Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulsan and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,339 in Ulsan, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ulsan
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Ulsan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Ulsan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,339

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,339 in Ulsan versus $918 in Cebu.

Ulsan $1,339
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,185 in Ulsan versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Ulsan $2,185
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,030 in Ulsan versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Ulsan $3,030
Cebu $1,900

Living in Ulsan is roughly 46% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ulsan 1% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.62 ₩10.1K

$3.09 ₱194

146.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.63 ₩59.3K

$24.22 ₱1,525

84.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.93 ₩7,882

$3.92 ₱247

51.28%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₩4,410

$2.51 ₱158

32.27%

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

$0.88 ₩1,175

$1.59 ₱100

-44.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₩619

$0.53 ₱33.43

-11.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 ₩4,006

$1.78 ₱112

69.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 ₩5,826

$2.17 ₱137

101.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₩3,139

$1.92 ₱121

22.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,315

$1.36 ₱85.4

138.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 ₩4,207

$1.01 ₱63.5

212.87%

Eggs

$2.73 ₩3,634

$2.03 ₱128

34.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.88 ₩14.5K

$9.86 ₱621

10.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 ₩14.1K

$4.39 ₱277

142.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.54 ₩32.6K

$7.60 ₱479

222.89%

Apples (1kg)

$11.39 ₩15.1K

$3.30 ₱208

245.15%

Banana (1kg)

$3.74 ₩4,975

$1.39 ₱87.8

169.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.09 ₩10.8K

$2.33 ₱147

247.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.05 ₩8,048

$1.50 ₱94.3

303.33%

Potato (1kg)

$6.01 ₩7,992

$2.36 ₱149

154.66%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 ₩4,328

$1.90 ₱119

71.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 ₩3,844

$1.19 ₱74.9

142.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₩1,707

$0.63 ₱39.71

103.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 ₩4,154

$3.00 ₱189

4.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.52 ₩24.6K

$6.03 ₱379

207.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 ₩3,264

$1.23 ₱77.7

99.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 ₩4,577

$1.75 ₱110

96.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,511

$0.25 ₱15.86

356.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 ₩3,849

$0.77 ₱48.62

275.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₩1,040

$0.23 ₱14.53

239.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.96 ₩22.6K

$4.46 ₱281

280.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₩1,899

$1.31 ₱82.8

9.16%

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

$30.0K ₩39.9M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

41.29%

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

$34.1K ₩45.4M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

78.28%

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

$197 ₩261.8K

$120 ₱7,569

63.76%

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

$37.06 ₩49.3K

$14.00 ₱882

164.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.21 ₩36.2K

$27.54 ₱1,734

-1.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 ₩80.3K

$32.33 ₱2,035

86.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$10.30 ₩13.7K

$5.65 ₱356

82.30%

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

$263 ₩349.3K

$275 ₱17.3K

-4.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K ₩29.3M

$7,918 ₱498.5K

178.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₩68.5K

$49.33 ₱3,106

4.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.56 ₩60.6K

$25.24 ₱1,589

80.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.0 ₩81.2K

$77.0 ₱4,846

-20.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 ₩99.7K

$57.2 ₱3,601

31.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$373 ₩495.3K

$500 ₱31.5K

-25.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 ₩324.7K

$309 ₱19.4K

-20.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 ₩1.0M

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-29.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 ₩861.8K

$615 ₱38.7K

5.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,483 ₩6.0M

$2,886 ₱181.7K

55.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,479 ₩3.3M

$1,917 ₱120.7K

29.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,331 ₩3.1M

$346 ₱21.8K

573.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

7.2

-41.39%

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

Last update for Ulsan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ulsan

$489 36.5%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 57.9% $283

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulsan

$261 19.5%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 38.1% $99

Accommodation & Living

Ulsan

$244 18.2%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 26.5% $65

Eating Out

Ulsan

$148 11%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 40.3% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Ulsan

$105 7.8%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 10.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Ulsan

$81 6.1%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 46.2% $37

Getting Around

Ulsan

$11 * 0.9%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 37.2% $4.2

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 $373 in Ulsan and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ulsan pays 574% 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: $45.00 in Ulsan vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $489 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Ulsan

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

03:39 3:39 AM

02:39 2:39 AM

1 h behind Ulsan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,129,827

964,169

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ulsan Cebu 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Ulsan
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

Ulsan vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 46% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 574% higher in Ulsan, 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: $373 in Ulsan versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 137% higher in Ulsan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,339 per month in Ulsan versus $918 in Cebu – a 46% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,339 in Ulsan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Ulsan. 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 Ulsan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ulsan 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 46% less than in Ulsan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.