Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Setubal and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,634 in Setubal, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Setubal
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Setubal Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Setubal

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,634

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,634 in Setubal versus $918 in Cebu.

Setubal $1,634
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,343 in Setubal versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Setubal $2,343
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,052 in Setubal versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Setubal $3,052
Cebu $1,900

Living in Setubal is roughly 78% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Setubal is 21% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.33 €10.97

$3.09 ₱194

299.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.13 €41.92

$24.22 ₱1,525

94.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.15 €8.14

$3.92 ₱247

133.42%

Cappuccino

$2.01 €1.79

$2.51 ₱158

-19.92%

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

$2.03 €1.81

$1.59 ₱100

27.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.35

$0.53 ₱33.43

186.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.78 ₱112

23.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.94

$2.17 ₱137

52.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.92 ₱121

-44.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.36 ₱85.4

8.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.01 ₱63.5

68.32%

Eggs

$3.26 €2.90

$2.03 ₱128

60.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 €10.43

$9.86 ₱621

18.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.43 €6.61

$4.39 ₱277

69.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.71 €13.08

$7.60 ₱479

93.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 €2.05

$3.30 ₱208

-30.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.39 ₱87.8

-1.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.33 ₱147

-24.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.79 €2.48

$1.50 ₱94.3

86.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.36 ₱149

-30.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.90 ₱119

6.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.19 ₱74.9

24.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.64

$0.63 ₱39.71

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.68 €5.05

$3.00 ₱189

89.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.35 €3.87

$6.03 ₱379

-27.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.82

$1.23 ₱77.7

-25.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.75 ₱110

24.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.33 €3.85

$0.25 ₱15.86

1632.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.52 €40.49

$12.64 ₱796

260.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.70 €3.29

$0.77 ₱48.62

380.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.23 ₱14.53

491.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 €12.54

$4.46 ₱281

216.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.31 ₱82.8

61.83%

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

$33.9K €30.1K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

59.39%

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

$37.8K €33.6K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

97.49%

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

$100 €89.2

$120 ₱7,569

-16.58%

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

$20.39 €18.14

$14.00 ₱882

45.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.54 €28.95

$27.54 ₱1,734

18.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.94 €27.52

$32.33 ₱2,035

-4.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.90 €14.15

$6.65 ₱419

139.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.95 €7.08

$5.65 ₱356

40.71%

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

$575 €511

$275 ₱17.3K

108.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K €9,430

$7,918 ₱498.5K

33.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.8 €59.4

$49.33 ₱3,106

35.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.46 €33.32

$25.24 ₱1,589

48.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 €62.5

$77.0 ₱4,846

-8.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 €84.5

$57.2 ₱3,601

65.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$993 €884

$500 ₱31.5K

98.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$814 €724

$309 ₱19.4K

163.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 €1,411

$1,078 ₱67.9K

47.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 €1,031

$615 ₱38.7K

88.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,100 €3,647

$2,886 ₱181.7K

42.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,343 €2,084

$1,917 ₱120.7K

22.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,246 €1,109

$346 ₱21.8K

260.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

7.2

-46.53%

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

Last update for Setubal: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Setubal

$814 49.8%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 62% $505

Groceries & Markets

Setubal

$244 14.9%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 15.5% $38

Eating Out

Setubal

$182 11.1%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 51.5% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Setubal

$153 9.4%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 5.6% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Setubal

$121 7.4%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 22.5% $27

Getting Around

Setubal

$73 4.5%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 78.8% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Setubal

$47 2.9%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 6.9% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $993 in Setubal and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Setubal pays 260% 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: $47.00 in Setubal vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Setubal

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

03:35 3:35 AM

10:35 10:35 AM

7 h ahead of Setubal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,519

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

Setubal Cebu 12,710 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Setubal
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

Setubal vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 78% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 260% higher in Setubal, 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: $993 in Setubal versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,634 per month in Setubal versus $918 in Cebu – a 78% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 260% less than in Setubal. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,634 in Setubal, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Setubal. 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 Setubal, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Setubal 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 78% less than in Setubal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.