Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Darwin and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $3,070 in Darwin, rent and utilities included – about $25,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

149

Cost of Living Index in Darwin
Learn more

Darwin Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Darwin

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,070

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Darwin and in Cebu

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Darwin and in Cebu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,070 in Darwin versus $934 in Cebu.

Darwin $3,070
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,116 in Darwin versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Darwin $4,116
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,163 in Darwin versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Darwin $5,163
Cebu $1,896

Living in Darwin is roughly 229% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Darwin is 129% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.53 A$32.37

$3.03 ₱191

643.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.0 A$129

$23.48 ₱1,476

283.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 A$15.75

$4.09 ₱257

167.97%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.84

$2.52 ₱158

61.51%

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

$3.31 A$4.76

$1.54 ₱97.2

114.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 A$4.44

$0.49 ₱31.06

530.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.54 A$10.83

$1.79 ₱113

321.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.41 A$10.65

$2.26 ₱142

227.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.14

$1.95 ₱122

-23.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.26

$1.43 ₱89.9

107.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 A$3.13

$1.02 ₱64.0

113.73%

Eggs

$4.35 A$6.25

$2.06 ₱129

111.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.91 A$12.79

$9.81 ₱617

-9.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.49 A$12.19

$4.61 ₱290

84.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.27 A$13.32

$7.70 ₱484

20.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.91 A$5.61

$3.31 ₱208

18.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 A$4.11

$1.45 ₱91.2

97.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 A$4.03

$2.36 ₱148

19.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 A$7.40

$1.54 ₱96.6

234.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.63

$2.36 ₱148

7.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.48

$1.99 ₱125

21.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 A$2.97

$1.15 ₱72.3

80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 A$3.04

$0.67 ₱42.26

216.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.93 A$63.1

$3.00 ₱189

1364.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.81 A$16.97

$6.35 ₱399

85.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$10.12 A$14.53

$1.31 ₱82.1

672.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.83 A$11.24

$1.73 ₱109

352.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.01 A$69.0

$12.65 ₱796

279.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 A$5.34

$0.74 ₱46.44

402.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 A$1.89

$0.21 ₱13.15

528.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.60 A$71.3

$4.33 ₱272

1045.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 A$1.85

$1.33 ₱83.7

-3.01%

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

$31.4K A$45.1K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

44.25%

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

$41.5K A$59.6K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

114.00%

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

$216 A$310

$121 ₱7,583

78.91%

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

$33.26 A$47.77

$14.45 ₱909

130.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.3 A$88.0

$28.29 ₱1,779

116.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.7 A$115

$32.68 ₱2,055

143.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.11 A$40.37

$6.39 ₱402

339.91%

Cinema Ticket

$17.07 A$24.51

$5.46 ₱343

212.64%

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

$1,924 A$2,763

$273 ₱17.2K

603.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,239 A$11.8K

$8,156 ₱512.9K

1.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.2 A$119

$49.57 ₱3,117

67.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.11 A$66.2

$24.87 ₱1,564

85.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 A$150

$76.6 ₱4,817

36.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 A$199

$59.3 ₱3,727

133.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,716 A$2,465

$506 ₱31.8K

239.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,670 A$2,399

$309 ₱19.5K

439.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,712 A$3,895

$1,052 ₱66.1K

157.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,156 A$3,097

$619 ₱38.9K

248.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,794 A$5,449

$2,915 ₱183.4K

30.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,538 A$5,081

$1,867 ₱117.4K

89.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,166 A$5,984

$341 ₱21.5K

1121.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.14

7.2

-14.72%

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

Last update for Darwin: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Darwin

$1.7K 55%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 81.5% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Darwin

$377 12.4%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 44.2% $167

Eating Out

Darwin

$340 11.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 74% $252

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Darwin

$310 10.2%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 47.4% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Darwin

$168 5.5%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 43.5% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Darwin

$114 3.8%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 61.7% $70

Getting Around

Darwin

$58 * 1.9%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 73.5% $43

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 $1,716 in Darwin and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Darwin pays 1121% 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: $90.0 in Darwin vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $377 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Darwin

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

10:33 10:33 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

1 h 30 min behind Darwin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

122,207

964,169

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

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).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Darwin Cebu 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Darwin
Cebu

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

Darwin vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 229% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1121% higher in Darwin, 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: $1,716 in Darwin versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,070 per month in Darwin versus $934 in Cebu – a 229% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 280% less than in Darwin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $3,070 in Darwin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Darwin. 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 Darwin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Darwin and Cebu 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 229% less than in Darwin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.