Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulm and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $2,139 in Ulm, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Ulm
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Ulm Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Ulm

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,139

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,139 in Ulm versus $934 in Cebu.

Ulm $2,139
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,265 in Ulm versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Ulm $3,265
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,390 in Ulm versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Ulm $4,390
Cebu $1,896

Living in Ulm is roughly 129% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ulm is 60% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.64 €14.85

$3.03 ₱190

449.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.4 €59.3

$23.48 ₱1,473

182.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.29 €11.86

$4.09 ₱256

224.94%

Cappuccino

$3.80 €3.39

$2.52 ₱158

50.79%

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

$4.67 €4.16

$1.54 ₱96.9

203.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.73

$0.49 ₱30.98

293.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.67 €4.17

$1.79 ₱112

160.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.95

$2.26 ₱142

95.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.95 ₱122

-25.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.43 ₱89.7

38.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 €3.73

$1.02 ₱63.8

309.80%

Eggs

$3.61 €3.22

$2.06 ₱129

75.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.40 €12.85

$9.81 ₱615

46.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.23 €9.13

$4.61 ₱289

121.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.47 €22.73

$7.70 ₱483

230.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 €3.11

$3.31 ₱207

5.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.45 ₱90.9

55.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$2.36 ₱148

-16.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 €3.47

$1.54 ₱96.4

152.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.93

$2.36 ₱148

-55.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.99 ₱125

-43.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.15 ₱72.1

46.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$0.67 ₱42.15

80.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 €8.89

$3.00 ₱188

232.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.03

$6.35 ₱398

-11.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.31 ₱81.9

-12.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.73 ₱108

-13.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.19 €2.84

$0.25 ₱15.78

1176.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.6 €57.7

$12.65 ₱793

410.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.33 ₱83.5

58.65%

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

$32.7K €29.2K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

50.28%

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

$38.6K €34.5K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

99.11%

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

$384 €342

$121 ₱7,563

218.27%

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

$34.18 €30.50

$14.45 ₱907

136.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 €47.12

$28.29 ₱1,774

86.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.91 €30.26

$32.68 ₱2,050

3.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.47 €20.05

$6.39 ₱401

251.64%

Cinema Ticket

$13.50 €12.05

$5.46 ₱342

147.25%

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

$451 €402

$273 ₱17.1K

64.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.5K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

58.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.9

$49.57 ₱3,109

82.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 €49.37

$24.87 ₱1,560

122.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 €82.5

$76.6 ₱4,804

20.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 €134

$59.3 ₱3,717

153.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 €855

$506 ₱31.7K

89.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$309 ₱19.4K

144.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 €1,684

$1,052 ₱66.0K

79.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 €1,352

$619 ₱38.8K

144.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,993 €5,349

$2,915 ₱182.9K

105.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,946 €3,522

$1,867 ₱117.1K

111.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,754 €3,350

$341 ₱21.4K

1000.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.97

7.2

-44.86%

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

Last update for Ulm: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ulm

$756 35%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 59% $446

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulm

$471 21.8%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 65.3% $307

Groceries & Markets

Ulm

$341 15.8%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 38.3% $131

Eating Out

Ulm

$277 12.9%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 68.1% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Ulm

$175 8.1%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 45.9% $80

Getting Around

Ulm

$77 * 3.6%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 80% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Ulm

$61 2.8%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 28.4% $17

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 $958 in Ulm and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ulm pays 1001% 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: $66.0 in Ulm vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $341 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Ulm

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

13:22 1:22 PM

6 h ahead of Ulm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

121,648

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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Highest

Between locations

Ulm Cebu 10,850 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Ulm
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

Ulm vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 129% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1001% higher in Ulm, 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: $958 in Ulm versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,139 per month in Ulm versus $934 in Cebu – a 129% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 411% less than in Ulm. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $2,139 in Ulm, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Ulm. 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 Ulm, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ulm 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 129% less than in Ulm. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.