Cebu City at a glance
- Cebu City ranks 10th of 11 priced cities in Philippines on cost: $682 a month in essentials, 54% above General Santos, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $347 covers that 0.5×.
- 102 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at city level.
- PM2.5 averages 7.4 µg/m³ a year, 1× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 11 Philippines cities we track, so every row says whether Cebu City is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $682 | $550 | $132 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $309 | $205 | 1.51× as much |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $504 | $293 | 1.72× as much |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $112 | $106 | $6 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $97 | $86 | $11 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $151 | $146 | $5 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $13 | $13 | same |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $347 | $259 | 1.34× as much |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $639 | $422 | 1.51× as much |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $1,087 | $631 | 1.72× as much |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Cebu City, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $4.05 | $3.89 | $0.16 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $24.33 | $19.46 | 1.25× as much |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $4.05 | $4.05 | same |
| Cappuccino, regular | $2.57 | $2.43 | $0.14 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $1.78 | $1.26 | 1.41× as much |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $2.27 | $2.06 | $0.21 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $1.42 | $0.70 | 2.03× as much |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.52 | $0.43 | $0.09 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $2.00 | $1.68 | $0.32 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $1.40 | $1.17 | $0.23 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $1.01 | $0.93 | $0.08 |
| Eggs, 12 | $2.04 | $1.98 | $0.06 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $10.15 | $7.91 | 1.28× as much |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $4.57 | $4.32 | $0.25 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $3.46 | $2.70 | 1.28× as much |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $1.45 | $1.30 | $0.15 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $1.54 | $1.30 | $0.24 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $2.43 | $2.20 | $0.23 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $1.97 | $2.35 | $0.38 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $0.66 | $0.66 | same |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $0.24 | $0.34 | 1.42× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $12.65 | $11.34 | $1.31 |
| Taxi start | $0.78 | $0.78 | same |
| Taxi, 1 km | $0.22 | $0.24 | $0.02 |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.26 | $1.12 | $0.14 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $122.99 | $122.35 | $0.64 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $28.31 | $27.57 | $0.74 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $15.20 | $11.18 | 1.36× as much |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $32.98 | $24.56 | 1.34× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $5.68 | $4.94 | $0.74 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Cebu City has 102 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (city level). That is the 7th-highest of 12 Philippines cities we track. Philippines's national figure is 101.7 — about even.
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Cebu City ranks against every city we track
Cebu City sits ahead of 80% of the 898 cities we track on clean air. On cost of living it is ahead of 76% of 542. Its weakest measure is salary against local costs, ahead of only 7% of 534.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Cebu City sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
Need the full Philippines model?
Open the gated deep-dive for city shortlist, cost detail, weather, visa, tax, dating-market signals, and subregion rankings.
Unlock Philippines deep-dive
Photo: DisRaptor18, CC0.
