Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Cairns

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $2,529 in Cairns, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Cairns
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Cairns Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Cairns

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,529

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Cairns

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

A single person spends $934 per month in Cebu vs $2,529 in Cairns, rent included.

Cebu $934
Cairns $2,529

A couple spends around $1,415 per month in Cebu vs $3,731 in Cairns, rent included.

Cebu $1,415
Cairns $3,731

A family of three spends $1,896 per month in Cebu vs $4,933 in Cairns, rent included.

Cebu $1,896
Cairns $4,933

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

Cebu sits 30% below the global median, while Cairns is 89% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱191

$17.69 A$25.40

-82.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,476

$97.6 A$140

-75.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱257

$12.79 A$18.37

-68.02%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$4.32 A$6.20

-41.67%

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

$1.54 ₱97.2

$3.14 A$4.51

-50.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.06

$2.74 A$3.93

-82.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱113

$6.84 A$9.83

-73.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$8.34 A$11.98

-72.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.94 A$2.79

0.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.9

$2.63 A$3.78

-45.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.0

$2.57 A$3.70

-60.31%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$5.39 A$7.74

-61.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱617

$9.17 A$13.17

6.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱290

$13.48 A$19.36

-65.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱484

$15.26 A$21.91

-49.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$4.17 A$6.00

-20.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱91.2

$2.75 A$3.95

-47.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$3.54 A$5.08

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.6

$5.65 A$8.11

-72.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$2.56 A$3.68

-7.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$2.58 A$3.71

-22.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.3

$2.71 A$3.89

-57.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.26

$2.59 A$3.72

-74.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$43.78 A$62.9

-93.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱399

$13.96 A$20.05

-54.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱82.1

$3.55 A$5.10

-63.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$5.22 A$7.49

-66.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.82

$3.56 A$5.12

-92.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱796

$15.43 A$22.16

-18.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.44

$2.65 A$3.81

-72.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.15

$1.96 A$2.82

-89.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱272

$42.21 A$60.6

-89.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.7

$1.28 A$1.84

3.91%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$31.3K A$45.0K

-30.53%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$40.8K A$58.6K

-52.49%

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

$121 ₱7,583

$164 A$235

-26.32%

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

$14.45 ₱909

$34.95 A$50.2

-58.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,779

$65.0 A$93.3

-56.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,055

$44.38 A$63.7

-26.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱402

$27.37 A$39.31

-76.65%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱343

$13.97 A$20.07

-60.92%

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

$273 ₱17.2K

$2,069 A$2,972

-86.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱512.9K

$14.2K A$20.3K

-42.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,117

$89.1 A$128

-44.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,564

$71.7 A$103

-65.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,817

$122 A$175

-37.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,727

$129 A$186

-54.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.8K

$1,466 A$2,106

-65.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.5K

$1,223 A$1,757

-74.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.1K

$2,250 A$3,232

-53.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.9K

$1,944 A$2,793

-68.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱183.4K

$6,629 A$9,523

-56.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.4K

$5,015 A$7,204

-62.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.5K

$4,289 A$6,160

-92.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

6.32

13.92%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cairns: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Cairns

$1.2K 48.9% 295% $914

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Cairns

$409 16.3% 94.3% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Cairns

$264 10.5% 61.4% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Cairns

$185 7.4% 95.9% $91

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Cairns

$306 12.2% 246% $218

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Cairns

$72 2.9% 65.9% $29

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Cairns

$42 1.7% 173% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $506 in Cebu versus $1,466 in Cairns. 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 1157% higher in Cairns, 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 $23.00 in Cebu versus $98.0 in Cairns. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $210 vs $409 – making Cebu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇦🇺 Cairns

🕒 Local time

13:03 1:03 PM

15:03 3:03 PM

2 h ahead of Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

153,181

💱 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

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Between locations

Cebu Cairns 3,870 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Cairns

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 Cairns: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairns costs about 171% 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 $1,401 per month in Cebu and $3,793 in Cairns. 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.

Groceries cost about 94% more in Cairns, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Cebu and $98.0 in Cairns. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cebu, where all-in costs run around $934, than in Cairns at $2,529. In Cebu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cairns it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cebu costs $934 versus $2,529 in Cairns. 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, Cairns makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.