Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canberra and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $2,791 in Canberra, rent and utilities included – about $22,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Canberra
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Canberra Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Canberra

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,791

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,791 per month in Canberra vs $934 in Cebu, rent included.

Canberra $2,791
Cebu $934

A couple spends around $3,958 per month in Canberra vs $1,415 in Cebu, rent included.

Canberra $3,958
Cebu $1,415

A family of three spends $5,125 per month in Canberra vs $1,896 in Cebu, rent included.

Canberra $5,125
Cebu $1,896

Canberra costs about 199% more than Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Canberra sits 108% above the global median, while Cebu is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.14 A$24.53

$3.03 ₱190

465.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.3 A$126

$23.48 ₱1,473

276.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.50 A$15.03

$4.09 ₱256

156.72%

Cappuccino

$3.94 A$5.63

$2.52 ₱158

56.35%

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

$3.17 A$4.54

$1.54 ₱96.9

105.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 A$3.76

$0.49 ₱30.98

436.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.32 A$11.90

$1.79 ₱112

364.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.73 A$13.93

$2.26 ₱142

330.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.95 ₱122

-23.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 A$4.60

$1.43 ₱89.7

124.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.78

$1.02 ₱63.8

158.82%

Eggs

$5.25 A$7.51

$2.06 ₱129

154.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.07 A$18.71

$9.81 ₱615

33.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.16 A$14.54

$4.61 ₱289

120.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.48 A$22.15

$7.70 ₱483

101.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.93 A$5.63

$3.31 ₱207

18.73%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 A$4.43

$1.45 ₱90.9

113.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.59 A$5.14

$2.36 ₱148

52.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.09 A$7.28

$1.54 ₱96.4

230.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.36

$2.36 ₱148

29.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.77 A$3.96

$1.99 ₱125

39.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.51

$1.15 ₱72.1

113.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 A$2.34

$0.67 ₱42.15

144.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.29 A$63.4

$3.00 ₱188

1376.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 A$20.28

$6.35 ₱398

123.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.80 A$6.87

$1.31 ₱81.9

266.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 A$8.08

$1.73 ₱108

226.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 A$4.09

$0.25 ₱15.78

1044.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.0 A$133

$12.65 ₱793

635.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 A$5.67

$0.74 ₱46.32

435.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.21 ₱13.11

676.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.39 A$60.7

$4.33 ₱271

878.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 A$1.87

$1.33 ₱83.5

-1.50%

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

$27.4K A$39.3K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

26.08%

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

$29.3K A$41.9K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

50.97%

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

$179 A$256

$121 ₱7,563

48.53%

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

$26.92 A$38.53

$14.45 ₱907

86.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.9 A$78.5

$28.29 ₱1,774

93.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.2 A$119

$32.68 ₱2,050

154.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.11 A$38.80

$6.39 ₱401

324.26%

Cinema Ticket

$15.51 A$22.20

$5.46 ₱342

184.07%

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

$2,382 A$3,410

$273 ₱17.1K

771.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K A$28.7K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

145.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.6 A$110

$49.57 ₱3,109

54.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 A$79.3

$24.87 ₱1,560

122.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$164

$76.6 ₱4,804

49.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$59.3 ₱3,717

123.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,711 A$2,449

$506 ₱31.7K

238.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,467 A$2,100

$309 ₱19.4K

374.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,098 A$4,433

$1,052 ₱66.0K

194.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,968 A$2,816

$619 ₱38.8K

217.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.2K A$16.0K

$2,915 ₱182.9K

283.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,417 A$10.6K

$1,867 ₱117.1K

297.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,310 A$6,168

$341 ₱21.4K

1163.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

7.2

-17.36%

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

Last update for Canberra: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Canberra

$1.5K 51.8%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 78.9% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Canberra

$401 14.2%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 47.5% $191

Eating Out

Canberra

$300 10.6%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 70.6% $212

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canberra

$261 9.2%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 37.4% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Canberra

$171 6%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 44.5% $76

Getting Around

Canberra

$117 4.1%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 86.8% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Canberra

$114 4%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 61.8% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,711 in Canberra 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 1164% higher in Canberra, 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 $88.0 in Canberra versus $23.00 in Cebu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $210 – making Cebu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Canberra

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

14:07 2:07 PM

11:07 11:07 AM

3 h behind Canberra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

466,566 Capital

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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Between locations

Canberra Cebu 5,720 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Canberra
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

Canberra vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,791 in Canberra, $934 in Cebu – roughly 199% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,187 per month in Canberra 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,791 in Canberra and $934 in Cebu. That's a gap of about 199%.

Public transport costs about 635% less in Cebu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cebu, where all-in costs run around $934, than in Canberra at $2,791. In Cebu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Canberra it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cebu has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $934 in Cebu to $2,791 in Canberra. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Canberra makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.