Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Bergen

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $2,844 in Bergen, rent and utilities included – about $22,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$934
/mo nomad
Bergen
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,844
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Bergen

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 Bergen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $2,844 in Bergen.

  • Cebu $934
  • Bergen $2,844

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $4,282 in Bergen.

  • Cebu $1,415
  • Bergen $4,282

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $5,719 in Bergen.

  • Cebu $1,896
  • Bergen $5,719

Living in Cebu costs roughly 67% less than in Bergen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 30% below, Bergen is 112% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Bergen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.03 ₱190
$22.98 NOK 219
-86.81%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.48 ₱1,473
$135 NOK 1,292
-82.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.09 ₱256
$15.52 NOK 148
-73.65%
Cappuccino
$2.52 ₱158
$5.42 NOK 51.8
-53.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 ₱96.9
$5.10 NOK 48.71
-69.80%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ₱30.98
$4.47 NOK 42.65
-89.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.79 ₱112
$12.57 NOK 120
-85.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 ₱142
$10.41 NOK 99.4
-78.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Bergen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ₱122
$2.15 NOK 20.57
-9.30%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 ₱89.7
$3.78 NOK 36.13
-62.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.02 ₱63.8
$3.51 NOK 33.54
-70.94%
Eggs
$2.06 ₱129
$6.41 NOK 61.3
-67.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.81 ₱615
$14.32 NOK 137
-31.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.61 ₱289
$17.21 NOK 164
-73.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.70 ₱483
$36.16 NOK 345
-78.71%
Apples (1kg)
$3.31 ₱207
$4.12 NOK 39.38
-19.66%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 ₱90.9
$2.72 NOK 25.95
-46.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.36 ₱148
$3.61 NOK 34.44
-34.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.54 ₱96.4
$5.39 NOK 51.4
-71.43%
Potato (1kg)
$2.36 ₱148
$2.52 NOK 24.02
-6.35%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 ₱125
$3.35 NOK 31.97
-40.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 ₱72.1
$2.86 NOK 27.34
-59.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.67 ₱42.15
$1.78 NOK 17.03
-62.36%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00 ₱188
$17.10 NOK 163
-82.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.35 ₱398
$17.97 NOK 172
-64.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 ₱81.9
$3.59 NOK 34.31
-63.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 ₱108
$4.21 NOK 40.20
-58.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Bergen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 ₱15.78
$5.15 NOK 49.21
-95.15%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.65 ₱793
$86.4 NOK 825
-85.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.74 ₱46.32
$12.39 NOK 118
-94.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.21 ₱13.11
$1.84 NOK 17.61
-88.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.33 ₱271
$70.5 NOK 674
-93.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.33 ₱83.5
$2.35 NOK 22.42
-43.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K ₱1.4M
$48.6K NOK 463.7K
-55.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.4K ₱1.2M
$43.3K NOK 413.9K
-55.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Bergen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$121 ₱7,563
$275 NOK 2,623
-56.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.45 ₱907
$32.93 NOK 314
-56.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.29 ₱1,774
$82.9 NOK 791
-65.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Bergen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.68 ₱2,050
$45.61 NOK 436
-28.35%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.39 ₱401
$41.77 NOK 399
-84.70%
Cinema Ticket
$5.46 ₱342
$18.87 NOK 180
-71.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Bergen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$273 ₱17.1K
$238 NOK 2,272
14.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,156 ₱511.5K
$12.0K NOK 114.9K
-32.20%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Bergen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.57 ₱3,109
$107 NOK 1,022
-53.68%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.87 ₱1,560
$54.6 NOK 522
-54.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.6 ₱4,804
$118 NOK 1,128
-35.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$59.3 ₱3,717
$162 NOK 1,545
-63.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Bergen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$506 ₱31.7K
$1,414 NOK 13.5K
-64.23%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ₱19.4K
$1,083 NOK 10.3K
-71.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,052 ₱66.0K
$2,348 NOK 22.4K
-55.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$619 ₱38.8K
$1,696 NOK 16.2K
-63.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,915 ₱182.9K
$7,822 NOK 74.7K
-62.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,867 ₱117.1K
$4,769 NOK 45.5K
-60.85%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Bergen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$341 ₱21.4K
$4,527 NOK 43.2K
-92.47%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
5.27
36.62%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bergen: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$309
Bergen
$1.1K 250% $774
Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$210
Bergen
$524 149% $314
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$163
Bergen
$390 139% $227
Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$95
Bergen
$199 110% $104
Eating Out
Cebu
$88
Bergen
$417 372% $329
Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44
Bergen
$83 91.2% $40
Getting Around
Cebu
$15
Bergen
$129 733% $113

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $1,414 in Bergen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays 1227% 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 $135 in Bergen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $524 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cebu
🇳🇴 Bergen
🕒 Local time
16:23 4:23 PM
10:23 10:23 AM
6 h behind Cebu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
964,169
292,482
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

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).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.55 NOK (1 NOK = 0.105 USD). 1 EUR = 10.71 NOK (100 NOK = 9.34 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cebu Bergen 10,500 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cebu
  • Bergen

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 Bergen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bergen cheaper than Cebu?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 205% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cebu or Bergen?
On paper, salaries run 1227% lower in Bergen. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Cebu and Bergen?
Rent for a central apartment: $506 in Cebu versus $1,414 in Bergen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $273 in Cebu versus $238 in Bergen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Cebu and in Bergen?
Supermarket bills run roughly 149% higher in Bergen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Cebu or in Bergen?
At $934 in Cebu versus $2,844 in Bergen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Bergen. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Cebu or Bergen more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bergen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Cebu or Bergen?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Bergen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 205% less than in Bergen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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