Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Rita and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $1,784 in Santa Rita, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Rita

🇬🇺 Guam

$1,784

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,784 in Santa Rita versus $915 in Cebu.

Santa Rita $1,784
Cebu $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,706 in Santa Rita versus $1,418 in Cebu.

Santa Rita $2,706
Cebu $1,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,628 in Santa Rita versus $1,921 in Cebu.

Santa Rita $3,628
Cebu $1,921

Living in Santa Rita is roughly 95% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Rita is 32% above, Cebu is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.09 $20.09

$3.05 ₱192

558.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.3 $75.3

$24.00 ₱1,511

213.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.16 $6.16

$3.99 ₱251

54.39%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$2.50 ₱157

101.60%

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

$2.48 $2.48

$1.54 ₱97.1

61.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.50 ₱31.37

386.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 $7.90

$1.78 ₱112

343.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.88 $9.88

$2.17 ₱136

355.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.85 $3.85

$2.00 ₱126

92.50%

White Bread (500g)

$4.24 $4.24

$1.37 ₱86.2

209.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.03 ₱64.9

155.34%

Eggs

$3.84 $3.84

$2.03 ₱128

89.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 $19.70

$10.20 ₱642

93.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.46 $6.46

$4.45 ₱280

45.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.92 $9.92

$7.67 ₱483

29.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$3.31 ₱208

43.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.46 ₱91.8

84.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$1.49 ₱94.0

202.01%

Potato (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.34 ₱147

74.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.94 ₱122

42.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.16 ₱73.0

72.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.23 ₱77.3

125.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.73 ₱109

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.63 $32.63

$4.54 ₱286

618.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.32 ₱82.9

5.30%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

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

$251 $251

$119 ₱7,464

111.66%

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

$89.9 $89.9

$14.22 ₱896

532.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.4 $78.4

$27.47 ₱1,730

185.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$101 $101

$32.31 ₱2,034

212.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

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

$276 ₱17.4K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 $900

$503 ₱31.7K

78.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 $612

$305 ₱19.2K

100.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,982 $1,982

$1,075 ₱67.7K

84.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 $1,102

$632 ₱39.8K

74.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$303 $303

$1,877 ₱118.2K

-83.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,588 $5,588

$336 ₱21.1K

1563.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

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

Last update for Santa Rita: October 17, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Rita

–

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Groceries & Markets

Santa Rita

–

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Rita

–

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Rita

–

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Eating Out

Santa Rita

–

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Rita

–

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Getting Around

Santa Rita

–

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Santa Rita and $503 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Rita pays 1564% 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: $75.0 in Santa Rita vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $333 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇺 Santa Rita

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

09:27 9:27 AM

07:27 7:27 AM

2 h behind Santa Rita

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,500

964,169

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

PHP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Rita Cebu 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Rita
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

Santa Rita vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 95% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1564% higher in Santa Rita, 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: $900 in Santa Rita versus $503 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 59% higher in Santa Rita. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cebu – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $75.0 in Santa Rita. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $915 in Cebu versus $1,784 in Santa Rita, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Santa Rita. 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 Santa Rita, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Santa Rita 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 95% less than in Santa Rita. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.