Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $2,529 in Cairns, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Cairns
Learn more

Cairns Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Cairns

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,529

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,529 per month in Cairns vs $934 in Cebu, rent included.

Cairns $2,529
Cebu $934

A couple spends around $3,731 per month in Cairns vs $1,415 in Cebu, rent included.

Cairns $3,731
Cebu $1,415

A family of three spends $4,933 per month in Cairns vs $1,896 in Cebu, rent included.

Cairns $4,933
Cebu $1,896

Cairns costs about 171% more than Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cairns sits 89% above the global median, while Cebu is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.69 A$25.31

$3.03 ₱190

483.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.6 A$140

$23.48 ₱1,473

315.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.79 A$18.30

$4.09 ₱256

212.71%

Cappuccino

$4.32 A$6.18

$2.52 ₱158

71.43%

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

$3.14 A$4.50

$1.54 ₱96.9

103.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 A$3.92

$0.49 ₱30.98

459.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.84 A$9.79

$1.79 ₱112

282.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.34 A$11.94

$2.26 ₱142

269.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 A$2.78

$1.95 ₱122

-0.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 A$3.77

$1.43 ₱89.7

83.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.68

$1.02 ₱63.8

151.96%

Eggs

$5.39 A$7.71

$2.06 ₱129

161.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.17 A$13.12

$9.81 ₱615

-6.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.48 A$19.29

$4.61 ₱289

192.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 A$21.83

$7.70 ₱483

98.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$5.97

$3.31 ₱207

25.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 A$3.93

$1.45 ₱90.9

89.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.54 A$5.06

$2.36 ₱148

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.65 A$8.08

$1.54 ₱96.4

266.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 A$3.66

$2.36 ₱148

8.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 A$3.70

$1.99 ₱125

29.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.71 A$3.88

$1.15 ₱72.1

135.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 A$3.70

$0.67 ₱42.15

286.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.78 A$62.7

$3.00 ₱188

1359.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 A$19.97

$6.35 ₱398

119.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.55 A$5.08

$1.31 ₱81.9

170.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.22 A$7.46

$1.73 ₱108

201.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.56 A$5.10

$0.25 ₱15.78

1324.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.43 A$22.08

$12.65 ₱793

21.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 A$3.79

$0.74 ₱46.32

258.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 A$2.81

$0.21 ₱13.11

833.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.21 A$60.4

$4.33 ₱271

874.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 A$1.83

$1.33 ₱83.5

-3.76%

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

$31.3K A$44.8K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

43.95%

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

$40.8K A$58.4K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

110.47%

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

$164 A$234

$121 ₱7,563

35.73%

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

$34.95 A$50.0

$14.45 ₱907

141.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.0 A$93.0

$28.29 ₱1,774

129.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.38 A$63.5

$32.68 ₱2,050

35.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.37 A$39.16

$6.39 ₱401

328.33%

Cinema Ticket

$13.97 A$20.00

$5.46 ₱342

155.86%

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

$2,069 A$2,961

$273 ₱17.1K

656.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K A$20.3K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

73.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 A$127

$49.57 ₱3,109

79.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.7 A$103

$24.87 ₱1,560

188.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 A$174

$76.6 ₱4,804

59.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 A$185

$59.3 ₱3,717

118.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,466 A$2,098

$506 ₱31.7K

189.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,223 A$1,751

$309 ₱19.4K

295.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,250 A$3,221

$1,052 ₱66.0K

113.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,944 A$2,783

$619 ₱38.8K

214.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,629 A$9,487

$2,915 ₱182.9K

127.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,015 A$7,177

$1,867 ₱117.1K

168.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,289 A$6,138

$341 ₱21.4K

1157.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

7.2

-12.22%

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

Last update for Cairns: 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

Cairns

$1.2K 48.9%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 74.7% $914

Groceries & Markets

Cairns

$409 16.3%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 48.5% $198

Eating Out

Cairns

$306 12.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 71.1% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairns

$264 10.5%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 38% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Cairns

$185 7.4%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 48.9% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Cairns

$72 2.9%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 39.7% $29

Getting Around

Cairns

$42 1.7%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 63.4% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,466 in Cairns versus $506 in Cebu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1157% higher in Cairns, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98.0 in Cairns versus $23.00 in Cebu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $409 vs $210 – making Cebu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Cairns

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

12:38 12:38 PM

10:38 10:38 AM

2 h behind Cairns

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

153,181

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cairns Cebu 3,870 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairns
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

Cairns vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairns costs about 171% more than Cebu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,793 per month in Cairns and $1,401 in Cebu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cebu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 94% more in Cairns, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98.0 in Cairns and $23.00 in Cebu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cebu, where all-in costs run around $934, than in Cairns at $2,529. In Cebu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cairns it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cebu costs $934 versus $2,529 in Cairns. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cebu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cairns makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.