Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pawl Il-bahar and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,697 in San Pawl Il-bahar, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in San Pawl Il-bahar
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San Pawl Il-bahar Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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San Pawl Il-bahar

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,697

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,697 in San Pawl Il-bahar versus $918 in Cebu.

San Pawl Il-bahar $1,697
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,593 in San Pawl Il-bahar versus $1,409 in Cebu.

San Pawl Il-bahar $2,593
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,489 in San Pawl Il-bahar versus $1,900 in Cebu.

San Pawl Il-bahar $3,489
Cebu $1,900

Living in San Pawl Il-bahar is roughly 85% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Pawl Il-bahar is 26% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.75 €17.57

$3.09 ₱194

539.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.2 €73.1

$24.22 ₱1,525

239.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 €10.03

$3.92 ₱247

187.76%

Cappuccino

$2.58 €2.30

$2.51 ₱158

2.79%

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

$2.47 €2.20

$1.59 ₱100

55.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$0.53 ₱33.43

267.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.50 €4.00

$1.78 ₱112

152.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 €4.60

$2.17 ₱137

138.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.92 ₱121

-31.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.36 ₱85.4

-14.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.82 €3.40

$1.01 ₱63.5

278.22%

Eggs

$3.62 €3.22

$2.03 ₱128

78.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 €7.50

$9.86 ₱621

-14.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.75 €6.89

$4.39 ₱277

76.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.41 €8.37

$7.60 ₱479

23.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$3.30 ₱208

-9.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.39 ₱87.8

47.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.60

$2.33 ₱147

25.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 €2.54

$1.50 ₱94.3

90.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$2.36 ₱149

-33.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.90 ₱119

-3.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.19 ₱74.9

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$0.63 ₱39.71

90.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.33 €5.63

$3.00 ₱189

111.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.30 €7.38

$6.03 ₱379

37.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.23 ₱77.7

21.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.75 ₱110

14.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 €2.46

$0.25 ₱15.86

1004.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.72 €5.09

$0.77 ₱48.62

642.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 €1.93

$0.23 ₱14.53

843.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.51 €23.58

$4.46 ₱281

494.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.30

$1.31 ₱82.8

12.21%

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

$38.3K €34.1K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

80.30%

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

$39.6K €35.2K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

106.68%

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

$58.9 €52.4

$120 ₱7,569

-51.04%

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

$20.63 €18.35

$14.00 ₱882

47.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.96 €35.54

$27.54 ₱1,734

45.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.65 €44.17

$32.33 ₱2,035

53.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.51 €12.02

$6.65 ₱419

103.16%

Cinema Ticket

$9.96 €8.86

$5.65 ₱356

76.28%

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

$371 €330

$275 ₱17.3K

34.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,915

$7,918 ₱498.5K

40.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.55 €20.06

$49.33 ₱3,106

-54.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.53 €29.83

$25.24 ₱1,589

32.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.5 €85.8

$77.0 ₱4,846

25.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.4 €67.1

$57.2 ₱3,601

31.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$981 €872

$500 ₱31.5K

96.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$848 €755

$309 ₱19.4K

174.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,640 €1,459

$1,078 ₱67.9K

52.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 €1,199

$615 ₱38.7K

119.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,441 €3,061

$2,886 ₱181.7K

19.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,867 €2,550

$1,917 ₱120.7K

49.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,670 €1,485

$346 ₱21.8K

382.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

7.2

-59.72%

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

Last update for San Pawl Il-bahar: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Pawl Il-bahar

$848 50%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 63.6% $540

Eating Out

San Pawl Il-bahar

$273 16.1%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 67.7% $185

Groceries & Markets

San Pawl Il-bahar

$256 15.1%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 19.5% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pawl Il-bahar

$119 7%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 35.4% $42

Clothing & Footwear

San Pawl Il-bahar

$103 6.1%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 8.4% $8.6

Sport & Entertainment

San Pawl Il-bahar

$70 4.1%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 37.3% $26

Getting Around

San Pawl Il-bahar

$28 * 1.6%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 43.6% $12

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 $981 in San Pawl Il-bahar and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Pawl Il-bahar pays 383% 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: $82.0 in San Pawl Il-bahar vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $256 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 San Pawl Il-bahar

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

18:16 6:16 PM

00:16 12:16 AM

6 h ahead of San Pawl Il-bahar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,046

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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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

San Pawl Il-bahar Cebu 11,040 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

San Pawl Il-bahar
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 Pawl Il-bahar vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 85% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 383% higher in San Pawl Il-bahar, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $981 in San Pawl Il-bahar versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in San Pawl Il-bahar. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,697 per month in San Pawl Il-bahar versus $918 in Cebu – a 85% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,697 in San Pawl Il-bahar, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in San Pawl Il-bahar. 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 San Pawl Il-bahar, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, San Pawl Il-bahar 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 85% less than in San Pawl Il-bahar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.