Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thiva and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $1,135 in Thiva, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Thiva
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Thiva Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Thiva

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,135

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,135 in Thiva versus $915 in Cebu.

Thiva $1,135
Cebu $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,551 in Thiva versus $1,418 in Cebu.

Thiva $1,551
Cebu $1,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,966 in Thiva versus $1,921 in Cebu.

Thiva $1,966
Cebu $1,921

Living in Thiva is roughly 24% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Thiva 16% lower, Cebu 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.10 €9.88

$3.05 ₱192

263.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.5 €52.9

$24.00 ₱1,511

147.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.65 €5.92

$3.99 ₱251

66.67%

Cappuccino

$2.48 €2.21

$2.50 ₱157

-0.80%

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

$2.42 €2.15

$1.54 ₱97.1

57.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 €0.46

$0.50 ₱31.37

4.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.59 €4.08

$1.78 ₱112

157.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 €2.42

$2.17 ₱136

25.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 €1.38

$2.00 ₱126

-22.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.37 ₱86.2

2.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.03 ₱64.9

123.30%

Eggs

$5.21 €4.63

$2.03 ₱128

156.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 €10.20

$10.20 ₱642

12.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.51 €8.46

$4.45 ₱280

113.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.29 €12.71

$7.67 ₱483

86.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 €1.45

$3.31 ₱208

-50.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.46 ₱91.8

32.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$2.32 ₱146

-52.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.49 ₱94.0

21.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 €0.84

$2.34 ₱147

-59.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.94 ₱122

-32.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 €0.78

$1.16 ₱73.0

-24.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.68 ₱42.89

-5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.79 €4.26

$2.99 ₱188

60.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.64 €5.91

$6.24 ₱393

6.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.23 ₱77.3

38.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.73 ₱109

13.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 €1.19

$0.23 ₱14.36

478.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 €3.30

$0.79 ₱49.96

369.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.22 ₱13.86

418.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.84 €12.31

$4.54 ₱286

204.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.32 ₱82.9

56.82%

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

$28.1K €25.0K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

33.98%

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

$24.6K €21.8K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

26.59%

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

$163 €145

$119 ₱7,464

37.20%

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

$24.50 €21.80

$14.22 ₱896

72.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.35 €25.22

$27.47 ₱1,730

3.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.46 €43.99

$32.31 ₱2,034

53.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.64 €22.80

$6.50 ₱409

294.46%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 €6.92

$5.40 ₱340

44.07%

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

$331 €294

$276 ₱17.4K

19.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,491 €3,994

$7,866 ₱495.3K

-42.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 €44.59

$49.37 ₱3,108

1.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 €30.45

$24.58 ₱1,548

39.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 €67.1

$76.6 ₱4,825

-1.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €94.9

$58.9 ₱3,706

81.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$338 €300

$503 ₱31.7K

-32.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$281 €250

$305 ₱19.2K

-7.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 €548

$1,075 ₱67.7K

-42.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,723 €1,532

$2,870 ₱180.7K

-39.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,408 €1,253

$1,877 ₱118.2K

-24.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,142 €1,016

$336 ₱21.1K

239.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.36

7.2

-39.44%

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

Last update for Thiva: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thiva

$281 24.8%

Cebu

$305 33.3% 8.2% $23

Groceries & Markets

Thiva

$260 22.9%

Cebu

$210 22.9% 19.5% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thiva

$216 19%

Cebu

$160 17.5% 25.6% $55

Eating Out

Thiva

$179 15.7%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 50.9% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Thiva

$120 10.6%

Cebu

$94 10.3% 21.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Thiva

$65 5.7%

Cebu

$43 4.7% 33.7% $22

Getting Around

Thiva

$15 * 1.3%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 2.7% $0.4

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 $338 in Thiva and $503 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thiva pays 240% 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: $59.0 in Thiva vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Thiva

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

00:43 12:43 AM

05:43 5:43 AM

5 h ahead of Thiva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,883

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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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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Highest

Between locations

Thiva Cebu 10,210 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Thiva
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

Thiva vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 240% higher in Thiva, 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: $338 in Thiva versus $503 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Thiva. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,135 per month in Thiva versus $915 in Cebu – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $915 in Cebu versus $1,135 in Thiva, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Thiva. 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 Thiva, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Thiva 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 24% less than in Thiva. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.