Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tarxien and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,989 in Tarxien, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Tarxien
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Tarxien Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Tarxien

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,989

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,989 in Tarxien versus $918 in Cebu.

Tarxien $1,989
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,162 in Tarxien versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Tarxien $3,162
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,335 in Tarxien versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Tarxien $4,335
Cebu $1,900

Living in Tarxien is roughly 117% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tarxien is 47% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.37 €19.90

$3.09 ₱194

623.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.2 €78.4

$24.22 ₱1,525

264.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.21 €11.75

$3.92 ₱247

236.99%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$2.51 ₱158

23.51%

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

$2.44 €2.17

$1.59 ₱100

53.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.53 ₱33.43

258.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.51 €4.90

$1.78 ₱112

209.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.50 €5.78

$2.17 ₱137

199.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.92 ₱121

-28.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.36 ₱85.4

6.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 €3.02

$1.01 ₱63.5

236.63%

Eggs

$4.29 €3.81

$2.03 ₱128

111.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.21 €9.08

$9.86 ₱621

3.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.09 €10.76

$4.39 ₱277

175.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.48 €16.44

$7.60 ₱479

143.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.67 €3.27

$3.30 ₱208

11.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$1.39 ₱87.8

92.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 €3.36

$2.33 ₱147

61.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 €3.39

$1.50 ₱94.3

154.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.36 ₱149

-18.64%

Onion (1kg)

$3.32 €2.96

$1.90 ₱119

74.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.19 ₱74.9

83.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.33

$0.63 ₱39.71

138.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.12 €5.44

$3.00 ₱189

104.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.87 €5.22

$6.03 ₱379

-2.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.23 ₱77.7

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.75 ₱110

30.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.25 ₱15.86

708.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$0.77 ₱48.62

418.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 €1.57

$0.23 ₱14.53

669.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.01 €28.47

$4.46 ₱281

617.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.31 ₱82.8

16.03%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

33.75%

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

$38.3K €34.1K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

100.02%

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

$154 €137

$120 ₱7,569

27.71%

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

$31.65 €28.16

$14.00 ₱882

126.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.76 €26.47

$27.54 ₱1,734

8.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 €49.56

$32.33 ₱2,035

72.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$11.27 €10.03

$5.65 ₱356

99.47%

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

$277 €246

$275 ₱17.3K

0.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K €10.8K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

53.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 €51.5

$49.33 ₱3,106

17.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.8 €61.2

$25.24 ₱1,589

172.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €101

$77.0 ₱4,846

46.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$57.2 ₱3,601

123.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,255 €1,116

$500 ₱31.5K

151.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$853 €759

$309 ₱19.4K

176.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,942 €1,728

$1,078 ₱67.9K

80.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 €1,451

$615 ₱38.7K

165.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,683 €3,276

$2,886 ₱181.7K

27.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,954 €2,627

$1,917 ₱120.7K

54.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

7.2

-43.75%

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

Last update for Tarxien: 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

Tarxien

$853 42.9%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 63.8% $545

Groceries & Markets

Tarxien

$342 17.2%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 39.8% $136

Eating Out

Tarxien

$314 15.8%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 71.9% $225

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tarxien

$215 10.8%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 24.7% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Tarxien

$165 8.3%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 43.2% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Tarxien

$78 3.9%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 44.3% $35

Getting Around

Tarxien

$21 * 1.1%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 25.5% $5.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,255 in Tarxien and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $88.0 in Tarxien vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $342 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Tarxien

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

14:37 2:37 PM

20:37 8:37 PM

6 h ahead of Tarxien

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,600

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Tarxien Cebu 11,030 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Tarxien
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

Tarxien vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 117% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,983 in Tarxien and $1,377 in Cebu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,255 in Tarxien versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in Tarxien. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,989 per month in Tarxien versus $918 in Cebu – a 117% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,989 in Tarxien, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Tarxien. 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 Tarxien, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Tarxien 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 117% less than in Tarxien. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.