Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carlton and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,287 in Carlton, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Carlton
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Carlton Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Carlton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,287

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,287 in Carlton versus $918 in Cebu.

Carlton $2,287
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,321 in Carlton versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Carlton $3,321
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,355 in Carlton versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Carlton $4,355
Cebu $1,900

Living in Carlton is roughly 149% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Carlton is 69% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.71 A$25.48

$3.09 ₱194

473.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.7 A$98.9

$24.22 ₱1,525

183.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 A$14.34

$3.92 ₱247

154.08%

Cappuccino

$2.92 A$4.21

$2.51 ₱158

16.33%

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

$2.63 A$3.78

$1.59 ₱100

65.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 A$3.06

$0.53 ₱33.43

301.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.76 A$9.73

$1.78 ₱112

279.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 A$9.41

$2.17 ₱137

201.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.90

$1.92 ₱121

-31.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 A$2.95

$1.36 ₱85.4

50.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 A$1.90

$1.01 ₱63.5

30.69%

Eggs

$3.20 A$4.60

$2.03 ₱128

57.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.28 A$14.79

$9.86 ₱621

4.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.99 A$14.38

$4.39 ₱277

127.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.28 A$21.98

$7.60 ₱479

101.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.78

$3.30 ₱208

0.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 A$4.05

$1.39 ₱87.8

102.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 A$4.60

$2.33 ₱147

37.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 A$6.44

$1.50 ₱94.3

198.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.36 ₱149

4.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 A$3.19

$1.90 ₱119

16.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 A$3.07

$1.19 ₱74.9

78.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 A$1.29

$0.63 ₱39.71

42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.25 A$36.33

$3.00 ₱189

741.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.62 A$15.28

$6.03 ₱379

76.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.74 A$8.26

$1.23 ₱77.7

366.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.12 A$7.37

$1.75 ₱110

192.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 A$4.38

$0.25 ₱15.86

1120.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.9 A$116

$12.64 ₱796

540.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 A$5.36

$0.77 ₱48.62

383.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 A$1.82

$0.23 ₱14.53

447.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.18 A$37.68

$4.46 ₱281

487.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 A$1.95

$1.31 ₱82.8

3.82%

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

$18.4K A$26.5K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-13.33%

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

$13.8K A$19.9K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

-27.78%

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

$89.5 A$129

$120 ₱7,569

-25.53%

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

$27.31 A$39.31

$14.00 ₱882

95.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.80 A$65.9

$27.54 ₱1,734

66.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.60 A$45.47

$32.33 ₱2,035

-2.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 A$24.92

$6.65 ₱419

160.45%

Cinema Ticket

$12.96 A$18.64

$5.65 ₱356

129.38%

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

$2,061 A$2,965

$275 ₱17.3K

648.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K A$18.1K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

59.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.1 A$114

$49.33 ₱3,106

60.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.37 A$71.1

$25.24 ₱1,589

95.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.0 A$101

$77.0 ₱4,846

-9.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$57.2 ₱3,601

134.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 A$2,001

$500 ₱31.5K

178.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 A$1,732

$309 ₱19.4K

289.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,150 A$3,093

$1,078 ₱67.9K

99.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,829 A$2,631

$615 ₱38.7K

197.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,647 A$8,126

$2,886 ₱181.7K

95.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,209 A$7,496

$1,917 ₱120.7K

171.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,717 A$8,227

$346 ₱21.8K

1552.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

7.2

-18.06%

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

Last update for Carlton: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Carlton

$1.2K 52.6%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 74.3% $895

Groceries & Markets

Carlton

$338 14.8%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 39.2% $133

Eating Out

Carlton

$273 11.9%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 67.6% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carlton

$163 7.1%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 0.5% $0.9

Clothing & Footwear

Carlton

$150 6.5%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 37.2% $56

Getting Around

Carlton

$103 4.5%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 84.9% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Carlton

$58 2.5%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 24.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,391 in Carlton and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carlton pays 1553% 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: $69.0 in Carlton vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $338 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Carlton

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

06:24 6:24 AM

03:24 3:24 AM

3 h behind Carlton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,001

964,169

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Carlton Cebu 5,780 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Carlton
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

Carlton vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Carlton and Cebu differ by about 149% in total monthly costs ($2,287 vs $918 including rent). Cebu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1553% higher in Carlton, 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: $1,391 in Carlton versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,061 in Carlton versus $275 in Cebu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 64% higher in Carlton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $918 in Cebu versus $2,287 in Carlton, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Carlton. 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, Carlton 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 149% less than in Carlton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.