Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Adelaide and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $2,622 in Adelaide, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Adelaide
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Adelaide Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Adelaide

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,622

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,622 in Adelaide versus $934 in Cebu.

Adelaide $2,622
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,683 in Adelaide versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Adelaide $3,683
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,744 in Adelaide versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Adelaide $4,744
Cebu $1,896

Living in Adelaide is roughly 181% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Adelaide is 96% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.71 A$25.35

$3.03 ₱190

484.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.5 A$105

$23.48 ₱1,473

213.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.46 A$16.40

$4.09 ₱256

180.20%

Cappuccino

$4.03 A$5.77

$2.52 ₱158

59.92%

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

$2.66 A$3.80

$1.54 ₱96.9

72.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 A$3.47

$0.49 ₱30.98

393.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.75 A$11.09

$1.79 ₱112

332.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.45 A$12.10

$2.26 ₱142

273.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 A$2.78

$1.95 ₱122

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 A$4.11

$1.43 ₱89.7

100.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 A$3.18

$1.02 ₱63.8

117.65%

Eggs

$5.96 A$8.52

$2.06 ₱129

189.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.94 A$15.66

$9.81 ₱615

11.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.60 A$12.31

$4.61 ₱289

86.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 A$26.31

$7.70 ₱483

138.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.92 A$5.61

$3.31 ₱207

18.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.28

$1.45 ₱90.9

106.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.79

$2.36 ₱148

41.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.01 A$7.17

$1.54 ₱96.4

225.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.79

$2.36 ₱148

41.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.45 A$3.51

$1.99 ₱125

23.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 A$3.53

$1.15 ₱72.1

114.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 A$3.06

$0.67 ₱42.15

219.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.98 A$62.9

$3.00 ₱188

1366.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.89 A$19.88

$6.35 ₱398

118.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$1.31 ₱81.9

306.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.27 A$8.98

$1.73 ₱108

262.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.09 A$4.43

$0.25 ₱15.78

1136.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.3 A$121

$12.65 ₱793

566.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 A$4.86

$0.74 ₱46.32

359.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 A$2.42

$0.21 ₱13.11

704.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.64 A$43.85

$4.33 ₱271

607.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 A$1.96

$1.33 ₱83.5

3.01%

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

$27.0K A$38.7K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

24.16%

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

$27.5K A$39.4K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

41.80%

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

$177 A$254

$121 ₱7,563

47.02%

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

$22.90 A$32.78

$14.45 ₱907

58.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 A$79.4

$28.29 ₱1,774

96.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.6 A$85.3

$32.68 ₱2,050

82.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.95 A$19.96

$6.39 ₱401

118.31%

Cinema Ticket

$16.75 A$23.98

$5.46 ₱342

206.78%

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

$2,079 A$2,975

$273 ₱17.1K

660.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K A$20.7K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

76.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 A$103

$49.57 ₱3,109

45.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 A$77.7

$24.87 ₱1,560

118.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$165

$76.6 ₱4,804

50.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 A$202

$59.3 ₱3,717

137.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,686 A$2,412

$506 ₱31.7K

233.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 A$1,823

$309 ₱19.4K

311.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,423 A$3,468

$1,052 ₱66.0K

130.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,834 A$2,625

$619 ₱38.8K

196.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.2K A$14.6K

$2,915 ₱182.9K

248.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,932 A$9,920

$1,867 ₱117.1K

271.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,892 A$5,570

$341 ₱21.4K

1041.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

7.2

-17.78%

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

Last update for Adelaide: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Adelaide

$1.3K 48.8%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 75.7% $964

Groceries & Markets

Adelaide

$405 15.5%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 48.1% $195

Eating Out

Adelaide

$300 11.5%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 70.6% $212

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Adelaide

$256 9.8%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 36.1% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Adelaide

$172 6.6%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 45% $77

Getting Around

Adelaide

$109 4.2%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 85.8% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Adelaide

$93 3.6%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 53.2% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,686 in Adelaide and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Adelaide pays 1041% 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: $74.0 in Adelaide vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Adelaide

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

11:33 11:33 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

2 h 30 min behind Adelaide

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,245,011

964,169

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Adelaide Cebu 5,260 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Adelaide
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

Adelaide vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Adelaide and Cebu differ by about 181% in total monthly costs ($2,622 vs $934 including rent). Cebu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1041% higher in Adelaide, 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: $1,686 in Adelaide versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,079 in Adelaide versus $273 in Cebu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 93% higher in Adelaide. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $934 in Cebu versus $2,622 in Adelaide, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Adelaide. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Adelaide 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 181% less than in Adelaide. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.