Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zakynthos and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,686 in Zakynthos, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Zakynthos
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Zakynthos Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Zakynthos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,686

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,686 in Zakynthos versus $918 in Cebu.

Zakynthos $1,686
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,543 in Zakynthos versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Zakynthos $2,543
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,400 in Zakynthos versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Zakynthos $3,400
Cebu $1,900

Living in Zakynthos is roughly 84% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zakynthos is 25% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.04 €24.94

$3.09 ₱194

807.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.4 €50.1

$24.22 ₱1,525

132.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 €9.83

$3.92 ₱247

181.89%

Cappuccino

$4.78 €4.25

$2.51 ₱158

90.44%

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

$5.61 €4.99

$1.59 ₱100

252.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 €0.55

$0.53 ₱33.43

16.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 €4.38

$1.78 ₱112

176.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.75 €6.00

$2.17 ₱137

211.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.92 ₱121

18.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.36 ₱85.4

41.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.01 ₱63.5

153.47%

Eggs

$4.72 €4.19

$2.03 ₱128

132.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.78 €13.15

$9.86 ₱621

49.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.79 €13.15

$4.39 ₱277

236.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.29 €10.93

$7.60 ₱479

61.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 €3.15

$3.30 ₱208

7.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.39 ₱87.8

50.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.33 ₱147

-41.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 €1.69

$1.50 ₱94.3

27.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.36 ₱149

-50.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.90 ₱119

-38.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.19 ₱74.9

-6.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.75

$0.63 ₱39.71

211.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.23 €4.65

$3.00 ₱189

74.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.11 €6.32

$6.03 ₱379

17.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.56

$1.23 ₱77.7

43.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 €2.32

$1.75 ₱110

49.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 €1.78

$0.25 ₱15.86

700.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.72 €39.78

$12.64 ₱796

253.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.27 €3.80

$0.77 ₱48.62

454.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 €1.00

$0.23 ₱14.53

391.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.48 €15.55

$4.46 ₱281

291.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.31 ₱82.8

48.85%

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

$23.9K €21.2K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

12.37%

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

$21.8K €19.4K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

13.76%

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

$201 €179

$120 ₱7,569

67.48%

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

$42.62 €37.91

$14.00 ₱882

204.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.11 €26.79

$27.54 ₱1,734

9.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 €44.53

$32.33 ₱2,035

54.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.47 €23.55

$6.65 ₱419

298.05%

Cinema Ticket

$9.50 €8.45

$5.65 ₱356

68.14%

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

$428 €380

$275 ₱17.3K

55.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,273 €7,359

$7,918 ₱498.5K

4.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.3 €79.4

$49.33 ₱3,106

81.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.12 €34.80

$25.24 ₱1,589

54.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €109

$77.0 ₱4,846

59.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 €122

$57.2 ₱3,601

140.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$384 €341

$500 ₱31.5K

-23.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 €351

$309 ₱19.4K

27.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$781 €695

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-27.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 €500

$615 ₱38.7K

-8.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,621 €2,331

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-9.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,228 €1,982

$1,917 ₱120.7K

16.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,311 €1,166

$346 ₱21.8K

279.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

7.2

-38.06%

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

Last update for Zakynthos: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zakynthos

$394 23.4%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 21.7% $86

Eating Out

Zakynthos

$378 22.4%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 76.6% $290

Groceries & Markets

Zakynthos

$334 19.8%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 38.3% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zakynthos

$274 16.3%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 41% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Zakynthos

$175 10.4%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 46.3% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Zakynthos

$69 4.1%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 36.8% $25

Getting Around

Zakynthos

$63 3.7%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 75.1% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $384 in Zakynthos and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zakynthos pays 279% 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: $56.0 in Zakynthos vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $334 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Zakynthos

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

18:36 6:36 PM

23:36 11:36 PM

5 h ahead of Zakynthos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,015

964,169

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zakynthos Cebu 10,430 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Zakynthos
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

Zakynthos vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 84% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 279% higher in Zakynthos, 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: $384 in Zakynthos versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,686 per month in Zakynthos versus $918 in Cebu – a 84% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 254% less than in Zakynthos. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,686 in Zakynthos, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Zakynthos. 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 Zakynthos, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Zakynthos 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 84% less than in Zakynthos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.