Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Phnom Penh

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,083 in Phnom Penh, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Phnom Penh
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Phnom Penh Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$1,083

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Phnom Penh

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $1,083 in Phnom Penh.

Cebu $934
Phnom Penh $1,083

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Cebu versus $1,778 in Phnom Penh.

Cebu $1,423
Phnom Penh $1,778

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,913 in Cebu versus $2,474 in Phnom Penh.

Cebu $1,913
Phnom Penh $2,474

Living in Cebu costs roughly 14% less than in Phnom Penh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 31% lower, Phnom Penh 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ₱242

$4.55 ៛18.6K

-16.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.33 ₱1,491

$40.42 ៛164.9K

-42.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.94 ₱252

$7.01 ៛28.6K

-43.79%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₱163

$2.84 ៛11.6K

-10.56%

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

$1.57 ₱100

$1.72 ៛7,011

-8.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₱29.82

$0.67 ៛2,731

-29.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ₱113

$1.03 ៛4,193

71.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₱142

$3.05 ៛12.4K

-27.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱121

$2.28 ៛9,297

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱87.1

$1.60 ៛6,546

-15.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.8

$1.07 ៛4,384

-12.15%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$1.82 ៛7,439

9.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 ₱620

$14.70 ៛60.0K

-34.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 ₱276

$4.45 ៛18.2K

-2.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 ₱480

$9.63 ៛39.3K

-22.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱211

$4.14 ៛16.9K

-20.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ₱87.5

$1.70 ៛6,958

-19.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱149

$4.49 ៛18.3K

-47.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱95.4

$2.02 ៛8,230

-26.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱147

$1.72 ៛7,008

33.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ₱120

$1.26 ៛5,133

48.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱70.3

$1.39 ៛5,667

-20.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱40.36

$0.77 ៛3,151

-18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 ₱183

$1.95 ៛7,944

46.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.08 ₱389

$11.14 ៛45.5K

-45.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.4

$1.01 ៛4,128

25.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱110

$1.79 ៛7,306

-3.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.99

$0.38 ៛1,562

-42.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱788

$9.88 ៛40.3K

24.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱47.53

$1.10 ៛4,470

-32.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.08

$1.01 ៛4,132

-78.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 ₱273

$5.02 ៛20.5K

-14.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱83.7

$1.36 ៛5,561

-3.68%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$34.8K ៛142.1M

-40.35%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$44.6K ៛182.2M

-57.33%

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

$118 ₱7,565

$118 ៛482.5K

0.15%

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

$15.76 ₱1,007

$7.32 ៛29.9K

115.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.33 ₱1,810

$25.26 ៛103.1K

12.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.94 ₱2,105

$37.94 ៛154.8K

-13.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.49 ₱415

$11.05 ៛45.1K

-41.27%

Cinema Ticket

$5.45 ₱348

$5.09 ៛20.8K

7.07%

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

$276 ₱17.6K

$597 ៛2.4M

-53.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,789 ₱497.7K

$11.1K ៛45.4M

-30.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.18 ₱3,078

$28.17 ៛114.9K

71.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.47 ₱1,564

$24.25 ៛99.0K

0.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 ₱4,810

$90.2 ៛368.0K

-16.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ₱3,707

$58.1 ៛236.9K

-0.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 ₱30.5K

$658 ៛2.7M

-27.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.6K

$406 ៛1.7M

-20.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 ₱61.5K

$1,441 ៛5.9M

-33.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₱40.0K

$950 ៛3.9M

-34.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,551 ₱290.8K

$2,710 ៛11.1M

67.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,028 ₱193.5K

$1,523 ៛6.2M

98.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$333 ₱21.3K

$315 ៛1.3M

5.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

7.94

-9.32%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phnom Penh: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$322 34.5%

Phnom Penh

$406 37.5% 26.2% $84

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$204 21.8%

Phnom Penh

$258 23.8% 26.7% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.4%

Phnom Penh

$151 13.9% 7.2% $12

Eating Out

Cebu

$94 10.1%

Phnom Penh

$112 10.4% 19.3% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$93 9.9%

Phnom Penh

$90 8.3% 2.6% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Phnom Penh

$48 4.4% 9.8% $4.3

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.6%

Phnom Penh

$18 1.6% 16.7% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $477 in Cebu and $658 in Phnom Penh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23 in Cebu vs $40 in Phnom Penh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $258 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇰🇭 Phnom Penh

🕒 Local time

02:40 2:40 AM

01:40 1:40 AM

1 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

2,009,264 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, 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 = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4,081 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,543 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Phnom Penh 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Phnom Penh

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 Phnom Penh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 16% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 6% higher in Cebu, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $477 in Cebu versus $658 in Phnom Penh. 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 $1,083 in Phnom Penh – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Phnom Penh runs roughly 20% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

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

Safety-wise, Cebu and Phnom Penh are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.