Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shiga and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,191 in Shiga, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Shiga
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Shiga Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Shiga

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,191

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,191 in Shiga versus $918 in Cebu.

Shiga $1,191
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,880 in Shiga versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Shiga $1,880
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,568 in Shiga versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Shiga $2,568
Cebu $1,900

Living in Shiga is roughly 30% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shiga 12% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.14 ¥970

$3.09 ₱194

98.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.73 ¥5,013

$24.22 ₱1,525

31.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 ¥783

$3.92 ₱247

26.53%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ¥458

$2.51 ₱158

15.54%

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

$1.28 ¥202

$1.59 ₱100

-19.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 ¥108

$0.53 ₱33.43

30.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 ¥425

$1.78 ₱112

51.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ¥554

$2.17 ₱137

61.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥203

$1.92 ₱121

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 ¥204

$1.36 ₱85.4

-5.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 ¥602

$1.01 ₱63.5

277.23%

Eggs

$2.05 ¥325

$2.03 ₱128

0.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.35 ¥1,478

$9.86 ₱621

-5.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 ¥1,490

$4.39 ₱277

114.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.30 ¥2,891

$7.60 ₱479

140.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 ¥515

$3.30 ₱208

-1.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 ¥318

$1.39 ₱87.8

44.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 ¥322

$2.33 ₱147

-12.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.10 ¥647

$1.50 ₱94.3

173.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ¥248

$2.36 ₱149

-33.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥184

$1.90 ₱119

-38.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.19 ₱74.9

9.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥136

$0.63 ₱39.71

36.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 ¥614

$3.00 ₱189

29.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.26 ¥1,462

$6.03 ₱379

53.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥308

$1.23 ₱77.7

58.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 ¥495

$1.75 ₱110

79.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ¥174

$0.25 ₱15.86

340.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ¥8,350

$12.64 ₱796

318.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.70 ¥584

$0.77 ₱48.62

380.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 ¥488

$0.23 ₱14.53

1243.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.14 ¥3,340

$4.46 ₱281

373.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 ¥165

$1.31 ₱82.8

-20.61%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

2.09%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

-20.89%

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

$137 ¥21.6K

$120 ₱7,569

13.94%

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

$24.21 ¥3,825

$14.00 ₱882

72.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.71 ¥2,955

$27.54 ₱1,734

-32.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.5 ¥8,288

$32.33 ₱2,035

62.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$11.77 ¥1,859

$5.65 ₱356

108.32%

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

$518 ¥81.8K

$275 ₱17.3K

88.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K ¥2.0M

$7,918 ₱498.5K

62.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.28 ¥7,469

$49.33 ₱3,106

-4.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.38 ¥4,800

$25.24 ₱1,589

20.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 ¥11.6K

$77.0 ₱4,846

-4.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.0 ¥14.4K

$57.2 ₱3,601

59.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$536 ¥84.7K

$500 ₱31.5K

7.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$329 ¥52.1K

$309 ₱19.4K

6.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 ¥175.8K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

3.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 ¥114.3K

$615 ₱38.7K

17.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,138 ¥653.7K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

43.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,525 ¥241.0K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-20.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,192 ¥188.3K

$346 ₱21.8K

244.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

7.2

-69.31%

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

Last update for Shiga: 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

Shiga

$330 27.7%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 6.3% $21

Groceries & Markets

Shiga

$293 24.6%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 29.8% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shiga

$180 15.1%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 10.1% $18

Eating Out

Shiga

$127 10.7%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 30.6% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Shiga

$109 9.2%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 13.8% $15

Getting Around

Shiga

$76 6.4%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 79.6% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Shiga

$76 6.4%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 42.6% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $536 in Shiga and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shiga pays 244% 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: $32.00 in Shiga vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Shiga

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

16:37 4:37 PM

15:37 3:37 PM

1 h behind Shiga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,836

964,169

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

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 JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shiga Cebu 3,030 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Shiga
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

Shiga vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 244% higher in Shiga, 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: $536 in Shiga versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,191 per month in Shiga versus $918 in Cebu – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 318% less than in Shiga. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,191 in Shiga, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Shiga. 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 Shiga, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Shiga 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 30% less than in Shiga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.