Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Kolbotn

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,439 in Kolbotn, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 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 Kolbotn
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Kolbotn Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Kolbotn

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,439

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Kolbotn

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $2,439 in Kolbotn.

Cebu $918
Kolbotn $2,439

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $3,819 in Kolbotn.

Cebu $1,409
Kolbotn $3,819

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $5,199 in Kolbotn.

Cebu $1,900
Kolbotn $5,199

Living in Cebu costs roughly 62% less than in Kolbotn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 32% below, Kolbotn is 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$20.93 NOK 197

-85.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$125 NOK 1,174

-80.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$15.41 NOK 145

-74.56%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$5.83 NOK 54.9

-56.95%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$4.41 NOK 41.54

-63.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$3.38 NOK 31.80

-84.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$11.46 NOK 108

-84.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$12.76 NOK 120

-82.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.98 NOK 18.66

-3.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$2.40 NOK 22.57

-43.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$2.17 NOK 20.46

-53.46%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$4.84 NOK 45.55

-58.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$14.93 NOK 141

-33.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$15.56 NOK 146

-71.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$30.85 NOK 290

-75.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.77 NOK 26.06

19.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.96 NOK 18.41

-29.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$3.50 NOK 32.98

-33.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$4.80 NOK 45.19

-68.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$2.12 NOK 19.95

11.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$2.24 NOK 21.06

-15.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$3.13 NOK 29.47

-61.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$1.57 NOK 14.83

-59.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$18.61 NOK 175

-83.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$16.13 NOK 152

-62.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$3.46 NOK 32.55

-64.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$4.33 NOK 40.80

-59.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$4.61 NOK 43.35

-94.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$85.8 NOK 808

-85.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$12.03 NOK 113

-93.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$1.86 NOK 17.47

-87.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$69.4 NOK 654

-93.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$2.17 NOK 20.42

-39.63%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$47.9K NOK 450.6K

-55.62%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$45.1K NOK 424.6K

-57.56%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$106 NOK 999

13.31%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$21.09 NOK 199

-33.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$53.0 NOK 499

-48.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$49.59 NOK 467

-34.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$36.31 NOK 342

-81.69%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$15.16 NOK 143

-62.73%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$239 NOK 2,249

15.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$15.6K NOK 147.0K

-49.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$100 NOK 946

-50.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$58.8 NOK 554

-57.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$133 NOK 1,252

-42.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$157 NOK 1,481

-63.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$1,190 NOK 11.2K

-58.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$1,003 NOK 9,438

-69.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$1,975 NOK 18.6K

-45.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$1,638 NOK 15.4K

-62.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$6,067 NOK 57.1K

-52.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$4,134 NOK 38.9K

-53.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

4.94

45.75%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kolbotn: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Kolbotn

$1K 41.1% 225% $694

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Kolbotn

$451 18.5% 119% $245

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Kolbotn

$180 7.4% 11.4% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Kolbotn

$202 8.3% 115% $108

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Kolbotn

$398 16.3% 350% $309

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Kolbotn

$80 3.3% 83.2% $36

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Kolbotn

$126 5.2% 706% $110

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $1,190 in Kolbotn. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $125 in Kolbotn for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $451 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇳🇴 Kolbotn

🕒 Local time

00:29 12:29 AM

18:29 6:29 PM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

4,500

💱 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

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Between locations

Cebu Kolbotn 10,260 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Kolbotn

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 Kolbotn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 166% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $3,659 in Kolbotn 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: $500 in Cebu versus $1,190 in Kolbotn. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $2,439 in Kolbotn – a 166% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 579% less than in Kolbotn. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $2,439 in Kolbotn, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Kolbotn. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Kolbotn, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Kolbotn 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 166% less than in Kolbotn. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.