Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sliema and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $2,371 in Sliema, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Sliema
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Sliema Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Sliema

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,371

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,371 in Sliema versus $934 in Cebu.

Sliema $2,371
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,762 in Sliema versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Sliema $3,762
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,154 in Sliema versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Sliema $5,154
Cebu $1,896

Living in Sliema is roughly 154% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sliema is 77% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.89 €17.75

$3.03 ₱190

556.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.2 €76.9

$23.48 ₱1,473

266.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.32 €11.89

$4.09 ₱256

225.67%

Cappuccino

$2.80 €2.49

$2.52 ₱158

11.11%

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

$3.08 €2.75

$1.54 ₱96.9

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 €1.97

$0.49 ₱30.98

351.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.41 €3.94

$1.79 ₱112

146.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 €4.63

$2.26 ₱142

129.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.95 ₱122

-30.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.43 ₱89.7

-9.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 €3.78

$1.02 ₱63.8

314.71%

Eggs

$4.13 €3.69

$2.06 ₱129

100.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 €7.34

$9.81 ₱615

-16.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.24

$4.61 ₱289

124.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.61 €16.61

$7.70 ₱483

141.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.30 €3.84

$3.31 ₱207

29.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 €2.45

$1.45 ₱90.9

88.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 €3.30

$2.36 ₱148

56.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 €2.98

$1.54 ₱96.4

116.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$2.36 ₱148

3.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.99 ₱125

3.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.15 ₱72.1

104.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.67 ₱42.15

101.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.18

$3.00 ₱188

131.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.15 €7.28

$6.35 ₱398

28.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.31 ₱81.9

33.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.73 ₱108

42.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 €1.98

$0.25 ₱15.78

788.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$134 €119

$12.65 ₱793

955.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.53 €4.94

$0.74 ₱46.32

647.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.03

$0.21 ₱13.11

980.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.34 €24.40

$4.33 ₱271

531.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.33 ₱83.5

9.77%

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

$37.8K €33.8K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

73.88%

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

$38.7K €34.6K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

99.60%

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

$102 €91.4

$121 ₱7,563

-15.04%

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

$25.23 €22.52

$14.45 ₱907

74.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.57 €38.89

$28.29 ₱1,774

54.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.4 €68.1

$32.68 ₱2,050

133.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.19 €14.45

$6.39 ₱401

153.36%

Cinema Ticket

$10.19 €9.09

$5.46 ₱342

86.63%

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

$371 €331

$273 ₱17.1K

35.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K €9,768

$8,156 ₱511.5K

34.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.3 €77.9

$49.57 ₱3,109

76.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.28 €36.84

$24.87 ₱1,560

65.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 €87.7

$76.6 ₱4,804

28.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 €70.0

$59.3 ₱3,717

32.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,750 €1,562

$506 ₱31.7K

246.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 €1,074

$309 ₱19.4K

289.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,967 €2,648

$1,052 ₱66.0K

182.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,383 €2,127

$619 ₱38.8K

285.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,389 €4,809

$2,915 ₱182.9K

84.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,516 €3,138

$1,867 ₱117.1K

88.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,794 €1,601

$341 ₱21.4K

425.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

7.2

-59.72%

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

Last update for Sliema: October 6, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sliema

$1.2K 50.5%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 74.3% $895

Groceries & Markets

Sliema

$329 13.8%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 36% $118

Eating Out

Sliema

$286 12%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 69.1% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sliema

$171 7.2%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 4.6% $7.9

Getting Around

Sliema

$159 6.7%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 90.3% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Sliema

$137 5.8%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 31.1% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Sliema

$97 4.1%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 54.9% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,750 in Sliema and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sliema pays 426% 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: $86.0 in Sliema vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $329 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Sliema

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

06:56 6:56 AM

12:56 12:56 PM

6 h ahead of Sliema

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,854

964,169

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sliema Cebu 11,030 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Sliema
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

Sliema vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 154% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 426% higher in Sliema, 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: $1,750 in Sliema versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,371 per month in Sliema versus $934 in Cebu – a 154% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 955% less than in Sliema. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $2,371 in Sliema, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Sliema. 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 Sliema, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sliema 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 154% less than in Sliema. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.