Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose del Monte and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose del Monte: $731 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in San Jose del Monte
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San Jose del Monte Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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San Jose del Monte

🇵🇭 Philippines

$731

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $731 in San Jose del Monte versus $934 in Cebu.

San Jose del Monte $731
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,096 in San Jose del Monte versus $1,423 in Cebu.

San Jose del Monte $1,096
Cebu $1,423

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,461 in San Jose del Monte versus $1,913 in Cebu.

San Jose del Monte $1,461
Cebu $1,913

Living in San Jose del Monte costs roughly 22% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: San Jose del Monte 46% lower, Cebu 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.94 ₱252

$3.79 ₱242

3.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.34 ₱1,044

$23.33 ₱1,491

-29.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.73 ₱174

$3.94 ₱252

-30.71%

Cappuccino

$1.74 ₱111

$2.54 ₱163

-31.50%

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

$0.56 ₱35.61

$1.57 ₱100

-64.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.71

$0.47 ₱29.82

-34.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ₱59.8

$1.77 ₱113

-46.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₱102

$2.22 ₱142

-27.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₱105

$1.90 ₱121

-13.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ₱72.8

$1.36 ₱87.1

-16.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.9

$0.94 ₱59.8

Eggs

$2.02 ₱129

$1.99 ₱127

1.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.07 ₱324

$9.70 ₱620

-47.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 ₱210

$4.32 ₱276

-24.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.92 ₱442

$7.51 ₱480

-7.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 ₱145

$3.31 ₱211

-31.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₱100

$1.37 ₱87.5

14.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ₱152

$2.34 ₱149

1.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.9

$1.49 ₱95.4

-31.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 ₱109

$2.30 ₱147

-26.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 ₱108

$1.87 ₱120

-9.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₱41.24

$1.10 ₱70.3

-40.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₱30.52

$0.63 ₱40.36

-23.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 ₱183

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 ₱563

$6.08 ₱389

44.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ₱60.1

$1.27 ₱81.4

-25.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 ₱126

$1.72 ₱110

13.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ₱13.69

$0.22 ₱13.99

-4.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.48 ₱797

$12.34 ₱788

1.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₱48.17

$0.74 ₱47.53

1.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.73

$0.22 ₱14.08

4.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 ₱122

$4.28 ₱273

-55.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ₱78.2

$1.31 ₱83.7

-6.87%

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

$20.9K ₱1.3M

$20.8K ₱1.3M

0.44%

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

$18.7K ₱1.2M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

-1.87%

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

$122 ₱7,788

$118 ₱7,565

2.95%

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

$15.32 ₱979

$15.76 ₱1,007

-2.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.05 ₱1,472

$28.33 ₱1,810

-18.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.72 ₱2,282

$32.94 ₱2,105

8.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.50 ₱351

$6.49 ₱415

-15.25%

Cinema Ticket

$5.22 ₱334

$5.45 ₱348

-4.22%

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

$129 ₱8,244

$276 ₱17.6K

-53.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,762 ₱559.8K

$7,789 ₱497.7K

12.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.74 ₱1,836

$48.18 ₱3,078

-40.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.98 ₱1,213

$24.47 ₱1,564

-22.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 ₱4,502

$75.3 ₱4,810

-6.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.7 ₱3,428

$58.0 ₱3,707

-7.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$230 ₱14.7K

$477 ₱30.5K

-51.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$189 ₱12.1K

$322 ₱20.6K

-41.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$437 ₱27.9K

$963 ₱61.5K

-54.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 ₱23.1K

$626 ₱40.0K

-42.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,325 ₱148.6K

$4,551 ₱290.8K

-48.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,217 ₱77.8K

$3,028 ₱193.5K

-59.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$333 ₱21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.2

-6.25%

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

Last update for San Jose del Monte: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose del Monte

$189 25.9%

Cebu

$322 34.5% 70.1% $133

Groceries & Markets

San Jose del Monte

$170 23.3%

Cebu

$204 21.8% 19.5% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose del Monte

$160 21.9%

Cebu

$163 17.4% 1.4% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose del Monte

$77 10.6%

Cebu

$93 9.9% 19.8% $15

Eating Out

San Jose del Monte

$72 9.9%

Cebu

$94 10.1% 30.8% $22

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose del Monte

$46 6.3%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 5% $2.3

Getting Around

San Jose del Monte

$15 2.1%

Cebu

$15 1.6% 1.2% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $230 in San Jose del Monte and $477 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $16 in San Jose del Monte vs $23 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $204 per month, with San Jose del Monte cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 San Jose del Monte

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

04:48 4:48 AM

Same time as San Jose del Monte

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

651,813

964,169

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose del Monte Cebu 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose del Monte
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

San Jose del Monte vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose del Monte is about 22% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,096 in San Jose del Monte and $1,401 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: $230 in San Jose del Monte versus $477 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $731 per month in San Jose del Monte versus $934 in Cebu – San Jose del Monte is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.