Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Forbes and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $2,543 in Forbes, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Forbes
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Forbes Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Forbes

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,543

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,543 in Forbes versus $934 in Cebu.

Forbes $2,543
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,751 in Forbes versus $1,423 in Cebu.

Forbes $3,751
Cebu $1,423

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,958 in Forbes versus $1,913 in Cebu.

Forbes $4,958
Cebu $1,913

Living in Forbes is roughly 172% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Forbes is 87% above, Cebu is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.91 A$22.61

$3.79 ₱242

319.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.9 A$135

$23.33 ₱1,491

306.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.31 A$16.07

$3.94 ₱252

187.06%

Cappuccino

$3.52 A$5.00

$2.54 ₱163

38.58%

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

$2.99 A$4.24

$1.57 ₱100

90.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 A$3.37

$0.47 ₱29.82

404.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 A$9.92

$1.77 ₱113

294.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 A$10.52

$2.22 ₱142

233.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 A$2.41

$1.90 ₱121

-11.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 A$3.44

$1.36 ₱87.1

77.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 A$3.04

$0.94 ₱59.8

127.66%

Eggs

$5.00 A$7.10

$1.99 ₱127

151.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.16 A$14.44

$9.70 ₱620

4.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 A$13.53

$4.32 ₱276

120.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.72 A$19.49

$7.51 ₱480

82.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.78 A$5.37

$3.31 ₱211

14.20%

Banana (1kg)

$3.01 A$4.27

$1.37 ₱87.5

119.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 A$5.05

$2.34 ₱149

51.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 A$6.99

$1.49 ₱95.4

230.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.30 ₱147

8.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.63

$1.87 ₱120

36.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 A$3.24

$1.10 ₱70.3

107.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 A$2.06

$0.63 ₱40.36

130.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$46.43 A$66.0

$2.86 ₱183

1523.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.36 A$17.57

$6.08 ₱389

103.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.75 A$6.75

$1.27 ₱81.4

274.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 A$8.24

$1.72 ₱110

237.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 A$3.78

$0.22 ₱13.99

1109.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 A$111

$12.34 ₱788

535.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.70 A$5.26

$0.74 ₱47.53

400.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 A$2.45

$0.22 ₱14.08

681.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.70 A$64.9

$4.28 ₱273

967.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 A$1.78

$1.31 ₱83.7

-4.58%

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

$33.8K A$48.1K

$20.8K ₱1.3M

62.87%

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

$28.1K A$40.0K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

47.78%

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

$195 A$277

$118 ₱7,565

64.60%

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

$23.66 A$33.62

$15.76 ₱1,007

50.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 A$75.8

$28.33 ₱1,810

88.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.1 A$84.0

$32.94 ₱2,105

79.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.72 A$28.02

$6.49 ₱415

203.85%

Cinema Ticket

$12.05 A$17.13

$5.45 ₱348

121.10%

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

$2,301 A$3,269

$276 ₱17.6K

734.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K A$30.3K

$7,789 ₱497.7K

173.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 A$115

$48.18 ₱3,078

67.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 A$80.6

$24.47 ₱1,564

131.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 A$166

$75.3 ₱4,810

54.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 A$176

$58.0 ₱3,707

113.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,558 A$2,213

$477 ₱30.5K

226.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 A$1,816

$322 ₱20.6K

297.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,463 A$3,499

$963 ₱61.5K

155.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,041 A$2,901

$626 ₱40.0K

226.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,228 A$7,428

$4,551 ₱290.8K

14.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,146 A$7,312

$3,028 ₱193.5K

69.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$333 ₱21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

7.2

-18.06%

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

Last update for Forbes: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Forbes

$1.3K 50.3%

Cebu

$322 34.5% 74.8% $956

Groceries & Markets

Forbes

$364 14.3%

Cebu

$204 21.8% 44% $160

Eating Out

Forbes

$275 10.8%

Cebu

$94 10.1% 65.7% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Forbes

$272 10.7%

Cebu

$163 17.4% 40.2% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Forbes

$170 6.7%

Cebu

$93 9.9% 45.5% $77

Getting Around

Forbes

$101 4%

Cebu

$15 1.6% 85.1% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Forbes

$83 3.3%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 47.3% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,558 in Forbes and $477 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $95 in Forbes vs $23 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $204 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Forbes

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

02:19 2:19 AM

23:19 11:19 PM

3 h behind Forbes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,481

964,169

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.11 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Forbes Cebu 5,480 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Forbes
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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

Forbes vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 172% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,814 in Forbes and $1,401 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,558 in Forbes versus $477 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,543 per month in Forbes versus $934 in Cebu – a 172% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 84% less than in Forbes. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Forbes 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 63% less than in Forbes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.