Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Mansfield

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $2,517 in Mansfield, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$934
/mo nomad
Mansfield
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,517
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Mansfield

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $2,517 in Mansfield.

  • Cebu $934
  • Mansfield $2,517

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $3,623 in Mansfield.

  • Cebu $1,415
  • Mansfield $3,623

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $4,729 in Mansfield.

  • Cebu $1,896
  • Mansfield $4,729

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 30% below, Mansfield is 88% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Mansfield
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.03 ₱191
$17.70 A$25.42
-82.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.48 ₱1,476
$83.2 A$120
-71.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.09 ₱257
$10.34 A$14.85
-60.44%
Cappuccino
$2.52 ₱158
$4.07 A$5.85
-38.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 ₱97.2
$2.83 A$4.06
-45.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ₱31.06
$2.23 A$3.20
-78.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.79 ₱113
$7.81 A$11.22
-77.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 ₱142
$7.86 A$11.29
-71.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Mansfield
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ₱122
$1.60 A$2.30
21.87%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 ₱89.9
$2.69 A$3.87
-46.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.02 ₱64.0
$2.16 A$3.11
-52.78%
Eggs
$2.06 ₱129
$5.09 A$7.30
-59.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.81 ₱617
$9.59 A$13.78
2.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.61 ₱290
$9.36 A$13.45
-50.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.70 ₱484
$15.00 A$21.54
-48.67%
Apples (1kg)
$3.31 ₱208
$3.71 A$5.33
-10.78%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 ₱91.2
$2.99 A$4.30
-51.51%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.36 ₱148
$3.17 A$4.56
-25.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.54 ₱96.6
$4.75 A$6.82
-67.58%
Potato (1kg)
$2.36 ₱148
$2.77 A$3.98
-14.80%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 ₱125
$2.46 A$3.54
-19.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 ₱72.3
$2.43 A$3.48
-52.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.67 ₱42.26
$1.66 A$2.39
-59.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00 ₱189
$38.67 A$55.6
-92.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.35 ₱399
$13.82 A$19.85
-54.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 ₱82.1
$4.80 A$6.89
-72.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 ₱109
$5.30 A$7.62
-67.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Mansfield
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 ₱15.82
$2.95 A$4.23
-91.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.65 ₱796
$81.2 A$117
-84.42%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.74 ₱46.44
$3.44 A$4.95
-78.49%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.21 ₱13.15
$1.57 A$2.26
-86.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.33 ₱272
$40.40 A$58.0
-89.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.33 ₱83.7
$1.24 A$1.78
7.26%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K ₱1.4M
$27.3K A$39.2K
-20.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.4K ₱1.2M
$30.4K A$43.6K
-36.09%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Mansfield
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$121 ₱7,583
$209 A$300
-42.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.45 ₱909
$28.10 A$40.37
-48.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.29 ₱1,779
$57.4 A$82.5
-50.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Mansfield
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.68 ₱2,055
$56.3 A$80.9
-41.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.39 ₱402
$17.77 A$25.53
-64.04%
Cinema Ticket
$5.46 ₱343
$15.19 A$21.82
-64.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Mansfield
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$273 ₱17.2K
$2,147 A$3,084
-87.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,156 ₱512.9K
$20.5K A$29.4K
-60.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Mansfield
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.57 ₱3,117
$77.1 A$111
-35.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.87 ₱1,564
$55.4 A$79.6
-55.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.6 ₱4,817
$108 A$156
-29.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$59.3 ₱3,727
$122 A$176
-51.53%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Mansfield
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$506 ₱31.8K
$1,400 A$2,011
-63.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ₱19.5K
$1,204 A$1,729
-74.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,052 ₱66.1K
$2,191 A$3,147
-52.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$619 ₱38.9K
$1,843 A$2,647
-66.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,915 ₱183.4K
$5,924 A$8,510
-50.79%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,867 ₱117.4K
$5,010 A$7,196
-62.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Mansfield
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$341 ₱21.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
5.84
23.29%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Mansfield: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$309
Mansfield
$1.2K 289% $894
Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$210
Mansfield
$371 76.1% $160
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$163
Mansfield
$294 80.1% $131
Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$95
Mansfield
$163 72.7% $69
Eating Out
Cebu
$88
Mansfield
$296 235% $208
Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44
Mansfield
$87 98.9% $43
Getting Around
Cebu
$15
Mansfield
$104 575% $89

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $1,400 in Mansfield. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Cebu vs $83.0 in Mansfield for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $371 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cebu
🇦🇺 Mansfield
🕒 Local time
13:03 1:03 PM
16:03 4:03 PM
3 h ahead of Cebu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
964,169
8,600
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cebu Mansfield 5,750 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cebu
  • Mansfield

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 Mansfield: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mansfield cheaper than Cebu?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 170% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,401 in Cebu and $3,776 in Mansfield 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.
What is the rent difference between Cebu and Mansfield?
Rent for a central apartment: $506 in Cebu versus $1,400 in Mansfield. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Mansfield?
All in, you'll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $2,517 in Mansfield – a 170% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 542% less than in Mansfield. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Cebu or in Mansfield?
At $934 in Cebu versus $2,517 in Mansfield, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Mansfield. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Cebu or Mansfield more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Mansfield, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Cebu or Mansfield?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Mansfield 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 170% less than in Mansfield. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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