Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Split and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,819 in Split, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Split
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Split Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Split

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,819

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,819 in Split versus $934 in Cebu.

Split $1,819
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,815 in Split versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Split $2,815
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,810 in Split versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Split $3,810
Cebu $1,896

Living in Split is roughly 95% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Split is 36% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.92 €15.10

$3.03 ₱190

458.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 €66.3

$23.48 ₱1,473

216.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 €10.17

$4.09 ₱256

178.73%

Cappuccino

$2.86 €2.55

$2.52 ₱158

13.49%

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

$4.11 €3.67

$1.54 ₱96.9

166.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 €2.63

$0.49 ₱30.98

502.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 €4.24

$1.79 ₱112

165.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 €4.38

$2.26 ₱142

117.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.95 ₱122

-32.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.16 €1.93

$1.43 ₱89.7

51.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.29

$1.02 ₱63.8

261.76%

Eggs

$4.21 €3.75

$2.06 ₱129

104.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.85 €12.36

$9.81 ₱615

41.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 €8.52

$4.61 ₱289

106.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.20 €11.78

$7.70 ₱483

71.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.31 ₱207

-33.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.45 ₱90.9

25.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.36 ₱148

-19.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$1.54 ₱96.4

81.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$2.36 ₱148

-35.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.99 ₱125

-40.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.15 ₱72.1

17.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$0.67 ₱42.15

80.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.63 €5.02

$3.00 ₱188

87.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.93 €7.97

$6.35 ₱398

40.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.31 ₱81.9

31.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.73 ₱108

29.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.52

$0.25 ₱15.78

580.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.64 €35.38

$12.65 ₱793

213.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 €3.36

$0.74 ₱46.32

408.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 €1.91

$0.21 ₱13.11

919.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.30 €26.15

$4.33 ₱271

576.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.33 ₱83.5

42.11%

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

$28.3K €25.3K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

30.07%

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

$24.5K €21.9K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

26.42%

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

$207 €185

$121 ₱7,563

71.54%

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

$20.38 €18.19

$14.45 ₱907

41.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.24 €37.69

$28.29 ₱1,774

49.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.9 €54.3

$32.68 ₱2,050

86.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.12 €11.70

$6.39 ₱401

105.32%

Cinema Ticket

$9.22 €8.23

$5.46 ₱342

68.86%

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

$622 €555

$273 ₱17.1K

127.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.4K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

42.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.6 €83.5

$49.57 ₱3,109

88.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.70 €36.32

$24.87 ₱1,560

63.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 €102

$76.6 ₱4,804

49.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 €88.1

$59.3 ₱3,717

66.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 €900

$506 ₱31.7K

99.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 €649

$309 ₱19.4K

135.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 €1,715

$1,052 ₱66.0K

82.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,309 €1,168

$619 ₱38.8K

111.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,330 €6,541

$2,915 ₱182.9K

151.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,057 €4,512

$1,867 ₱117.1K

170.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,601 €1,429

$341 ₱21.4K

369.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.44

7.2

-52.22%

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

Last update for Split: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Split

$727 39.2%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 57.5% $418

Groceries & Markets

Split

$297 16%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 29.1% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Split

$269 14.5%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 39.4% $106

Eating Out

Split

$266 14.3%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 66.7% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Split

$156 8.4%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 39.5% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Split

$79 4.3%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 45% $36

Getting Around

Split

$61 3.3%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 74.6% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Split and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Split pays 369% 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: $74.0 in Split vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Split

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

04:20 4:20 AM

10:20 10:20 AM

6 h ahead of Split

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,830

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

Split Cebu 10,590 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Split
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

Split vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 95% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 369% higher in Split, 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: $1,008 in Split versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,819 per month in Split versus $934 in Cebu – a 95% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 213% less than in Split. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,819 in Split, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Split. 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 Split, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Split 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 95% less than in Split. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.