Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pedro, Philippines and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pedro: $707 a month against $943 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro
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San Pedro Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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San Pedro

🇵🇭 Philippines

$707

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$943

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $707 in San Pedro versus $943 in Cebu.

San Pedro $707
Cebu $943

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,074 in San Pedro versus $1,437 in Cebu.

San Pedro $1,074
Cebu $1,437

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,442 in San Pedro versus $1,930 in Cebu.

San Pedro $1,442
Cebu $1,930

Living in San Pedro costs roughly 25% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: San Pedro 48% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.81 ₱242

$3.88 ₱247

-1.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.66 ₱1,059

$23.22 ₱1,476

-28.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.79 ₱177

$3.90 ₱248

-28.46%

Cappuccino

$1.76 ₱112

$2.56 ₱163

-31.25%

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

$0.55 ₱34.86

$1.60 ₱102

-65.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.70

$0.51 ₱32.35

-39.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ₱64.9

$1.76 ₱112

-42.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ₱100

$2.15 ₱137

-26.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ₱104

$1.99 ₱126

-18.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₱69.4

$1.37 ₱87.1

-20.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱64.4

$0.95 ₱60.4

6.32%

Eggs

$1.96 ₱125

$2.02 ₱128

-2.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.83 ₱307

$9.63 ₱612

-49.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ₱217

$4.35 ₱277

-21.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.77 ₱431

$7.70 ₱490

-12.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ₱142

$3.30 ₱210

-32.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₱99.9

$1.27 ₱80.5

23.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 ₱144

$2.34 ₱149

-3.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱67.2

$1.51 ₱96.3

-29.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 ₱104

$2.23 ₱142

-26.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 ₱113

$1.93 ₱123

-8.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 ₱59.6

$1.18 ₱75.2

-20.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.49

$0.65 ₱41.33

-21.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.90 ₱185

$2.89 ₱184

0.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.69 ₱553

$6.35 ₱404

36.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ₱57.8

$1.27 ₱80.8

-28.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₱126

$1.64 ₱104

20.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.29

$0.23 ₱14.56

4.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.33 ₱784

$12.24 ₱778

0.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 ₱46.09

$0.82 ₱52.0

-12.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.73

$0.20 ₱12.69

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ₱117

$4.32 ₱275

-57.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ₱75.3

$1.38 ₱87.6

-14.49%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-1.16%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

-1.58%

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

$121 ₱7,665

$124 ₱7,893

-2.88%

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

$15.83 ₱1,006

$15.93 ₱1,013

-0.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.27 ₱1,479

$28.07 ₱1,785

-17.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.50 ₱2,003

$33.41 ₱2,124

-5.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.10 ₱324

$6.40 ₱407

-20.31%

Cinema Ticket

$5.17 ₱329

$5.85 ₱372

-11.62%

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

$130 ₱8,269

$271 ₱17.2K

-51.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,736 ₱555.4K

$8,060 ₱512.4K

8.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.24 ₱1,796

$48.31 ₱3,072

-41.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.23 ₱1,222

$24.56 ₱1,562

-21.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.6 ₱4,551

$77.1 ₱4,904

-7.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.6 ₱3,536

$56.5 ₱3,593

-1.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$252 ₱16.0K

$495 ₱31.5K

-49.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 ₱10.8K

$322 ₱20.5K

-47.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$484 ₱30.8K

$990 ₱63.0K

-51.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$350 ₱22.3K

$628 ₱39.9K

-44.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,591 ₱164.8K

$4,459 ₱283.5K

-41.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,089 ₱69.2K

$3,030 ₱192.6K

-64.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$125 ₱7,951

$343 ₱21.8K

-63.51%

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 Pedro: 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

San Pedro

$170 24.1%

Cebu

$206 21.8% 20.9% $36

Accommodation & Living

San Pedro

$170 24%

Cebu

$322 34.1% 89.7% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pedro

$160 22.6%

Cebu

$168 17.8% 5.3% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

San Pedro

$79 11.1%

Cebu

$93 9.9% 18.2% $14

Eating Out

San Pedro

$72 10.2%

Cebu

$95 10.1% 32.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

San Pedro

$42 5.9%

Cebu

$45 4.8% 7.8% $3.3

Getting Around

San Pedro

$15 2.1%

Cebu

$15 1.6% 0.3% $0

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $252 in San Pedro and $495 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $17 in San Pedro vs $23 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $206 per month, with San Pedro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 San Pedro

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

04:08 4:08 AM

Same time as San Pedro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

326,001

964,169

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Pedro Cebu 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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

San Pedro is about 25% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 64% lower in San Pedro. 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 San Pedro versus $495 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $707 per month in San Pedro versus $943 in Cebu – San Pedro is about 25% 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.

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

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