Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sala and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $1,402 in Sala, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Sala
Learn more

Sala Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Sala

🇸🇰 Slovakia

$1,402

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,402 in Sala versus $915 in Cebu.

Sala $1,402
Cebu $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,012 in Sala versus $1,418 in Cebu.

Sala $2,012
Cebu $1,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,623 in Sala versus $1,921 in Cebu.

Sala $2,623
Cebu $1,921

Living in Sala is roughly 53% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sala is 3% above, Cebu is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.65 €8.58

$3.05 ₱192

216.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.98 €30.22

$24.00 ₱1,511

41.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 €8.13

$3.99 ₱251

129.07%

Cappuccino

$3.09 €2.75

$2.50 ₱157

23.60%

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

$2.05 €1.83

$1.54 ₱97.1

33.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$0.50 ₱31.37

182.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.31 €2.05

$1.78 ₱112

29.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.04

$2.17 ₱136

5.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 €0.94

$2.00 ₱126

-47.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.37 ₱86.2

8.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.03 ₱64.9

92.23%

Eggs

$3.44 €3.06

$2.03 ₱128

69.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 €9.08

$10.20 ₱642

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.91

$4.45 ₱280

74.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.03 €9.81

$7.67 ₱483

43.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 €1.49

$3.31 ₱208

-49.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.46 ₱91.8

34.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 €2.11

$2.32 ₱146

2.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.66 €2.37

$1.49 ₱94.0

78.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 €1.17

$2.34 ₱147

-43.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.94 ₱122

-22.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 €1.41

$1.16 ₱73.0

37.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.71

$0.68 ₱42.89

16.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.92

$2.99 ₱188

122.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.29 €2.93

$6.24 ₱393

-47.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.84

$1.23 ₱77.3

-22.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.73 ₱109

9.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.23 ₱14.36

356.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.53 €26.27

$12.34 ₱777

139.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.69 €1.51

$0.79 ₱49.96

113.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 €0.36

$0.22 ₱13.86

81.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.24 €11.78

$4.54 ₱286

191.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.32 ₱82.9

41.67%

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

$25.5K €22.7K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

21.26%

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

$22.3K €19.9K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

15.17%

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

$233 €207

$119 ₱7,464

96.75%

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

$19.40 €17.25

$14.22 ₱896

36.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 €17.74

$27.47 ₱1,730

-27.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.23 €35.78

$32.31 ₱2,034

24.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.02 €15.14

$6.50 ₱409

161.85%

Cinema Ticket

$9.17 €8.16

$5.40 ₱340

69.81%

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

$405 €360

$276 ₱17.4K

46.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,368 €6,553

$7,866 ₱495.3K

-6.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 €53.0

$49.37 ₱3,108

20.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.06 €27.63

$24.58 ₱1,548

26.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 €69.7

$76.6 ₱4,825

2.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 €82.9

$58.9 ₱3,706

58.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$644 €573

$503 ₱31.7K

27.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$513 €456

$305 ₱19.2K

68.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$993 €883

$1,075 ₱67.7K

-7.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$798 €710

$632 ₱39.8K

26.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,587 €3,190

$2,870 ₱180.7K

24.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,484 €2,210

$1,877 ₱118.2K

32.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.57

7.2

-50.42%

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

Last update for Sala: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sala

$513 36.6%

Cebu

$305 33.3% 40.6% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sala

$273 19.4%

Cebu

$160 17.5% 41.2% $112

Groceries & Markets

Sala

$231 16.5%

Cebu

$210 22.9% 9.1% $21

Eating Out

Sala

$172 12.3%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 48.9% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Sala

$118 8.4%

Cebu

$94 10.3% 20.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Sala

$59 4.2%

Cebu

$43 4.7% 26.4% $15

Getting Around

Sala

$37 2.7%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 59.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $644 in Sala and $503 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34.00 in Sala vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇰 Sala

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

03:27 3:27 AM

09:27 9:27 AM

6 h ahead of Sala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,099

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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sala Cebu 10,310 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Sala
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

Sala vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 53% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,103 in Sala and $1,372 in Cebu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $644 in Sala versus $503 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,402 per month in Sala versus $915 in Cebu – a 53% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 139% less than in Sala. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $915 in Cebu versus $1,402 in Sala, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Sala. 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 Sala, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sala 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 53% less than in Sala. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.