Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Adelaide

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.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Adelaide
Learn more

Adelaide Living Index

Jump to prices

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Adelaide

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,622

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Adelaide

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cebu and in Adelaide actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Cebu $934
Adelaide $2,622

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

Cebu $1,415
Adelaide $3,683

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

Cebu $1,896
Adelaide $4,744

Living in Cebu costs roughly 64% less than in Adelaide, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱191

$17.71 A$25.44

-82.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,476

$73.5 A$106

-68.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱257

$11.46 A$16.46

-64.31%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$4.03 A$5.79

-37.47%

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

$1.54 ₱97.2

$2.66 A$3.82

-42.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.06

$2.42 A$3.48

-79.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱113

$7.75 A$11.13

-76.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$8.45 A$12.14

-73.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.95 A$2.79

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.9

$2.87 A$4.12

-50.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.0

$2.22 A$3.20

-54.05%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$5.96 A$8.55

-65.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱617

$10.94 A$15.72

-10.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱290

$8.60 A$12.35

-46.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱484

$18.38 A$26.41

-58.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$3.92 A$5.63

-15.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱91.2

$2.99 A$4.29

-51.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$3.35 A$4.81

-29.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.6

$5.01 A$7.20

-69.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$3.35 A$4.81

-29.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$2.45 A$3.52

-18.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.3

$2.47 A$3.55

-53.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.26

$2.14 A$3.07

-68.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$43.98 A$63.2

-93.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱399

$13.89 A$19.95

-54.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱82.1

$5.33 A$7.65

-75.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$6.27 A$9.01

-72.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.82

$3.09 A$4.44

-91.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱796

$84.3 A$121

-85.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.44

$3.40 A$4.88

-78.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.15

$1.69 A$2.43

-87.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱272

$30.64 A$44.01

-85.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.7

$1.37 A$1.96

-2.92%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$27.0K A$38.8K

-19.46%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$27.5K A$39.5K

-29.48%

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

$121 ₱7,583

$177 A$255

-31.98%

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

$14.45 ₱909

$22.90 A$32.90

-36.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,779

$55.5 A$79.7

-49.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,055

$59.6 A$85.6

-45.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱402

$13.95 A$20.03

-54.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱343

$16.75 A$24.07

-67.40%

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

$273 ₱17.2K

$2,079 A$2,986

-86.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱512.9K

$14.4K A$20.7K

-43.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,117

$72.1 A$104

-31.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,564

$54.3 A$78.0

-54.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,817

$115 A$165

-33.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,727

$141 A$202

-57.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.8K

$1,686 A$2,421

-70.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.5K

$1,274 A$1,829

-75.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.1K

$2,423 A$3,481

-56.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.9K

$1,834 A$2,634

-66.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱183.4K

$10.2K A$14.6K

-71.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.4K

$6,932 A$9,957

-73.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.5K

$3,892 A$5,590

-91.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

5.92

21.62%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Adelaide: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Adelaide

$1.3K 48.8% 312% $964

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Adelaide

$405 15.5% 92.6% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Adelaide

$256 9.8% 56.5% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Adelaide

$172 6.6% 81.8% $77

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Adelaide

$300 11.5% 240% $212

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Adelaide

$93 3.6% 114% $50

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Adelaide

$109 4.2% 603% $93

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $1,686 in Adelaide. 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: $23.00 in Cebu vs $74.0 in Adelaide for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $405 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇦🇺 Adelaide

🕒 Local time

10:46 10:46 AM

13:16 1:16 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

1,245,011

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

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).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Adelaide 5,260 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Adelaide

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

Cebu vs Adelaide: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 1041% lower in Adelaide. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $506 in Cebu versus $1,686 in Adelaide. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $273 in Cebu versus $2,079 in Adelaide. 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, Cebu and Adelaide 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.