Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Forbes

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $2,543 in Forbes, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Forbes
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Forbes Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Forbes

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,543

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Forbes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $2,543 in Forbes.

Cebu $934
Forbes $2,543

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Cebu versus $3,751 in Forbes.

Cebu $1,423
Forbes $3,751

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,913 in Cebu versus $4,958 in Forbes.

Cebu $1,913
Forbes $4,958

Living in Cebu costs roughly 63% less than in Forbes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 31% below, Forbes is 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ₱242

$15.91 A$22.61

-76.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.33 ₱1,491

$94.9 A$135

-75.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.94 ₱252

$11.31 A$16.07

-65.16%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₱163

$3.52 A$5.00

-27.84%

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

$1.57 ₱100

$2.99 A$4.24

-47.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₱29.82

$2.37 A$3.37

-80.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ₱113

$6.98 A$9.92

-74.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₱142

$7.40 A$10.52

-70.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.69 A$2.41

12.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱87.1

$2.42 A$3.44

-43.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.8

$2.14 A$3.04

-56.07%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$5.00 A$7.10

-60.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 ₱620

$10.16 A$14.44

-4.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 ₱276

$9.52 A$13.53

-54.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 ₱480

$13.72 A$19.49

-45.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱211

$3.78 A$5.37

-12.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ₱87.5

$3.01 A$4.27

-54.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱149

$3.55 A$5.05

-34.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱95.4

$4.92 A$6.99

-69.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱147

$2.50 A$3.55

-8.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ₱120

$2.55 A$3.63

-26.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱70.3

$2.28 A$3.24

-51.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱40.36

$1.45 A$2.06

-56.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 ₱183

$46.43 A$66.0

-93.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.08 ₱389

$12.36 A$17.57

-50.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.4

$4.75 A$6.75

-73.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱110

$5.80 A$8.24

-70.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.99

$2.66 A$3.78

-91.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱788

$78.5 A$111

-84.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱47.53

$3.70 A$5.26

-80.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.08

$1.72 A$2.45

-87.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 ₱273

$45.70 A$64.9

-90.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱83.7

$1.25 A$1.78

4.80%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$33.8K A$48.1K

-38.60%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$28.1K A$40.0K

-32.33%

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

$118 ₱7,565

$195 A$277

-39.25%

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

$15.76 ₱1,007

$23.66 A$33.62

-33.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.33 ₱1,810

$53.4 A$75.8

-46.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.94 ₱2,105

$59.1 A$84.0

-44.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.49 ₱415

$19.72 A$28.02

-67.09%

Cinema Ticket

$5.45 ₱348

$12.05 A$17.13

-54.77%

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

$276 ₱17.6K

$2,301 A$3,269

-88.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,789 ₱497.7K

$21.3K A$30.3K

-63.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.18 ₱3,078

$80.6 A$115

-40.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.47 ₱1,564

$56.7 A$80.6

-56.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 ₱4,810

$117 A$166

-35.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ₱3,707

$124 A$176

-53.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 ₱30.5K

$1,558 A$2,213

-69.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.6K

$1,278 A$1,816

-74.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 ₱61.5K

$2,463 A$3,499

-60.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₱40.0K

$2,041 A$2,901

-69.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,551 ₱290.8K

$5,228 A$7,428

-12.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,028 ₱193.5K

$5,146 A$7,312

-41.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$333 ₱21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

5.9

22.03%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Forbes: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$322 34.5%

Forbes

$1.3K 50.3% 297% $956

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$204 21.8%

Forbes

$364 14.3% 78.6% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.4%

Forbes

$272 10.7% 67.3% $109

Eating Out

Cebu

$94 10.1%

Forbes

$275 10.8% 192% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$93 9.9%

Forbes

$170 6.7% 83.4% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Forbes

$83 3.3% 89.8% $39

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.6%

Forbes

$101 4% 573% $86

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $477 in Cebu and $1,558 in Forbes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23 in Cebu vs $95 in Forbes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $364 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇦🇺 Forbes

🕒 Local time

00:14 12:14 AM

03:14 3:14 AM

3 h ahead of Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

8,481

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.11 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Forbes 5,480 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Forbes

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 Forbes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 172% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,401 in Cebu and $3,814 in Forbes to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $477 in Cebu versus $1,558 in Forbes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $2,543 in Forbes – a 172% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 84% less than in Forbes. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your 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 Forbes 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 63% less than in Forbes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.