Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denver and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,666 in Denver, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Denver
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,666
/mo nomad
Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Denver 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 Denver and in Cebu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,666 in Denver versus $918 in Cebu.

  • Denver $2,666
  • Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,649 in Denver versus $1,409 in Cebu.

  • Denver $3,649
  • Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,631 in Denver versus $1,900 in Cebu.

  • Denver $4,631
  • Cebu $1,900

Living in Denver is roughly 191% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Denver is 98% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Denver
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.94 A$24.37
$3.09 ₱194
448.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$95.2 A$137
$24.22 ₱1,525
293.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.72 A$15.43
$3.92 ₱247
173.47%
Cappuccino
$4.40 A$6.33
$2.51 ₱158
75.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.80 A$4.03
$1.59 ₱100
76.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.56 A$3.68
$0.53 ₱33.43
383.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.83 A$11.27
$1.78 ₱112
339.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.46 A$10.74
$2.17 ₱137
243.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Denver
Cebu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.34 A$1.92
$1.92 ₱121
-30.21%
White Bread (500g)
$2.99 A$4.31
$1.36 ₱85.4
119.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.53 A$3.65
$1.01 ₱63.5
150.50%
Eggs
$5.49 A$7.89
$2.03 ₱128
170.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.75 A$14.02
$9.86 ₱621
-1.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.54 A$15.16
$4.39 ₱277
140.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.60 A$18.12
$7.60 ₱479
65.79%
Apples (1kg)
$3.81 A$5.48
$3.30 ₱208
15.45%
Banana (1kg)
$3.12 A$4.49
$1.39 ₱87.8
124.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.04 A$4.37
$2.33 ₱147
30.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.08 A$7.31
$1.50 ₱94.3
238.67%
Potato (1kg)
$2.84 A$4.09
$2.36 ₱149
20.34%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 A$3.14
$1.90 ₱119
14.74%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.40 A$3.45
$1.19 ₱74.9
101.68%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.44 A$2.07
$0.63 ₱39.71
128.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$43.07 A$62.0
$3.00 ₱189
1335.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.42 A$20.76
$6.03 ₱379
139.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.92 A$7.08
$1.23 ₱77.7
300.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.47 A$7.86
$1.75 ₱110
212.57%
🚌 Getting Around
Denver
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.65 A$3.82
$0.25 ₱15.86
960.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$89.0 A$128
$12.64 ₱796
603.72%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.98 A$5.73
$0.77 ₱48.62
416.88%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.63 A$2.34
$0.23 ₱14.53
608.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$38.09 A$54.8
$4.46 ₱281
754.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 A$2.07
$1.31 ₱82.8
9.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.0K A$41.7K
$21.2K ₱1.3M
36.48%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.1K A$44.8K
$19.1K ₱1.2M
62.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Denver
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$210 A$302
$120 ₱7,569
74.28%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.33 A$39.33
$14.00 ₱882
95.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$58.6 A$84.3
$27.54 ₱1,734
112.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Denver
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.3 A$76.7
$32.33 ₱2,035
64.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.34 A$26.39
$6.65 ₱419
175.79%
Cinema Ticket
$16.27 A$23.41
$5.65 ₱356
187.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Denver
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,199 A$3,165
$275 ₱17.3K
698.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.6K A$32.6K
$7,918 ₱498.5K
185.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Denver
Cebu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.2 A$98.2
$49.33 ₱3,106
38.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.94 A$70.4
$25.24 ₱1,589
93.90%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 A$150
$77.0 ₱4,846
35.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$126 A$181
$57.2 ₱3,601
120.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Denver
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,283 A$1,846
$500 ₱31.5K
156.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,346 A$1,938
$309 ₱19.4K
336.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,924 A$2,769
$1,078 ₱67.9K
78.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,630 A$2,345
$615 ₱38.7K
164.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,041 A$8,692
$2,886 ₱181.7K
109.30%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,705 A$6,770
$1,917 ₱120.7K
145.49%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Denver
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$346 ₱21.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.84
7.2
-18.89%

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

Last update for Denver: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Denver
$1.3K
Cebu
$309 77.1% $1K
Groceries & Markets
Denver
$375
Cebu
$206 45% $169
Eating Out
Denver
$296
Cebu
$88 70.2% $208
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Denver
$295
Cebu
$162 45.2% $134
Clothing & Footwear
Denver
$156
Cebu
$94 39.9% $62
Getting Around
Denver
$112
Cebu
$16 86.1% $96
Sport & Entertainment
Denver
$86
Cebu
$44 49.2% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,283 in Denver and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $95.0 in Denver vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $375 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Denver
🇵🇭 Cebu
🕒 Local time
02:31 2:31 AM
23:31 11:31 PM
3 h behind Denver
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149
964,169
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Denver Cebu 5,700 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Denver
  • 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
Denver vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cebu cheaper than Denver?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 191% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $4,000 in Denver and $1,377 in Cebu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Denver and Cebu?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,283 in Denver versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Denver and in Cebu?
All in, you'll spend $2,666 per month in Denver versus $918 in Cebu – a 191% 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 604% less than in Denver. 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 Denver or in Cebu?
At $918 in Cebu versus $2,666 in Denver, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Denver. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Denver or Cebu more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Denver, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Denver or Cebu?
Safety-wise, Denver 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 191% less than in Denver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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