Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zebbug and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,935 in Zebbug, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Zebbug
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Zebbug Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Zebbug

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,935

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,935 in Zebbug versus $918 in Cebu.

Zebbug $1,935
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,072 in Zebbug versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Zebbug $3,072
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,208 in Zebbug versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Zebbug $4,208
Cebu $1,900

Living in Zebbug is roughly 111% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zebbug is 43% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.75 €17.57

$3.09 ₱194

539.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.6 €70.8

$24.22 ₱1,525

228.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.23 €6.43

$3.92 ₱247

84.44%

Cappuccino

$3.08 €2.74

$2.51 ₱158

22.71%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.59 ₱100

42.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.53 ₱33.43

105.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.59 €4.08

$1.78 ₱112

157.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 €4.24

$2.17 ₱137

119.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.92 ₱121

-32.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.36 ₱85.4

2.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.58 €3.18

$1.01 ₱63.5

254.46%

Eggs

$4.39 €3.91

$2.03 ₱128

116.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 €9.06

$9.86 ₱621

3.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.79 €10.49

$4.39 ₱277

168.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.45 €16.41

$7.60 ₱479

142.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 €3.26

$3.30 ₱208

10.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.79 €2.48

$1.39 ₱87.8

100.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.85 €3.43

$2.33 ₱147

65.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 €3.27

$1.50 ₱94.3

145.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 €1.71

$2.36 ₱149

-18.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.90 ₱119

81.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.19 ₱74.9

90.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.34

$0.63 ₱39.71

139.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.16 €5.48

$3.00 ₱189

105.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.77 €5.14

$6.03 ₱379

-4.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.23 ₱77.7

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 €2.07

$1.75 ₱110

33.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 €2.13

$0.25 ₱15.86

856.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 €3.46

$0.77 ₱48.62

405.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 €1.62

$0.23 ₱14.53

691.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.86 €29.23

$4.46 ₱281

636.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.31 ₱82.8

11.45%

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

$27.4K €24.4K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

28.91%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

100.99%

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

$158 €140

$120 ₱7,569

31.32%

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

$31.32 €27.86

$14.00 ₱882

123.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.42 €26.17

$27.54 ₱1,734

6.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.6 €53.0

$32.33 ₱2,035

84.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$11.30 €10.05

$5.65 ₱356

100.00%

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

$275 €245

$275 ₱17.3K

-0.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K €11.1K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

57.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.3 €50.1

$49.33 ₱3,106

14.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.6 €60.1

$25.24 ₱1,589

167.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €97.4

$77.0 ₱4,846

42.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$57.2 ₱3,601

127.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 €1,096

$500 ₱31.5K

146.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$845 €752

$309 ₱19.4K

173.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 €1,568

$1,078 ₱67.9K

63.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,637 €1,456

$615 ₱38.7K

166.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,894 €3,464

$2,886 ₱181.7K

34.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,048 €2,711

$1,917 ₱120.7K

59.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

7.2

-43.75%

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

Last update for Zebbug: 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

Zebbug

$845 43.7%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 63.4% $536

Groceries & Markets

Zebbug

$341 17.6%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 39.6% $135

Eating Out

Zebbug

$263 13.6%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 66.4% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zebbug

$219 11.3%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 26% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Zebbug

$163 8.5%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 42.5% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Zebbug

$82 4.3%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 47% $39

Getting Around

Zebbug

$23 * 1.2%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 31% $7

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 $1,232 in Zebbug and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $80.0 in Zebbug vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $341 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Zebbug

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

04:35 4:35 AM

10:35 10:35 AM

6 h ahead of Zebbug

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,770

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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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

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Between locations

Zebbug Cebu 11,050 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Zebbug
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

Zebbug vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 111% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,903 in Zebbug 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: $1,232 in Zebbug versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in Zebbug. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,935 per month in Zebbug versus $918 in Cebu – a 111% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,935 in Zebbug, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Zebbug. 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 Zebbug, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Zebbug 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 111% less than in Zebbug. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.