Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zaragoza and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,694 in Zaragoza, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Zaragoza
Learn more

Zaragoza Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Zaragoza

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,694

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,694 in Zaragoza versus $918 in Cebu.

Zaragoza $1,694
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Zaragoza versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Zaragoza $2,478
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,263 in Zaragoza versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Zaragoza $3,263
Cebu $1,900

Living in Zaragoza is roughly 85% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.54 €14.72

$3.09 ₱194

435.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.9 €50.6

$24.22 ₱1,525

134.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$3.92 ₱247

187.50%

Cappuccino

$2.12 €1.89

$2.51 ₱158

-15.54%

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

$2.43 €2.16

$1.59 ₱100

52.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.53 ₱33.43

190.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 €3.05

$1.78 ₱112

92.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.93

$2.17 ₱137

52.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.92 ₱121

-38.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.36 ₱85.4

43.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.01 ₱63.5

47.52%

Eggs

$2.81 €2.50

$2.03 ₱128

38.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.17 €14.39

$9.86 ₱621

64.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 €7.98

$4.39 ₱277

104.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.00 €18.68

$7.60 ₱479

176.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 €2.37

$3.30 ₱208

-19.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$1.39 ₱87.8

79.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.31

$2.33 ₱147

11.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.08 €2.74

$1.50 ₱94.3

105.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$2.36 ₱149

-15.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.90 ₱119

17.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.19 ₱74.9

48.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 €0.65

$0.63 ₱39.71

15.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.12 €5.44

$3.00 ₱189

104.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.38 €3.90

$6.03 ₱379

-27.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.82

$1.23 ₱77.7

-25.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 €3.07

$1.75 ₱110

97.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 €1.50

$0.25 ₱15.86

576.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.91 €28.38

$12.64 ₱796

152.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.32 €2.06

$0.77 ₱48.62

201.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.23 ₱14.53

360.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.17 €25.95

$4.46 ₱281

554.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.31 ₱82.8

35.11%

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

$35.6K €31.6K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

67.40%

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

$29.3K €26.1K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

53.15%

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

$161 €144

$120 ₱7,569

34.28%

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

$11.52 €10.25

$14.00 ₱882

-17.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.33 €18.97

$27.54 ₱1,734

-22.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.72 €31.78

$32.33 ₱2,035

10.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.36 €12.77

$6.65 ₱419

115.94%

Cinema Ticket

$9.10 €8.09

$5.65 ₱356

61.06%

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

$493 €439

$275 ₱17.3K

79.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,876 €7,006

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-0.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 €79.6

$49.33 ₱3,106

81.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.48 €34.23

$25.24 ₱1,589

52.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 €89.0

$77.0 ₱4,846

29.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$57.2 ₱3,601

98.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 €721

$500 ₱31.5K

62.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 €630

$309 ₱19.4K

129.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 €1,145

$1,078 ₱67.9K

19.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 €898

$615 ₱38.7K

64.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,196 €2,843

$2,886 ₱181.7K

10.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,944 €1,729

$1,917 ₱120.7K

1.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,009 €1,787

$346 ₱21.8K

480.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

7.2

-51.94%

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

Last update for Zaragoza: 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

Zaragoza

$709 41.8%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 56.4% $400

Groceries & Markets

Zaragoza

$306 18.1%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 32.7% $100

Eating Out

Zaragoza

$231 13.7%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 61.8% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zaragoza

$194 11.5%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 16.7% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Zaragoza

$154 9.1%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 38.9% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Zaragoza

$54 3.2%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 19.1% $10

Getting Around

Zaragoza

$46 2.7%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 66.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $810 in Zaragoza and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zaragoza pays 481% 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: $57.0 in Zaragoza vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $306 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Zaragoza

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

20:28 8:28 PM

02:28 2:28 AM

6 h ahead of Zaragoza

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

682,513

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zaragoza Cebu 11,950 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Zaragoza
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

Zaragoza vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 85% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 481% higher in Zaragoza, 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: $810 in Zaragoza versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,694 per month in Zaragoza versus $918 in Cebu – a 85% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 152% less than in Zaragoza. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,694 in Zaragoza, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Zaragoza. 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 Zaragoza, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Zaragoza 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 85% less than in Zaragoza. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.