Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Griffith and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,398 in Griffith, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Griffith
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,398
/mo nomad
Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,398 in Griffith versus $918 in Cebu.

  • Griffith $2,398
  • Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,648 in Griffith versus $1,409 in Cebu.

  • Griffith $3,648
  • Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,898 in Griffith versus $1,900 in Cebu.

  • Griffith $4,898
  • Cebu $1,900

Living in Griffith is roughly 161% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Griffith is 78% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Griffith
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.36 A$26.41
$3.09 ₱194
494.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$91.2 A$131
$24.22 ₱1,525
276.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.87 A$14.20
$3.92 ₱247
151.79%
Cappuccino
$4.26 A$6.13
$2.51 ₱158
69.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.90 A$4.18
$1.59 ₱100
82.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 A$3.66
$0.53 ₱33.43
379.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.01 A$11.52
$1.78 ₱112
350.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.36 A$12.03
$2.17 ₱137
285.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Griffith
Cebu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.68 A$2.42
$1.92 ₱121
-12.50%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 A$3.43
$1.36 ₱85.4
75.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.22 A$3.20
$1.01 ₱63.5
119.80%
Eggs
$4.63 A$6.67
$2.03 ₱128
128.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.99 A$12.94
$9.86 ₱621
-8.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.65 A$15.33
$4.39 ₱277
142.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.27 A$23.41
$7.60 ₱479
114.08%
Apples (1kg)
$3.86 A$5.56
$3.30 ₱208
16.97%
Banana (1kg)
$3.48 A$5.00
$1.39 ₱87.8
150.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.84 A$4.09
$2.33 ₱147
21.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.04 A$7.25
$1.50 ₱94.3
236.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.36 A$3.39
$2.36 ₱149
-
Onion (1kg)
$2.40 A$3.46
$1.90 ₱119
26.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.35 A$3.38
$1.19 ₱74.9
97.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 A$2.42
$0.63 ₱39.71
166.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$43.50 A$62.6
$3.00 ₱189
1350.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.29 A$17.69
$6.03 ₱379
103.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.71 A$6.77
$1.23 ₱77.7
282.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.25 A$7.55
$1.75 ₱110
200.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Griffith
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.80 A$4.02
$0.25 ₱15.86
1020.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.7 A$110
$12.64 ₱796
506.57%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.55 A$5.10
$0.77 ₱48.62
361.04%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.62 A$2.33
$0.23 ₱14.53
604.35%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$44.71 A$64.3
$4.46 ₱281
902.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.29 A$1.86
$1.31 ₱82.8
-1.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K A$44.2K
$21.2K ₱1.3M
44.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.0K A$41.7K
$19.1K ₱1.2M
51.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Griffith
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$213 A$307
$120 ₱7,569
77.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.19 A$40.57
$14.00 ₱882
101.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.7 A$80.1
$27.54 ₱1,734
102.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Griffith
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.1 A$86.5
$32.33 ₱2,035
85.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.56 A$22.40
$6.65 ₱419
133.98%
Cinema Ticket
$13.82 A$19.88
$5.65 ₱356
144.60%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Griffith
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,259 A$3,251
$275 ₱17.3K
720.54%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.5K A$26.6K
$7,918 ₱498.5K
133.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Griffith
Cebu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.5 A$122
$49.33 ₱3,106
71.30%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.62 A$71.4
$25.24 ₱1,589
96.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 A$147
$77.0 ₱4,846
32.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 A$174
$57.2 ₱3,601
110.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Griffith
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,508 A$2,171
$500 ₱31.5K
201.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,073 A$1,544
$309 ₱19.4K
247.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,258 A$3,249
$1,078 ₱67.9K
109.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,898 A$2,731
$615 ₱38.7K
208.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,194 A$7,475
$2,886 ₱181.7K
79.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,691 A$6,751
$1,917 ₱120.7K
144.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Griffith
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 Griffith: 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
Griffith
$1.1K
Cebu
$309 71.2% $764
Groceries & Markets
Griffith
$374
Cebu
$206 44.9% $168
Eating Out
Griffith
$306
Cebu
$88 71.2% $218
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Griffith
$297
Cebu
$162 45.5% $135
Clothing & Footwear
Griffith
$160
Cebu
$94 41.5% $67
Getting Around
Griffith
$99
Cebu
$16 84.3% $84
Sport & Entertainment
Griffith
$88
Cebu
$44 50.3% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,508 in Griffith and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $91.0 in Griffith vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $374 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Griffith
🇵🇭 Cebu
🕒 Local time
03:38 3:38 AM
00:38 12:38 AM
3 h behind Griffith
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
20,799
964,169
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Griffith Cebu 5,480 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Griffith
  • 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
Griffith vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cebu cheaper than Griffith?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 161% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $3,596 in Griffith 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 Griffith and Cebu?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,508 in Griffith 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 Griffith and in Cebu?
All in, you'll spend $2,398 per month in Griffith versus $918 in Cebu – a 161% 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 507% less than in Griffith. 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 Griffith or in Cebu?
At $918 in Cebu versus $2,398 in Griffith, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Griffith. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Griffith or Cebu more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Griffith, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Griffith or Cebu?
Safety-wise, Griffith 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 161% less than in Griffith. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Griffith vs other spots: cost of living compared

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