Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Stavanger

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $3,140 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $26,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$934
/mo nomad
Stavanger
🇳🇴 Norway
$3,140
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Stavanger

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $3,140 in Stavanger.

  • Cebu $934
  • Stavanger $3,140

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $4,513 in Stavanger.

  • Cebu $1,415
  • Stavanger $4,513

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $5,886 in Stavanger.

  • Cebu $1,896
  • Stavanger $5,886

Living in Cebu costs roughly 70% less than in Stavanger, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 30% below, Stavanger is 134% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Stavanger
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.03 ₱190
$24.58 NOK 235
-87.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.48 ₱1,473
$97.3 NOK 929
-75.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.09 ₱256
$15.95 NOK 152
-74.36%
Cappuccino
$2.52 ₱158
$6.25 NOK 59.7
-59.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 ₱96.9
$5.41 NOK 51.7
-71.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ₱30.98
$4.25 NOK 40.57
-88.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.79 ₱112
$13.66 NOK 130
-86.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 ₱142
$11.78 NOK 112
-80.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Stavanger
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ₱122
$2.37 NOK 22.61
-17.72%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 ₱89.7
$3.47 NOK 33.14
-58.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.02 ₱63.8
$3.83 NOK 36.59
-73.37%
Eggs
$2.06 ₱129
$4.70 NOK 44.87
-56.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.81 ₱615
$14.36 NOK 137
-31.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.61 ₱289
$16.81 NOK 161
-72.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.70 ₱483
$34.43 NOK 329
-77.64%
Apples (1kg)
$3.31 ₱207
$3.42 NOK 32.68
-3.22%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 ₱90.9
$2.72 NOK 26.00
-46.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.36 ₱148
$3.54 NOK 33.78
-33.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.54 ₱96.4
$4.91 NOK 46.90
-68.64%
Potato (1kg)
$2.36 ₱148
$2.55 NOK 24.35
-7.45%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 ₱125
$3.12 NOK 29.79
-36.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 ₱72.1
$2.81 NOK 26.81
-59.07%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.67 ₱42.15
$2.34 NOK 22.33
-71.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00 ₱188
$17.13 NOK 164
-82.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.35 ₱398
$18.45 NOK 176
-65.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 ₱81.9
$3.72 NOK 35.54
-64.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 ₱108
$4.45 NOK 42.52
-61.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Stavanger
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 ₱15.78
$4.76 NOK 45.49
-94.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.65 ₱793
$87.0 NOK 831
-85.46%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.74 ₱46.32
$6.09 NOK 58.2
-87.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.21 ₱13.11
$1.75 NOK 16.69
-88.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.33 ₱271
$103 NOK 981
-95.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.33 ₱83.5
$2.36 NOK 22.50
-43.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K ₱1.4M
$47.3K NOK 451.6K
-53.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.4K ₱1.2M
$40.4K NOK 386.0K
-52.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Stavanger
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$121 ₱7,563
$245 NOK 2,337
-50.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.45 ₱907
$35.29 NOK 337
-59.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.29 ₱1,774
$81.6 NOK 779
-65.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Stavanger
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.68 ₱2,050
$50.3 NOK 480
-35.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.39 ₱401
$36.81 NOK 352
-82.64%
Cinema Ticket
$5.46 ₱342
$22.03 NOK 210
-75.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Stavanger
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$273 ₱17.1K
$322 NOK 3,080
-15.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,156 ₱511.5K
$14.1K NOK 134.4K
-42.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Stavanger
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.57 ₱3,109
$127 NOK 1,212
-60.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.87 ₱1,560
$60.1 NOK 574
-58.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.6 ₱4,804
$153 NOK 1,459
-49.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$59.3 ₱3,717
$204 NOK 1,948
-70.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Stavanger
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$506 ₱31.7K
$1,658 NOK 15.8K
-69.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ₱19.4K
$1,380 NOK 13.2K
-77.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,052 ₱66.0K
$2,766 NOK 26.4K
-61.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$619 ₱38.8K
$2,016 NOK 19.3K
-69.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,915 ₱182.9K
$6,196 NOK 59.2K
-52.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,867 ₱117.1K
$5,307 NOK 50.7K
-64.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Stavanger
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$341 ₱21.4K
$4,951 NOK 47.3K
-93.11%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
5.27
36.62%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Stavanger: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$309
Stavanger
$1.4K 346% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$210
Stavanger
$513 144% $302
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$163
Stavanger
$362 121% $198
Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$95
Stavanger
$245 159% $150
Eating Out
Cebu
$88
Stavanger
$450 409% $362
Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44
Stavanger
$94 116% $51
Getting Around
Cebu
$15
Stavanger
$121 683% $105

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $1,658 in Stavanger. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stavanger pays 1351% 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 $97.0 in Stavanger for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $513 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cebu
🇳🇴 Stavanger
🕒 Local time
16:24 4:24 PM
10:24 10:24 AM
6 h behind Cebu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
964,169
149,330
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.55 NOK (1 NOK = 0.105 USD). 1 EUR = 10.71 NOK (100 NOK = 9.34 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cebu Stavanger 10,560 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cebu
  • Stavanger

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 Stavanger: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Stavanger cheaper than Cebu?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 236% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cebu or Stavanger?
On paper, salaries run 1351% lower in Stavanger. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Cebu and Stavanger?
Rent for a central apartment: $506 in Cebu versus $1,658 in Stavanger. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Stavanger?
All in, you'll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $3,140 in Stavanger – a 236% 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 588% less than in Stavanger. 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 Stavanger?
At $934 in Cebu versus $3,140 in Stavanger, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Stavanger. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Cebu or Stavanger more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Stavanger, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Cebu or Stavanger?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Stavanger 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 236% less than in Stavanger. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Cebu vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?