Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Umag and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,532 in Umag, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Umag
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Umag Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Umag

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,532

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,532 in Umag versus $918 in Cebu.

Umag $1,532
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,439 in Umag versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Umag $2,439
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,345 in Umag versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Umag $3,345
Cebu $1,900

Living in Umag is roughly 67% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Umag is 13% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.31 €10.99

$3.09 ₱194

298.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.5 €56.7

$24.22 ₱1,522

162.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.93 €7.08

$3.92 ₱246

102.30%

Cappuccino

$2.18 €1.95

$2.51 ₱157

-13.15%

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

$2.98 €2.66

$1.59 ₱100

87.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.01

$0.53 ₱33.37

324.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 €2.97

$1.78 ₱112

87.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €4.00

$2.17 ₱136

106.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.92 ₱121

-35.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.36 ₱85.2

17.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.72 €2.43

$1.01 ₱63.4

169.31%

Eggs

$3.89 €3.47

$2.03 ₱127

91.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.81 €13.23

$9.86 ₱620

50.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.80 €10.53

$4.39 ₱276

168.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.92 €16.00

$7.60 ₱478

135.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 €2.05

$3.30 ₱207

-30.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.39 ₱87.6

28.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$2.33 ₱147

-12.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$1.50 ₱94.1

67.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$2.36 ₱148

-44.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.90 ₱119

-40.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.19 ₱74.8

-0.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.25

$0.63 ₱39.63

120.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 €5.27

$3.00 ₱189

96.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.09 €9.01

$6.03 ₱379

67.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.23 ₱77.5

36.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.75 ₱110

46.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 €1.62

$0.25 ₱15.83

624.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.73 €35.48

$12.64 ₱794

214.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 €1.98

$0.77 ₱48.52

188.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.23 ₱14.50

491.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.94 €10.66

$4.46 ₱280

167.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.31 ₱82.6

46.56%

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

$27.7K €24.7K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

30.35%

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

$26.9K €24.0K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

40.35%

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

$215 €192

$120 ₱7,554

78.49%

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

$22.92 €20.47

$14.00 ₱880

63.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.61 €36.27

$27.54 ₱1,731

47.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 €46.54

$32.33 ₱2,031

61.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.38 €13.74

$6.65 ₱418

131.28%

Cinema Ticket

$8.39 €7.49

$5.65 ₱355

48.50%

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

$495 €442

$275 ₱17.3K

79.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,808 €8,758

$7,918 ₱497.5K

23.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €95.4

$49.33 ₱3,100

116.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.30 €38.67

$25.24 ₱1,586

71.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.7 €84.6

$77.0 ₱4,836

23.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 €98.3

$57.2 ₱3,594

92.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 €601

$500 ₱31.4K

34.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 €409

$309 ₱19.4K

48.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,025

$1,078 ₱67.7K

6.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 €873

$615 ₱38.7K

58.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,640 €4,143

$2,886 ₱181.3K

60.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,948 €2,632

$1,917 ₱120.4K

53.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

7.2

-54.17%

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

Last update for Umag: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Umag

$458 29.9%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 32.6% $149

Groceries & Markets

Umag

$316 20.6%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 34.9% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Umag

$278 18.2%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 41.8% $116

Eating Out

Umag

$195 12.7%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 54.7% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Umag

$160 10.4%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 41.2% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Umag

$69 4.5%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 36.7% $25

Getting Around

Umag

$56 3.7%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 72.2% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Umag and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $64.0 in Umag vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Umag

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

12:19 12:19 PM

18:19 6:19 PM

6 h ahead of Umag

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 62.83 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.36 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Umag Cebu 10,730 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Umag
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

Umag vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 67% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,298 in Umag 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $673 in Umag versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,532 per month in Umag versus $918 in Cebu – a 67% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 214% less than in Umag. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,532 in Umag, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Umag. 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 Umag, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Umag 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 67% less than in Umag. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.