Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Wollongong

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,251 in Wollongong, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 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
110

Cost of Living Index in Wollongong
Learn more

Wollongong Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Wollongong

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,251

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Wollongong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $2,251 in Wollongong.

Cebu $918
Wollongong $2,251

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $3,295 in Wollongong.

Cebu $1,409
Wollongong $3,295

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $4,339 in Wollongong.

Cebu $1,900
Wollongong $4,339

Living in Cebu costs roughly 59% less than in Wollongong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 32% below, Wollongong is 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$16.72 A$24.06

-81.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$83.9 A$121

-71.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$10.27 A$14.78

-61.83%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$3.49 A$5.03

-28.08%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$3.16 A$4.54

-49.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$2.17 A$3.12

-75.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$7.09 A$10.20

-74.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$6.93 A$9.97

-68.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.19 A$1.72

61.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$2.92 A$4.20

-53.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$2.11 A$3.04

-52.13%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$3.93 A$5.65

-48.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$10.40 A$14.96

-5.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$9.47 A$13.62

-53.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$15.48 A$22.27

-50.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.90 A$4.17

13.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$2.54 A$3.65

-45.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$3.30 A$4.74

-29.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$4.53 A$6.51

-66.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$2.31 A$3.33

2.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$2.58 A$3.71

-26.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$2.56 A$3.68

-53.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$1.33 A$1.91

-52.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$44.92 A$64.6

-93.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$13.90 A$20.00

-56.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$4.38 A$6.31

-71.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$4.67 A$6.72

-62.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$1.97 A$2.84

-87.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$4.11 A$5.92

-81.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$1.55 A$2.23

-85.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$42.79 A$61.6

-89.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.32 A$1.90

-0.76%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$26.6K A$38.2K

-20.00%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$24.8K A$35.6K

-22.72%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$185 A$267

-35.15%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$27.08 A$38.97

-48.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$51.1 A$73.5

-46.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$81.8 A$118

-60.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$14.07 A$20.24

-52.74%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$13.02 A$18.73

-56.61%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$2,148 A$3,091

-87.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$20.5K A$29.5K

-61.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$68.2 A$98.1

-27.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$55.0 A$79.2

-54.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$105 A$152

-26.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$108 A$155

-46.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$1,246 A$1,793

-59.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$1,079 A$1,552

-71.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$1,947 A$2,802

-44.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$1,666 A$2,398

-63.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$4,438 A$6,386

-34.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$3,676 A$5,290

-47.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$5,130 A$7,382

-93.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

5.23

37.67%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Wollongong: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Wollongong

$1.1K 47.9% 249% $770

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Wollongong

$353 15.7% 71.6% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Wollongong

$264 11.7% 62.9% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Wollongong

$151 6.7% 61.1% $57

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Wollongong

$277 12.3% 214% $189

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Wollongong

$108 4.8% 147% $64

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Wollongong

$20 * 0.9% 26.9% $4.2

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $1,246 in Wollongong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wollongong pays 1383% 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: $24.00 in Cebu vs $84.0 in Wollongong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $353 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇦🇺 Wollongong

🕒 Local time

22:10 10:10 PM

01:10 1:10 AM

3 h ahead of Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

280,153

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Wollongong 5,730 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Wollongong

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 Wollongong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 145% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 1383% lower in Wollongong. 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: $500 in Cebu versus $1,246 in Wollongong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Wollongong. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $2,251 in Wollongong – a 145% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $2,251 in Wollongong, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Wollongong. 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 Wollongong, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Wollongong 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 145% less than in Wollongong. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.