Cost of living comparison
compared to
Cebu vs. Manila Cost of Living Summary
Cebu is 4.3% cheaper than Manila.
- Restaurants
-
pay 23.8% less in Cebu
- Groceries
-
pay 1.9% more in Cebu
- Transportation
-
pay 3.6% more in Cebu
- Housing
-
pay 3.0% less in Cebu
- Childcare
-
pay 5.0% more in Cebu
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 9.4% less in Cebu
- Clothing
-
pay 4.7% less in Cebu
The cost of childcare, transportation, and groceries in Cebu are more expensive than in Manila. Expenses including restaurants, entertainment and sports, clothing, and housing are lower in Cebu.
Cebu vs. Manila Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Cebu instead of Manila, you would:
pay 23.8% less for restaurants
|
Manila
|
Cebu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$6.02
₱355.03
|
$4.30
₱253.60
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.30
₱253.60
|
$4.30
₱253.60
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.97
₱57.27
|
$0.77
₱45.54
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.50
₱29.69
|
$0.39
₱23.11
|
|
Manila vs. Cebu - Cost of restaurants
pay 1.9% more for groceries
|
Manila
|
Cebu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.33
₱78.64
|
$1.50
₱88.25
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.28
₱252.12
|
$6.25
₱368.73
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.32
₱431.63
|
$8.34
₱491.74
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.21
₱130.51
|
$2.27
₱134.13
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.28
₱134.63
|
$2.24
₱132.13
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.52
₱89.37
|
$1.56
₱92.02
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.82
₱48.49
|
$0.66
₱39.11
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.64
₱96.51
|
$1.47
₱86.92
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.02
₱60.36
|
$0.98
₱57.89
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.17
₱68.98
|
$1.14
₱67.48
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.37
₱81.04
|
$1.11
₱65.18
|
|
Manila vs. Cebu - Cost of groceries
pay 3.6% more for transportation
|
Manila
|
Cebu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.18
₱246.46
|
$4.11
₱242.54
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$13.76
₱811.51
|
$14.62
₱862.22
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$25,288.58
₱1,491,141.28
|
$29,245.30
₱1,724,449.10
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$2.92
₱172.44
|
$2.75
₱162.30
|
|
Manila vs. Cebu - Cost of transportation
pay 3.0% less for housing
|
Manila
|
Cebu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$27.10
₱1,598.07
|
$29.58
₱1,744.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$512.96
₱30,246.98
|
$494.59
₱29,163.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$251.74
₱14,843.72
|
$268.37
₱15,824.36
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$100.49
₱5,925.44
|
$76.30
₱4,499.08
|
|
Manila vs. Cebu - Cost of housing
pay 5.0% more for childcare
|
Manila
|
Cebu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$138.58
₱8,171.41
|
$253.75
₱14,962.13
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$17,035.39
₱1,004,491.60
|
$4,587.50
₱270,501.82
|
|
Manila vs. Cebu - Cost of childcare
pay 9.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
Manila
|
Cebu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.46
₱86.22
|
$1.50
₱88.38
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.59
₱152.56
|
$2.57
₱151.62
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.27
₱192.73
|
$3.18
₱187.66
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$42.13
₱2,484.39
|
$32.30
₱1,904.78
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$7.48
₱441.26
|
$5.76
₱339.82
|
|
Manila vs. Cebu - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.7% less for clothing
|
Manila
|
Cebu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.23
₱2,902.69
|
$52.64
₱3,103.81
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$29.70
₱1,751.10
|
$22.36
₱1,318.70
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$80.85
₱4,767.52
|
$73.54
₱4,336.48
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$49.70
₱2,930.32
|
$53.76
₱3,169.94
|
|
Manila vs. Cebu - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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