Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Trieste and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,890 in Trieste, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Trieste
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Trieste Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Trieste

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,890

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,890 in Trieste versus $934 in Cebu.

Trieste $1,890
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,892 in Trieste versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Trieste $2,892
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,893 in Trieste versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Trieste $3,893
Cebu $1,896

Living in Trieste is roughly 102% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Trieste is 41% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.49 €20.07

$3.03 ₱190

642.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.6 €64.8

$23.48 ₱1,473

209.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.19 €11.77

$4.09 ₱256

222.49%

Cappuccino

$2.15 €1.92

$2.52 ₱158

-14.68%

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

$3.85 €3.43

$1.54 ₱96.9

150.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.96

$0.49 ₱30.98

346.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.79 €5.16

$1.79 ₱112

223.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 €5.13

$2.26 ₱142

154.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.95 ₱122

15.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 €2.79

$1.43 ₱89.7

118.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.84 €3.43

$1.02 ₱63.8

276.47%

Eggs

$4.16 €3.71

$2.06 ₱129

101.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.20 €13.57

$9.81 ₱615

54.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 €10.44

$4.61 ₱289

153.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.61 €15.71

$7.70 ₱483

128.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.48

$3.31 ₱207

-16.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.45 ₱90.9

46.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 €2.71

$2.36 ₱148

28.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 €3.82

$1.54 ₱96.4

177.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.35 €2.10

$2.36 ₱148

-0.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.99 ₱125

28.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.15 ₱72.1

99.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$0.67 ₱42.15

16.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 €5.93

$3.00 ₱188

121.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.90 €7.05

$6.35 ₱398

24.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.31 ₱81.9

35.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.73 ₱108

41.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$0.25 ₱15.78

560.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.88 €39.15

$12.65 ₱793

246.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.65 €7.72

$0.74 ₱46.32

1068.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 €1.62

$0.21 ₱13.11

766.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.13 €30.46

$4.33 ₱271

688.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.33 ₱83.5

63.91%

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

$37.0K €33.0K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

69.77%

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

$36.2K €32.3K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

86.68%

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

$221 €197

$121 ₱7,563

83.17%

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

$9.88 €8.81

$14.45 ₱907

-31.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.44 €28.06

$28.29 ₱1,774

11.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 €45.38

$32.68 ₱2,050

55.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.32 €36.87

$6.39 ₱401

546.64%

Cinema Ticket

$9.01 €8.04

$5.46 ₱342

65.02%

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

$793 €708

$273 ₱17.1K

190.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K €10.5K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

44.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €99.0

$49.57 ₱3,109

123.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.39 €31.58

$24.87 ₱1,560

42.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €102

$76.6 ₱4,804

49.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €120

$59.3 ₱3,717

126.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$818 €730

$506 ₱31.7K

61.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 €583

$309 ₱19.4K

111.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,389 €1,240

$1,052 ₱66.0K

32.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,038 €927

$619 ₱38.8K

67.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,619 €3,229

$2,915 ₱182.9K

24.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,143 €1,912

$1,867 ₱117.1K

14.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,904 €1,699

$341 ₱21.4K

458.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.26

7.2

-54.72%

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

Last update for Trieste: 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

Trieste

$654 34.3%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 52.7% $344

Groceries & Markets

Trieste

$363 19.1%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 42.1% $153

Eating Out

Trieste

$310 16.3%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 71.5% $221

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Trieste

$262 13.8%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 37.7% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Trieste

$178 9.3%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 46.7% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Trieste

$69 3.6%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 36.7% $25

Getting Around

Trieste

$68 3.6%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 77.4% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $818 in Trieste and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Trieste pays 458% 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: $73.0 in Trieste vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $363 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Trieste

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

05:48 5:48 AM

11:48 11:48 AM

6 h ahead of Trieste

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

200,609

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

Trieste Cebu 10,700 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Trieste
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

Trieste vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 102% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 458% higher in Trieste, 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: $818 in Trieste versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,890 per month in Trieste versus $934 in Cebu – a 102% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 247% less than in Trieste. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,890 in Trieste, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Trieste. 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 Trieste, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Trieste 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 102% less than in Trieste. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.