For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,631 in Vaxjo, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Vaxjo and in Cebu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,631 in Vaxjo versus $918 in Cebu.
Vaxjo $1,631
Cebu $918
Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,467 in Vaxjo versus $1,409 in Cebu.
Vaxjo $2,467
Cebu $1,409
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,303 in Vaxjo versus $1,900 in Cebu.
Vaxjo $3,303
Cebu $1,900
🌍
Living in Vaxjo is roughly 78% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.
📊
The two cities straddle the global median: Vaxjo is 21% above, Cebu is 32% below.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Vaxjo
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.37SEK 132
$3.09₱194
332.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.6SEK 630
$24.22₱1,525
162.63%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$9.82SEK 97.3
$3.92₱247
150.51%
Cappuccino
$4.07SEK 40.29
$2.51₱158
62.15%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.52SEK 15.06
$1.59₱100
-4.40%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30SEK 12.88
$0.53₱33.43
145.28%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$6.70SEK 66.4
$1.78₱112
276.40%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$6.40SEK 63.4
$2.17₱137
194.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Vaxjo
Cebu
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.74SEK 17.25
$1.92₱121
-9.37%
White Bread(500g)
$2.49SEK 24.64
$1.36₱85.4
83.09%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$3.81SEK 37.72
$1.01₱63.5
277.23%
Eggs
$4.56SEK 45.18
$2.03₱128
124.63%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$13.27SEK 131
$9.86₱621
34.58%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$10.55SEK 105
$4.39₱277
140.32%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$12.01SEK 119
$7.60₱479
58.03%
Apples(1kg)
$3.13SEK 31.05
$3.30₱208
-5.15%
Banana(1kg)
$2.00SEK 19.83
$1.39₱87.8
43.88%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.04SEK 20.24
$2.33₱147
-12.45%
Tomato(1kg)
$4.61SEK 45.64
$1.50₱94.3
207.33%
Potato(1kg)
$1.40SEK 13.90
$2.36₱149
-40.68%
Onion(1kg)
$1.55SEK 15.39
$1.90₱119
-18.42%
Lettuce(1 head)
$2.19SEK 21.71
$1.19₱74.9
84.03%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$1.37SEK 13.54
$0.63₱39.71
117.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$6.86SEK 68.0
$3.00₱189
128.67%
Wine(Bottle)
$7.62SEK 75.5
$6.03₱379
26.37%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.91SEK 18.91
$1.23₱77.7
55.28%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56SEK 15.45
$1.75₱110
-10.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Vaxjo
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$3.17SEK 31.38
$0.25₱15.86
1168.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$64.8SEK 642
$12.64₱796
412.74%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$7.97SEK 79.0
$0.77₱48.62
935.06%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$1.95SEK 19.28
$0.23₱14.53
747.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$78.8SEK 780
$4.46₱281
1665.92%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.75SEK 17.34
$1.31₱82.8
33.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.7KSEK 324.5K
$21.2K₱1.3M
54.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.6KSEK 323.4K
$19.1K₱1.2M
70.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vaxjo
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$90.1SEK 893
$120₱7,569
-25.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.97SEK 297
$14.00₱882
114.07%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.98SEK 307
$27.54₱1,734
12.49%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Vaxjo
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$35.44SEK 351
$32.33₱2,035
9.62%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.01SEK 198
$6.65₱419
200.90%
Cinema Ticket
$15.63SEK 155
$5.65₱356
176.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Vaxjo
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$150SEK 1,483
$275₱17.3K
-45.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
-
$7,918₱498.5K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Vaxjo
Cebu
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$97.6SEK 967
$49.33₱3,106
97.85%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.45SEK 302
$25.24₱1,589
20.64%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$68.4SEK 678
$77.0₱4,846
-11.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.9SEK 841
$57.2₱3,601
48.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Vaxjo
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$794SEK 7,867
$500₱31.5K
58.94%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$625SEK 6,192
$309₱19.4K
102.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,499SEK 14.8K
$1,078₱67.9K
39.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$939SEK 9,304
$615₱38.7K
52.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
-
$2,886₱181.7K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$2,507SEK 24.8K
$1,917₱120.7K
30.78%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Vaxjo
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$3,172SEK 31.4K
$346₱21.8K
816.79%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
4.13
7.2
-42.64%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Vaxjo: October 11, 2026
Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Vaxjo
$625 38.3%
Cebu
$309 33.6% ↓ 50.6%$316
🛒Groceries & Markets
Vaxjo
$324 19.8%
Cebu
$206 22.4% ↓ 36.4%$118
🍽Eating Out
Vaxjo
$243 14.9%
Cebu
$88 9.6% ↓ 63.7%$155
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vaxjo
$151 9.3%
Cebu
$162 17.6% ↑ 7.1%$11
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Vaxjo
$127 7.8%
Cebu
$94 10.2% ↓ 25.8%$33
🚌Getting Around
Vaxjo
$95 5.8%
Cebu
$16 1.7% ↓ 83.6%$80
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Vaxjo
$67 4.1%
Cebu
$44 4.8% ↓ 34.6%$23
🏠Accommodation & Living
Vaxjo
$939 28.4%
Cebu
$615 32.4% ↓ 34.5%$324
🛒Groceries & Markets
Vaxjo
$750 22.7%
Cebu
$483 25.4% ↓ 35.7%$267
🍽Eating Out
Vaxjo
$802 24.3%
Cebu
$292 15.4% ↓ 63.6%$509
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vaxjo
$181 5.5%
Cebu
$176 9.3% ↓ 2.9%$5.3
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Vaxjo
$281 8.5%
Cebu
$209 11% ↓ 25.8%$73
🚌Getting Around
Vaxjo
$197 6%
Cebu
$32 1.7% ↓ 83.9%$165
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Vaxjo
$153 4.6%
Cebu
$94 4.9% ↓ 38.8%$60
Cost Breakdown
🏠A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $794 in Vaxjo and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Vaxjo pays 817% 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: $64.0 in Vaxjo vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.
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
Vaxjo vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cebu cheaper than Vaxjo?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 78% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Vaxjo or Cebu?
Average pay runs 817% higher in Vaxjo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Vaxjo and Cebu?
Rent for a central apartment: $794 in Vaxjo 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 Vaxjo and in Cebu?
All in, you'll spend $1,631 per month in Vaxjo versus $918 in Cebu – a 78% 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 413% less than in Vaxjo. 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 Vaxjo or in Cebu?
At $918 in Cebu versus $1,631 in Vaxjo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Vaxjo. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Vaxjo or Cebu more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Vaxjo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Vaxjo or Cebu?
Safety-wise, Vaxjo 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 78% less than in Vaxjo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.