Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scalea and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $1,727 in Scalea, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Scalea
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Scalea Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Scalea

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,727

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,727 in Scalea versus $915 in Cebu.

Scalea $1,727
Cebu $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,568 in Scalea versus $1,418 in Cebu.

Scalea $2,568
Cebu $1,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,408 in Scalea versus $1,921 in Cebu.

Scalea $3,408
Cebu $1,921

Living in Scalea is roughly 89% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Scalea is 27% above, Cebu is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.97 €15.09

$3.05 ₱192

456.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 €49.17

$24.00 ₱1,511

130.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.26 €10.01

$3.99 ₱251

182.21%

Cappuccino

$2.09 €1.86

$2.50 ₱157

-16.40%

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

$2.97 €2.64

$1.54 ₱97.1

92.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$0.50 ₱31.37

326.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.79 €6.04

$1.78 ₱112

281.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$2.17 ₱136

96.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$2.00 ₱126

-37.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.37 ₱86.2

15.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.03 ₱64.9

155.34%

Eggs

$3.48 €3.10

$2.03 ₱128

71.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.38 €10.12

$10.20 ₱642

11.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.88 €10.57

$4.45 ₱280

166.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.59 €13.87

$7.67 ₱483

103.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$3.31 ₱208

-41.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.46 ₱91.8

14.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.32 ₱146

-40.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.49 ₱94.0

71.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.58

$2.34 ₱147

-23.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.94 ₱122

-34.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.14

$1.16 ₱73.0

11.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 €0.39

$0.68 ₱42.89

-35.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.86 €6.10

$2.99 ₱188

129.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 €6.83

$6.24 ₱393

23.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.23 ₱77.3

49.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.73 ₱109

-10.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 €1.41

$0.23 ₱14.36

591.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.36 €38.57

$12.34 ₱777

251.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.57 €4.06

$0.79 ₱49.96

478.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.22 ₱13.86

395.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.07 €19.63

$4.54 ₱286

386.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.32 ₱82.9

62.12%

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

$36.3K €32.3K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

72.87%

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

$36.5K €32.4K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

87.96%

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

$306 €272

$119 ₱7,464

158.31%

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

$10.58 €9.41

$14.22 ₱896

-25.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.67 €30.84

$27.47 ₱1,730

26.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.2 €49.99

$32.31 ₱2,034

73.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.48 €23.55

$6.50 ₱409

307.38%

Cinema Ticket

$8.91 €7.93

$5.40 ₱340

65.00%

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

$457 €407

$276 ₱17.4K

65.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,688 €5,949

$7,866 ₱495.3K

-14.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.6 €73.5

$49.37 ₱3,108

67.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.33 €29.64

$24.58 ₱1,548

35.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 €78.2

$76.6 ₱4,825

14.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$58.9 ₱3,706

118.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$658 €585

$503 ₱31.7K

30.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$558 €496

$305 ₱19.2K

83.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 €940

$1,075 ₱67.7K

-1.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$976 €868

$632 ₱39.8K

54.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,430 €1,272

$2,870 ₱180.7K

-50.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,170 €1,041

$1,877 ₱118.2K

-37.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

7.2

-50.69%

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

Last update for Scalea: 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

Scalea

$558 32.3%

Cebu

$305 33.3% 45.4% $253

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scalea

$351 20.4%

Cebu

$160 17.5% 54.4% $191

Groceries & Markets

Scalea

$277 16%

Cebu

$210 22.9% 24.4% $68

Eating Out

Scalea

$258 14.9%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 65.9% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Scalea

$150 8.7%

Cebu

$94 10.3% 37% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Scalea

$74 4.3%

Cebu

$43 4.7% 41.8% $31

Getting Around

Scalea

$60 3.5%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 74.6% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $658 in Scalea and $503 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Scalea vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $277 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Scalea

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

15:15 3:15 PM

21:15 9:15 PM

6 h ahead of Scalea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,913

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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Scalea Cebu 10,780 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Scalea
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

Scalea vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 89% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,591 in Scalea and $1,372 in Cebu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $658 in Scalea versus $503 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,727 per month in Scalea versus $915 in Cebu – a 89% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 251% less than in Scalea. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $915 in Cebu versus $1,727 in Scalea, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Scalea. 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 Scalea, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Scalea 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 89% less than in Scalea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.