Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tsushima Island and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,243 in Tsushima Island, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Tsushima Island
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,243
/mo nomad
Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,243 in Tsushima Island versus $918 in Cebu.

  • Tsushima Island $1,243
  • Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,932 in Tsushima Island versus $1,409 in Cebu.

  • Tsushima Island $1,932
  • Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,621 in Tsushima Island versus $1,900 in Cebu.

  • Tsushima Island $2,621
  • Cebu $1,900

Living in Tsushima Island is roughly 35% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tsushima Island 8% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tsushima Island
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.05 ¥1,115
$3.09 ₱194
128.16%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.88 ¥5,511
$24.22 ₱1,525
44.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.41 ¥855
$3.92 ₱247
38.01%
Cappuccino
$3.10 ¥489
$2.51 ₱158
23.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.09 ¥172
$1.59 ₱100
-31.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 ¥121
$0.53 ₱33.43
43.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.14 ¥338
$1.78 ₱112
20.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 ¥480
$2.17 ₱137
40.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tsushima Island
Cebu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 ¥239
$1.92 ₱121
-21.35%
White Bread (500g)
$1.65 ¥261
$1.36 ₱85.4
21.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.90 ¥774
$1.01 ₱63.5
385.15%
Eggs
$2.32 ¥366
$2.03 ₱128
14.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.15 ¥1,604
$9.86 ₱621
2.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.14 ¥970
$4.39 ₱277
39.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.73 ¥2,485
$7.60 ₱479
106.97%
Apples (1kg)
$5.23 ¥826
$3.30 ₱208
58.48%
Banana (1kg)
$2.55 ¥402
$1.39 ₱87.8
83.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.07 ¥644
$2.33 ₱147
74.68%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.65 ¥735
$1.50 ₱94.3
210.00%
Potato (1kg)
$3.31 ¥523
$2.36 ₱149
40.25%
Onion (1kg)
$2.68 ¥424
$1.90 ₱119
41.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.38 ¥218
$1.19 ₱74.9
15.97%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 ¥139
$0.63 ₱39.71
39.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.21 ¥665
$3.00 ₱189
40.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.52 ¥1,031
$6.03 ₱379
8.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.01 ¥317
$1.23 ₱77.7
63.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.30 ¥364
$1.75 ₱110
31.43%
🚌 Getting Around
Tsushima Island
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.67 ¥264
$0.25 ₱15.86
568.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$55.2 ¥8,717
$12.64 ₱796
336.47%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.45 ¥546
$0.77 ₱48.62
348.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.91 ¥460
$0.23 ₱14.53
1165.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.07 ¥3,329
$4.46 ₱281
372.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 ¥196
$1.31 ₱82.8
-5.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.1K ¥3.6M
$21.2K ₱1.3M
8.60%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.2K ¥2.7M
$19.1K ₱1.2M
-10.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tsushima Island
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$139 ¥21.9K
$120 ₱7,569
15.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.86 ¥4,244
$14.00 ₱882
91.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.31 ¥5,420
$27.54 ₱1,734
24.58%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tsushima Island
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.7 ¥9,269
$32.33 ₱2,035
81.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.77 ¥2,176
$6.65 ₱419
107.07%
Cinema Ticket
$13.36 ¥2,111
$5.65 ₱356
136.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tsushima Island
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$283 ¥44.7K
$275 ₱17.3K
2.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.3K ¥2.1M
$7,918 ₱498.5K
68.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tsushima Island
Cebu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.68 ¥6,742
$49.33 ₱3,106
-13.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.86 ¥4,717
$25.24 ₱1,589
18.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$59.3 ¥9,365
$77.0 ₱4,846
-22.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.5 ¥14.3K
$57.2 ₱3,601
58.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tsushima Island
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$463 ¥73.1K
$500 ₱31.5K
-7.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$334 ¥52.8K
$309 ₱19.4K
8.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$877 ¥138.6K
$1,078 ₱67.9K
-18.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$657 ¥103.8K
$615 ₱38.7K
6.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,841 ¥448.8K
$2,886 ₱181.7K
-1.57%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,775 ¥280.5K
$1,917 ₱120.7K
-7.38%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tsushima Island
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$346 ₱21.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
1.81
7.2
-74.86%

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

Last update for Tsushima Island: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tsushima Island
$334
Cebu
$309 7.7% $26
Groceries & Markets
Tsushima Island
$309
Cebu
$206 33.4% $103
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tsushima Island
$200
Cebu
$162 19.2% $38
Eating Out
Tsushima Island
$134
Cebu
$88 34.2% $46
Clothing & Footwear
Tsushima Island
$100
Cebu
$94 6.1% $6.1
Sport & Entertainment
Tsushima Island
$85
Cebu
$44 48.9% $42
Getting Around
Tsushima Island
$80
Cebu
$16 80.5% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $463 in Tsushima Island and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Tsushima Island vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $309 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Tsushima Island
🇵🇭 Cebu
🕒 Local time
17:00 5:00 PM
16:00 4:00 PM
1 h behind Tsushima Island
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
28,000
964,169
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tsushima Island Cebu 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tsushima Island
  • 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
Tsushima Island vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cebu cheaper than Tsushima Island?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 35% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,864 in Tsushima Island 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.
What is the rent difference between Tsushima Island and Cebu?
Rent for a central apartment: $463 in Tsushima Island versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Tsushima Island and in Cebu?
All in, you'll spend $1,243 per month in Tsushima Island versus $918 in Cebu – a 35% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 336% less than in Tsushima Island. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Tsushima Island or in Cebu?
At $918 in Cebu versus $1,243 in Tsushima Island, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Tsushima Island. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Tsushima Island or Cebu more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Tsushima Island, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Tsushima Island or Cebu?
Safety-wise, Tsushima Island 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Tsushima Island. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Tsushima Island vs other spots: cost of living compared

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