVE 552

$3.88 ₱244

44.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.81 CVE 4,403

$23.22 ₱1,462

92.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.38 CVE 1,118

$3.90 ₱246

191.79%

Cappuccino

$2.36 CVE 232

$2.56 ₱161

-7.81%

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

$2.53 CVE 249

$1.60 ₱101

58.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 CVE 109

$0.51 ₱32.03

117.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.62 CVE 454

$1.76 ₱111

162.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 CVE 303

$2.15 ₱136

43.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 CVE 157

$1.99 ₱125

-19.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 CVE 216

$1.37 ₱86.3

60.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 CVE 118

$0.95 ₱59.9

26.32%

Eggs

$2.89 CVE 284

$2.02 ₱127

43.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 CVE 892

$9.63 ₱606

-5.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.80 CVE 767

$4.35 ₱274

79.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.92 CVE 1,564

$7.70 ₱485

106.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 CVE 307

$3.30 ₱207

-5.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 CVE 234

$1.27 ₱79.7

87.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.19 CVE 313

$2.34 ₱148

36.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 CVE 378

$1.51 ₱95.4

154.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 CVE 166

$2.23 ₱141

-24.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CVE 180

$1.93 ₱122

-5.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 CVE 147

$1.18 ₱74.4

26.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 CVE 107

$0.65 ₱40.93

67.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 CVE 436

$2.89 ₱182

53.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.41 CVE 630

$6.35 ₱400

0.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.09 CVE 402

$1.27 ₱80.1

222.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 CVE 180

$1.64 ₱103

11.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 CVE 97.6

$0.23 ₱14.42

330.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.24 ₱771

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 CVE 203

$0.82 ₱51.5

151.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.14 CVE 308

$0.20 ₱12.56

1470.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.47 CVE 1,225

$4.32 ₱272

188.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CVE 132

$1.38 ₱86.7

-2.90%

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)

$19.3K ₱1.2M

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

$60.0 CVE 5,894

$124 ₱7,816

-51.68%

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

$15.93 ₱1,003

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.50 CVE 4,864

$28.07 ₱1,768

76.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.44 CVE 2,696

$33.41 ₱2,104

-17.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.40 ₱403

Cinema Ticket

$5.85 ₱368

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

$116 CVE 11.4K

$271 ₱17.0K

-57.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,060 ₱507.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.02 CVE 2,950

$48.31 ₱3,042

-37.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.56 ₱1,546

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 ₱4,856

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 CVE 14.2K

$56.5 ₱3,558

154.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$252 CVE 24.8K

$495 ₱31.2K

-49.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 CVE 16.5K

$322 ₱20.3K

-47.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$301 CVE 29.5K

$990 ₱62.4K

-69.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$207 CVE 20.3K

$628 ₱39.6K

-67.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$669 CVE 65.7K

$4,459 ₱280.7K

-84.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$339 CVE 33.3K

$3,030 ₱190.8K

-88.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$257 CVE 25.2K

$343 ₱21.6K

-25.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

7.2

-27.08%

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

Last update for Sal: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cebu: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sal

$295 34.7%

Cebu

$206 21.8% 30.3% $89

Accommodation & Living

Sal

$168 19.7%

Cebu

$322 34.1% 91.8% $154

Eating Out

Sal

$151 17.8%

Cebu

$95 10.1% 37.2% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sal

$110 * 12.9%

Cebu

$168 17.8% 53.6% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Sal

$78 * 9.2%

Cebu

$93 9.9% 18.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Sal

$27 * 3.2%

Cebu

$45 4.8% 64.4% $18

Getting Around

Sal

$22 * 2.6%

Cebu

$15 1.6% 31% $6.7

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 $252 in Sal and $495 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 33% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $45 in Sal vs $23 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇻 Sal

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

20:49 8:49 PM

9 h ahead of Sal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,288

964,169

💱 Currency

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CVE = 10.18 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to CVE – Cabo Verdean Escudo Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇻 Cabo Verdean Escudo ($)

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 98.25 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 62.97 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to CVE in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sal Cebu 15,290 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Sal
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

Sal vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sal is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in leisure and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Sal. 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: $252 in Sal versus $495 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Cebu pay roughly 30% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $851 per month in Sal versus $943 in Cebu – Sal is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Sal gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Sal and Cebu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Sal wins on affordability, Cebu on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.