Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Siena and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,836 in Siena, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Siena
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Siena Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Siena

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,836

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,836 in Siena versus $918 in Cebu.

Siena $1,836
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,784 in Siena versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Siena $2,784
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,733 in Siena versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Siena $3,733
Cebu $1,900

Living in Siena is roughly 100% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Siena is 36% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.36 €13.66

$3.09 ₱194

397.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.9 €80.9

$24.22 ₱1,525

275.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.54 €12.05

$3.92 ₱247

245.41%

Cappuccino

$1.89 €1.68

$2.51 ₱158

-24.70%

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

$2.96 €2.63

$1.59 ₱100

86.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.53 ₱33.43

166.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.19 €5.51

$1.78 ₱112

247.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 €4.98

$2.17 ₱137

157.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.92 ₱121

-24.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.36 ₱85.4

64.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.01 ₱63.5

62.38%

Eggs

$4.03 €3.58

$2.03 ₱128

98.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.54 €12.04

$9.86 ₱621

37.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.93 €10.61

$4.39 ₱277

171.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.56 €19.18

$7.60 ₱479

183.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$3.30 ₱208

-22.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.39 ₱87.8

54.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 €2.79

$2.33 ₱147

34.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$1.50 ₱94.3

110.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.36 ₱149

-22.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.90 ₱119

-17.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.19 ₱74.9

15.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 €0.46

$0.63 ₱39.71

-17.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

$3.00 ₱189

122.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.53 €5.81

$6.03 ₱379

8.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.23 ₱77.7

22.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$1.75 ₱110

49.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.25 ₱15.86

676.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.73 €37.12

$12.64 ₱796

230.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.45 €5.74

$0.77 ₱48.62

737.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.23 ₱14.53

504.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.32 €28.74

$4.46 ₱281

624.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.31 ₱82.8

58.78%

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

$27.6K €24.6K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

29.93%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

85.67%

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

$194 €173

$120 ₱7,569

61.59%

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

$13.47 €11.98

$14.00 ₱882

-3.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.20 €27.75

$27.54 ₱1,734

13.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.4 €62.7

$32.33 ₱2,035

117.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$11.30 €10.05

$5.65 ₱356

100.00%

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

$576 €513

$275 ₱17.3K

109.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K €13.1K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

85.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.0 €74.7

$49.33 ₱3,106

70.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.04 €32.95

$25.24 ₱1,589

46.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 €85.3

$77.0 ₱4,846

24.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €95.0

$57.2 ₱3,601

86.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,138 €1,013

$500 ₱31.5K

127.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 €645

$309 ₱19.4K

134.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 €1,530

$1,078 ₱67.9K

59.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €998

$615 ₱38.7K

82.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,381 €3,897

$2,886 ₱181.7K

51.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,930 €3,495

$1,917 ₱120.7K

105.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,882 €1,674

$346 ₱21.8K

443.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

7.2

-54.31%

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

Last update for Siena: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Siena

$725 39.5%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 57.4% $416

Groceries & Markets

Siena

$325 17.7%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 36.6% $119

Eating Out

Siena

$246 13.4%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 64.1% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Siena

$239 13%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 32.3% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Siena

$146 7.9%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 35.5% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Siena

$93 5.1%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 53.1% $49

Getting Around

Siena

$63 3.4%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 75.2% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,138 in Siena and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Siena pays 444% 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: $91.0 in Siena vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Siena

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

16:27 4:27 PM

22:27 10:27 PM

6 h ahead of Siena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,903

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Siena Cebu 10,980 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Siena
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

Siena vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 100% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 444% higher in Siena, 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: $1,138 in Siena versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,836 per month in Siena versus $918 in Cebu – a 100% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 230% less than in Siena. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,836 in Siena, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Siena. 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 Siena, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Siena 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 100% less than in Siena. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.