Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santarem and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,300 in Santarem, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Santarem
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Santarem Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Santarem

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,300

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,300 in Santarem versus $918 in Cebu.

Santarem $1,300
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,014 in Santarem versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Santarem $2,014
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,729 in Santarem versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Santarem $2,729
Cebu $1,900

Living in Santarem is roughly 42% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santarem 4% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 €10.94

$3.09 ₱194

298.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.39 €35.04

$24.22 ₱1,525

62.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.99 €8.00

$3.92 ₱247

129.34%

Cappuccino

$1.71 €1.52

$2.51 ₱158

-31.87%

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

$1.78 €1.59

$1.59 ₱100

11.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.03

$0.53 ₱33.43

116.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.78 ₱112

21.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.17 ₱137

56.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.92 ₱121

-40.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.46 €0.41

$1.36 ₱85.4

-66.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.01 ₱63.5

7.92%

Eggs

$3.27 €2.91

$2.03 ₱128

61.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.05 €9.83

$9.86 ₱621

12.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.14 €6.35

$4.39 ₱277

62.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.42 €11.93

$7.60 ₱479

76.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$3.30 ₱208

-14.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.39 ₱87.8

-2.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$2.33 ₱147

7.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$1.50 ₱94.3

41.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 €1.25

$2.36 ₱149

-40.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.90 ₱119

-18.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.97

$1.19 ₱74.9

-7.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 €0.28

$0.63 ₱39.71

-50.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.62 €5.00

$3.00 ₱189

87.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.78 €5.14

$6.03 ₱379

-4.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.23 ₱77.7

-0.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 €3.17

$1.75 ₱110

104.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 €2.00

$0.25 ₱15.86

800.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.4 €50.2

$12.64 ₱796

346.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 €3.14

$0.77 ₱48.62

358.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.31 ₱82.8

55.73%

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

$33.8K €30.1K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

59.09%

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

$38.4K €34.1K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

100.38%

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

$130 €116

$120 ₱7,569

8.17%

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

$20.74 €18.45

$14.00 ₱882

48.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 €49.81

$27.54 ₱1,734

103.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.97 €33.78

$32.33 ₱2,035

17.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 €5.91

$5.65 ₱356

17.70%

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

$416 €370

$275 ₱17.3K

51.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.4K €16.4K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

132.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 €69.3

$49.33 ₱3,106

58.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.74 €33.57

$25.24 ₱1,589

49.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.6

$77.0 ₱4,846

39.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$57.2 ₱3,601

130.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$656 €584

$500 ₱31.5K

31.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$412 €366

$309 ₱19.4K

33.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 €927

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-3.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$810 €720

$615 ₱38.7K

31.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,167 €1,927

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-24.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,103 €981

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-42.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,068 €950

$346 ₱21.8K

208.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

7.2

-33.89%

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

Last update for Santarem: 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

Santarem

$412 31.7%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 25% $103

Groceries & Markets

Santarem

$226 17.4%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 8.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santarem

$207 15.9%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 21.8% $45

Eating Out

Santarem

$175 13.5%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 49.6% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Santarem

$160 12.3%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 41.2% $66

Getting Around

Santarem

$69 * 5.3%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 77.4% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Santarem

$51 4%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 14.9% $7.7

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 $656 in Santarem and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santarem pays 209% 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: $39.00 in Santarem vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Santarem

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

04:15 4:15 AM

11:15 11:15 AM

7 h ahead of Santarem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,671

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

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Between locations

Santarem Cebu 12,650 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Santarem
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

Santarem vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 42% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 209% higher in Santarem, 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: $656 in Santarem versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,300 per month in Santarem versus $918 in Cebu – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 346% less than in Santarem. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,300 in Santarem, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Santarem. 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 Santarem, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Santarem 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 42% less than in Santarem. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.