Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $934 in Cebu.

Austin, TX $2,704
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Austin, TX $4,133
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Austin, TX $5,562
Cebu $1,896

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 189% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$3.03 ₱191

567.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$23.48 ₱1,476

262.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$4.09 ₱257

201.96%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.52 ₱158

117.06%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.54 ₱97.2

148.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.49 ₱31.06

410.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$1.79 ₱113

350.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$2.26 ₱142

297.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.95 ₱122

-42.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.43 ₱89.9

164.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.02 ₱64.0

218.63%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.06 ₱129

100.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$9.81 ₱617

33.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$4.61 ₱290

210.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$7.70 ₱484

107.27%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.31 ₱208

32.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.45 ₱91.2

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.36 ₱148

92.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.54 ₱96.6

172.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.36 ₱148

11.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.99 ₱125

18.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.15 ₱72.3

53.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.67 ₱42.26

222.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$3.00 ₱189

227.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$6.35 ₱399

131.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.31 ₱82.1

112.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.73 ₱109

101.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.25 ₱15.82

496.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$12.65 ₱796

220.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$0.74 ₱46.44

260.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.21 ₱13.15

652.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$4.33 ₱272

715.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.33 ₱83.7

-25.56%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

64.50%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

40.10%

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

$219 $219

$121 ₱7,583

81.85%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$14.45 ₱909

301.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$28.29 ₱1,779

141.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$32.68 ₱2,055

77.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$6.39 ₱402

131.92%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$5.46 ₱343

158.79%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$273 ₱17.2K

451.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$8,156 ₱512.9K

163.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$49.57 ₱3,117

4.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$24.87 ₱1,564

77.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$76.6 ₱4,817

11.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$59.3 ₱3,727

77.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$506 ₱31.8K

282.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$309 ₱19.5K

311.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,052 ₱66.1K

248.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$619 ₱38.9K

307.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$2,915 ₱183.4K

161.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,867 ₱117.4K

71.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$341 ₱21.5K

1396.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

7.2

-5.69%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 75.7% $963

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 47.8% $192

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 74.6% $260

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 52.7% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 26.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 49.4% $43

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 72.9% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1397% 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: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

20:39 8:39 PM

09:39 9:39 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

964,169

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

PHP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Cebu 13,680 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
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

Austin, TX vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu wins on cost – living expenses run 189% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cebu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1397% higher in Austin, TX, 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $934 in Cebu – a 189% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 220% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cebu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $934 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cebu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX 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 189% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.