Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Phnom Penh Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Phnom Penh

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $873 in Cebu versus $939 in Phnom Penh.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,339 in Cebu versus $1,462 in Phnom Penh.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,805 in Cebu versus $1,985 in Phnom Penh.

Living in Cebu costs roughly 7% less than in Phnom Penh, driven mainly by Monthly Utilities & Internet.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 35% lower, Phnom Penh 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ₱270

$5.04 ៛20.3K

-12.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.30 ₱1,496

$29.66 ៛119.6K

-18.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.53 ₱279

$6.97 ៛28.1K

-35.01%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱155

$2.61 ៛10.5K

-3.45%

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

$0.80 ₱49.42

$1.03 ៛4,164

-22.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ₱25.97

$0.98 ៛3,966

-57.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 ₱97.7

$1.48 ៛5,964

7.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ₱135

$2.46 ៛9,922

-10.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ₱139

$2.06 ៛8,306

9.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 ₱93.0

$1.47 ៛5,929

2.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 ₱71.6

$0.96 ៛3,886

20.83%

Eggs

$2.36 ₱145

$1.78 ៛7,160

32.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 ₱792

$12.97 ៛52.3K

-0.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.38 ₱331

$4.20 ៛16.9K

28.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.82 ₱481

$10.26 ៛41.4K

-23.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 ₱217

$4.46 ៛18.0K

-20.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 ₱92.9

$1.60 ៛6,435

-5.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.29 ₱203

$3.80 ៛15.3K

-13.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 ₱136

$1.48 ៛5,955

48.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 ₱162

$1.74 ៛7,004

51.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 ₱152

$1.21 ៛4,878

103.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 ₱61.4

$1.44 ៛5,818

-30.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ₱48.06

$0.71 ៛2,880

9.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.10 ₱191

$2.03 ៛8,194

52.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.43 ₱396

$11.07 ៛44.6K

-41.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₱71.7

$1.05 ៛4,251

10.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 ₱138

$1.63 ៛6,582

37.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱15.80

$1.54 ៛6,218

-83.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.36 ₱945

$10.57 ៛42.6K

45.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱49.81

$1.02 ៛4,108

-20.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.06

$0.97 ៛3,915

-76.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 ₱163

$4.62 ៛18.6K

-42.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₱67.7

$1.12 ៛4,517

-1.79%

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

$30.5K ₱1.9M

$49.3K ៛198.9M

-38.23%

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

$27.7K ₱1.7M

$36.4K ៛146.7M

-23.77%

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

$95.9 ₱5,904

$104 ៛418.5K

-7.62%

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

$34.05 ₱2,096

$6.21 ៛25.0K

448.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.86 ₱1,838

$23.75 ៛95.8K

25.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.32 ₱2,051

$46.45 ៛187.3K

-28.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.45 ₱520

$14.53 ៛58.6K

-41.84%

Cinema Ticket

$5.79 ₱357

$4.53 ៛18.3K

27.81%

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

$235 ₱14.5K

$379 ៛1.5M

-37.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,913 ₱240.9K

$11.6K ៛46.8M

-66.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 ₱3,272

$22.08 ៛89.0K

140.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.65 ₱1,395

$22.04 ៛88.9K

2.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 ₱4,684

$90.9 ៛366.6K

-16.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.0 ₱3,383

$74.4 ៛299.9K

-26.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$508 ₱31.3K

$505 ៛2.0M

0.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$210 ₱12.9K

$276 ៛1.1M

-24.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$800 ₱49.3K

$1,038 ៛4.2M

-22.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 ₱24.0K

$551 ៛2.2M

-29.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,013 ₱185.5K

$2,910 ៛11.7M

3.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,950 ₱120.1K

$1,520 ៛6.1M

28.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$340 ₱20.9K

$326 ៛1.3M

4.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.3

-22.33%

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

Last update for Cebu: July 14, 2026

Last update for Phnom Penh: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $508 in Cebu and $505 in Phnom Penh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $30.00 in Phnom Penh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $241 vs $244 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

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 & Markets, Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 4% 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: $508 in Cebu versus $505 in Phnom Penh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $873 per month in Cebu versus $939 in Phnom Penh – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 45% less than in Phnom Penh. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $873 in Cebu versus $939 in Phnom Penh, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Phnom Penh. 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 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.

Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Phnom Penh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.