Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Port Moresby

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,532 in Port Moresby, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Port Moresby
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Port Moresby Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Port Moresby

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $1,532 in Port Moresby.

Cebu $934
Port Moresby $1,532

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $2,418 in Port Moresby.

Cebu $1,415
Port Moresby $2,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $3,305 in Port Moresby.

Cebu $1,896
Port Moresby $3,305

Living in Cebu costs roughly 39% less than in Port Moresby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 30% below, Port Moresby is 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱191

$7.76 PGK 33.98

-60.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,476

$43.89 PGK 192

-46.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱257

$5.38 PGK 23.58

-23.98%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$2.44 PGK 10.69

3.28%

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

$1.54 ₱97.2

$0.77 PGK 3.38

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.06

$0.67 PGK 2.95

-26.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱113

$2.91 PGK 12.74

-38.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$3.56 PGK 15.59

-36.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.82 PGK 7.97

7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.9

$1.54 PGK 6.74

-7.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.0

$1.39 PGK 6.09

-26.62%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$3.62 PGK 15.86

-43.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱617

$8.64 PGK 37.85

13.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱290

$5.60 PGK 24.55

-17.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱484

$9.92 PGK 43.46

-22.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$4.21 PGK 18.45

-21.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱91.2

$3.12 PGK 13.67

-53.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$7.01 PGK 30.72

-66.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.6

$6.56 PGK 28.75

-76.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$3.40 PGK 14.92

-30.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$2.92 PGK 12.79

-31.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.3

$2.33 PGK 10.20

-50.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.26

$1.29 PGK 5.64

-48.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$6.26 PGK 27.45

-52.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱399

$10.73 PGK 47.04

-40.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱82.1

$2.54 PGK 11.11

-48.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$3.51 PGK 15.38

-50.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.82

$0.42 PGK 1.86

-40.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱796

$21.95 PGK 96.2

-42.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.44

$5.43 PGK 23.79

-86.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.15

$2.25 PGK 9.87

-90.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱272

$15.47 PGK 67.8

-72.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.7

$0.94 PGK 4.13

41.49%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$49.2K PGK 215.6K

-55.76%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$17.3K PGK 75.6K

12.43%

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

$121 ₱7,583

$117 PGK 513

2.95%

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

$14.45 ₱909

$22.67 PGK 99.4

-36.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,779

$91.2 PGK 399

-68.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,055

$60.2 PGK 264

-45.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱402

$22.04 PGK 96.6

-71.01%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱343

$8.74 PGK 38.31

-37.53%

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

$273 ₱17.2K

$836 PGK 3,665

-67.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱512.9K

$6,242 PGK 27.4K

30.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,117

$32.86 PGK 144

50.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,564

$31.67 PGK 139

-21.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,817

$136 PGK 595

-43.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,727

$160 PGK 702

-62.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.8K

$1,577 PGK 6,911

-67.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.5K

$551 PGK 2,414

-43.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.1K

$3,049 PGK 13.4K

-65.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.9K

$1,129 PGK 4,945

-45.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱183.4K

$2,035 PGK 8,917

43.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.4K

$3,755 PGK 16.5K

-50.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.5K

$429 PGK 1,881

-20.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

12.17

-40.84%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Port Moresby: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Port Moresby

$551 36.3% 78.1% $242

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Port Moresby

$320 21.1% 52% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Port Moresby

$231 15.2% 41.4% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Port Moresby

$162 10.7% 71.4% $68

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Port Moresby

$135 8.9% 52.6% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Port Moresby

$78 5.1% 78.3% $34

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Port Moresby

$40 2.7% 161% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $1,577 in Port Moresby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Port Moresby pays 26% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $23.00 in Cebu vs $44.00 in Port Moresby for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $320 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🕒 Local time

10:56 10:56 AM

12:56 12:56 PM

2 h ahead of Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

364,145 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

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).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.91 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Port Moresby 3,380 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Port Moresby

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 Port Moresby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 64% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Port Moresby. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $506 in Cebu versus $1,577 in Port Moresby. 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 $1,532 in Port Moresby – a 64% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 74% less than in Port Moresby. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,532 in Port Moresby, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Port Moresby. 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 Port Moresby, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Port Moresby 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 64% less than in Port Moresby. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.