Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sintra and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,592 in Sintra, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Sintra
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Sintra Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Sintra

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,592

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,592 in Sintra versus $918 in Cebu.

Sintra $1,592
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,317 in Sintra versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Sintra $2,317
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,041 in Sintra versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Sintra $3,041
Cebu $1,900

Living in Sintra is roughly 74% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sintra is 18% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 €11.61

$3.09 ₱194

322.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.4 €49.24

$24.22 ₱1,525

128.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 €7.87

$3.92 ₱247

125.51%

Cappuccino

$1.28 €1.14

$2.51 ₱158

-49.00%

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

$1.54 €1.37

$1.59 ₱100

-3.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.07

$0.53 ₱33.43

128.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 €2.89

$1.78 ₱112

82.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 €2.44

$2.17 ₱137

26.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.92 ₱121

-44.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.36 ₱85.4

-7.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.01 ₱63.5

30.69%

Eggs

$2.60 €2.31

$2.03 ₱128

28.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.14 €8.13

$9.86 ₱621

-7.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.91 €6.15

$4.39 ₱277

57.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.07 €9.85

$7.60 ₱479

45.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$3.30 ₱208

-44.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.39 ₱87.8

-12.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 €1.19

$2.33 ₱147

-42.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.50 ₱94.3

49.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.36 ₱149

-47.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.90 ₱119

-14.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.19 ₱74.9

33.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 €0.56

$0.63 ₱39.71

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.25 €5.56

$3.00 ₱189

108.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.28 €2.92

$6.03 ₱379

-45.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.23 ₱77.7

4.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.24

$1.75 ₱110

-20.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 €1.94

$0.25 ₱15.86

776.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.73 €37.11

$12.64 ₱796

230.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 €3.26

$0.77 ₱48.62

375.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 €0.44

$0.23 ₱14.53

117.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.24 €14.45

$4.46 ₱281

264.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.31 ₱82.8

58.02%

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

$34.2K €30.4K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

60.83%

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

$38.2K €33.9K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

99.29%

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

$129 €115

$120 ₱7,569

7.14%

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

$21.92 €19.50

$14.00 ₱882

56.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.30 €40.30

$27.54 ₱1,734

64.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.17 €36.62

$32.33 ₱2,035

27.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.52 €13.81

$6.65 ₱419

133.38%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 €7.91

$5.65 ₱356

57.35%

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

$604 €538

$275 ₱17.3K

119.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,207 €5,522

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-21.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.5 €66.3

$49.33 ₱3,106

51.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.04 €40.07

$25.24 ₱1,589

78.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.1

$77.0 ₱4,846

40.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.27 €43.82

$57.2 ₱3,601

-13.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 €869

$500 ₱31.5K

95.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 €688

$309 ₱19.4K

150.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,551 €1,379

$1,078 ₱67.9K

43.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,173 €1,043

$615 ₱38.7K

90.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,033 €2,698

$2,886 ₱181.7K

5.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 €1,989

$1,917 ₱120.7K

16.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,347 €1,198

$346 ₱21.8K

289.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

7.2

-50.83%

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

Last update for Sintra: 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

Sintra

$774 48.6%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 60.1% $465

Groceries & Markets

Sintra

$204 12.8%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 1% $2.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sintra

$196 12.3%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 17.5% $34

Eating Out

Sintra

$179 11.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 50.7% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Sintra

$125 7.8%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 24.6% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Sintra

$59 3.7%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 26% $15

Getting Around

Sintra

$57 3.6%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 72.5% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $977 in Sintra and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sintra pays 289% 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: $55.0 in Sintra vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $204 vs $206, with Sintra cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Sintra

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

07:38 7:38 AM

14:38 2:38 PM

7 h ahead of Sintra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

385,654

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

Sintra Cebu 12,730 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Sintra
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

Sintra vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. The 74% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 289% higher in Sintra, 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: $977 in Sintra versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,592 per month in Sintra versus $918 in Cebu – a 74% 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 Sintra. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,592 in Sintra, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Sintra. 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 Sintra, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sintra 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 74% less than in Sintra. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.