Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Bodo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,466 in Bodo, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in Bodo
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Bodo Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Bodo

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,466

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Bodo

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

A single person spends $918 per month in Cebu vs $2,466 in Bodo, rent included.

Cebu $918
Bodo $2,466

A couple spends around $1,409 per month in Cebu vs $3,975 in Bodo, rent included.

Cebu $1,409
Bodo $3,975

A family of three spends $1,900 per month in Cebu vs $5,483 in Bodo, rent included.

Cebu $1,900
Bodo $5,483

Cebu is about 63% cheaper than Bodo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cebu sits 32% below the global median, while Bodo is 83% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$23.67 NOK 223

-86.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$128 NOK 1,202

-81.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$23.87 NOK 225

-83.58%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$6.34 NOK 59.7

-60.41%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$4.48 NOK 42.14

-64.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$3.22 NOK 30.30

-83.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$12.06 NOK 114

-85.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$15.06 NOK 142

-85.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$2.42 NOK 22.76

-20.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$4.15 NOK 39.05

-67.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$4.10 NOK 38.57

-75.37%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$5.25 NOK 49.45

-61.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$12.30 NOK 116

-19.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$19.38 NOK 182

-77.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$21.68 NOK 204

-64.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$3.53 NOK 33.21

-6.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$2.75 NOK 25.90

-49.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$4.59 NOK 43.19

-49.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$6.28 NOK 59.1

-76.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$3.10 NOK 29.19

-23.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$2.97 NOK 27.97

-36.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$2.97 NOK 28.00

-59.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$2.51 NOK 23.59

-74.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$14.41 NOK 136

-79.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$20.21 NOK 190

-70.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$3.81 NOK 35.83

-67.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$4.76 NOK 44.78

-63.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$4.67 NOK 43.92

-94.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$72.0 NOK 678

-82.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$9.65 NOK 90.8

-92.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$1.71 NOK 16.14

-86.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$2.25 NOK 21.19

-41.78%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

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

$120 ₱7,569

$176 NOK 1,654

-31.57%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$40.89 NOK 385

-65.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$67.7 NOK 638

-59.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$49.58 NOK 467

-34.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$13.59 NOK 128

-58.43%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$246 NOK 2,315

11.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$90.0 NOK 848

-45.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$51.9 NOK 488

-51.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$106 NOK 999

-27.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$1,171 NOK 11.0K

-57.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$915 NOK 8,610

-66.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$2,219 NOK 20.9K

-51.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$1,822 NOK 17.2K

-66.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$6,310 NOK 59.4K

-54.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$3,510 NOK 33.0K

-90.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

4.67

54.18%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bodo: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Bodo

$915 37.1% 196% $606

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Bodo

$512 20.8% 149% $306

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Bodo

$284 11.5% 75.8% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Bodo

$112 * 4.5% 18.8% $18

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Bodo

$458 18.6% 419% $370

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Bodo

$77 3.1% 76% $33

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Bodo

$109 4.4% 599% $93

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $500 in Cebu versus $1,171 in Bodo. 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 915% higher in Bodo, 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 $24.00 in Cebu versus $128 in Bodo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $512 – making Cebu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇳🇴 Bodo

🕒 Local time

00:17 12:17 AM

18:17 6:17 PM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

53,698

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

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).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Bodo 9,770 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Bodo

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 Bodo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bodo costs about 169% 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 $1,377 per month in Cebu and $3,700 in Bodo. 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 $918 in Cebu and $2,466 in Bodo. That's a gap of about 169%.

Public transport costs about 470% 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 $918, than in Bodo at $2,466. In Cebu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bodo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cebu costs $918 versus $2,466 in Bodo. 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, Bodo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.