Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $749 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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San Juan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$749

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $749 in San Juan versus $918 in Cebu.

San Juan $749
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,101 in San Juan versus $1,409 in Cebu.

San Juan $1,101
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,452 in San Juan versus $1,900 in Cebu.

San Juan $1,452
Cebu $1,900

Living in San Juan costs roughly 18% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: San Juan 45% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.05 ₱255

$3.09 ₱194

31.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.88 ₱1,063

$24.22 ₱1,525

-30.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.82 ₱177

$3.92 ₱247

-28.06%

Cappuccino

$2.76 ₱174

$2.51 ₱158

9.96%

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

$0.66 ₱41.30

$1.59 ₱100

-58.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.48

$0.53 ₱33.43

-41.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.07 ₱67.2

$1.78 ₱112

-39.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ₱98.5

$2.17 ₱137

-28.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₱107

$1.92 ₱121

-11.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 ₱70.5

$1.36 ₱85.4

-17.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 ₱52.7

$1.01 ₱63.5

-16.83%

Eggs

$1.82 ₱114

$2.03 ₱128

-10.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.24 ₱330

$9.86 ₱621

-46.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.46 ₱218

$4.39 ₱277

-21.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.21 ₱454

$7.60 ₱479

-5.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$3.30 ₱208

-29.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 ₱85.9

$1.39 ₱87.8

-2.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱66.8

$1.50 ₱94.3

-29.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 ₱107

$2.36 ₱149

-28.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 ₱109

$1.90 ₱119

-8.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ₱42.17

$1.19 ₱74.9

-43.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ₱61.3

$0.63 ₱39.71

53.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.71 ₱171

$3.00 ₱189

-9.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.79 ₱490

$6.03 ₱379

29.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₱58.0

$1.23 ₱77.7

-25.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₱116

$1.75 ₱110

5.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.26

$0.25 ₱15.86

4.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.14 ₱764

$12.64 ₱796

-3.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.71

$0.77 ₱48.62

2.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.52

$0.23 ₱14.53

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 ₱123

$4.46 ₱281

-56.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₱77.8

$1.31 ₱82.8

-5.34%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-1.26%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

-0.97%

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

$141 ₱8,877

$120 ₱7,569

17.27%

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

$14.25 ₱897

$14.00 ₱882

1.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.38 ₱1,535

$27.54 ₱1,734

-11.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.07 ₱1,893

$32.33 ₱2,035

-6.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.41 ₱278

$6.65 ₱419

-33.68%

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 ₱319

$5.65 ₱356

-10.27%

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

$74.3 ₱4,677

$275 ₱17.3K

-73.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,556 ₱160.9K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-67.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.32 ₱1,846

$49.33 ₱3,106

-40.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.71 ₱1,241

$25.24 ₱1,589

-21.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.1 ₱4,539

$77.0 ₱4,846

-6.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.8 ₱3,573

$57.2 ₱3,601

-0.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$303 ₱19.1K

$500 ₱31.5K

-39.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 ₱10.9K

$309 ₱19.4K

-43.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$515 ₱32.4K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-52.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 ₱19.0K

$615 ₱38.7K

-50.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₱168.8K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-7.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,115 ₱70.2K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-41.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$243 ₱15.3K

$346 ₱21.8K

-29.63%

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 Juan: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$180 24%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 9.9% $18

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$175 23.3%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 17.9% $31

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$173 23.1%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 78.2% $135

Eating Out

San Juan

$86 11.5%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 2.2% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$80 10.7%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 17.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$40 5.4%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 8.5% $3.4

Getting Around

San Juan

$15 2%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 3% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $303 in San Juan and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 42% 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: $17.00 in San Juan vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $175 vs $206 per month, with San Juan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 San Juan

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

16:11 4:11 PM

Same time as San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

126,347

964,169

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Juan Cebu 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

San Juan
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 Juan vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Juan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 23% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 42% lower in Cebu. 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: $303 in San Juan versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $749 per month in San Juan versus $918 in Cebu – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in San Juan runs roughly 4% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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

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

Safety-wise, San Juan 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 San Juan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.