Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grimstad and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,129 in Grimstad, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Grimstad
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,129
/mo nomad
Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,129 in Grimstad versus $918 in Cebu.

  • Grimstad $2,129
  • Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,634 in Grimstad versus $1,409 in Cebu.

  • Grimstad $3,634
  • Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,140 in Grimstad versus $1,900 in Cebu.

  • Grimstad $5,140
  • Cebu $1,900

Living in Grimstad is roughly 132% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Grimstad is 58% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Grimstad
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.22 NOK 200
$3.09 ₱194
586.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$77.1 NOK 726
$24.22 ₱1,525
218.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.35 NOK 145
$3.92 ₱247
291.58%
Cappuccino
$4.81 NOK 45.27
$2.51 ₱158
91.63%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.08 NOK 38.42
$1.59 ₱100
156.60%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.37 NOK 31.72
$0.53 ₱33.43
535.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$11.48 NOK 108
$1.78 ₱112
544.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.48 NOK 98.7
$2.17 ₱137
382.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Grimstad
Cebu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.54 NOK 23.91
$1.92 ₱121
32.29%
White Bread (500g)
$3.63 NOK 34.17
$1.36 ₱85.4
166.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.11 NOK 29.32
$1.01 ₱63.5
207.92%
Eggs
$3.54 NOK 33.34
$2.03 ₱128
74.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.95 NOK 122
$9.86 ₱621
31.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.02 NOK 132
$4.39 ₱277
219.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$24.27 NOK 228
$7.60 ₱479
219.34%
Apples (1kg)
$2.03 NOK 19.15
$3.30 ₱208
-38.48%
Banana (1kg)
$2.36 NOK 22.26
$1.39 ₱87.8
69.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.44 NOK 32.37
$2.33 ₱147
47.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.28 NOK 40.26
$1.50 ₱94.3
185.33%
Potato (1kg)
$2.77 NOK 26.06
$2.36 ₱149
17.37%
Onion (1kg)
$2.81 NOK 26.49
$1.90 ₱119
47.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.08 NOK 28.97
$1.19 ₱74.9
158.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.87 NOK 17.63
$0.63 ₱39.71
196.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$18.68 NOK 176
$3.00 ₱189
522.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.63 NOK 147
$6.03 ₱379
159.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.42 NOK 32.24
$1.23 ₱77.7
178.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.17 NOK 39.21
$1.75 ₱110
138.29%
🚌 Getting Around
Grimstad
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$5.31 NOK 49.98
$0.25 ₱15.86
2024.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$90.9 NOK 855
$12.64 ₱796
618.83%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$11.86 NOK 112
$0.77 ₱48.62
1440.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.85 NOK 17.40
$0.23 ₱14.53
704.35%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$69.8 NOK 657
$4.46 ₱281
1464.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.33 NOK 21.89
$1.31 ₱82.8
77.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$48.5K NOK 456.8K
$21.2K ₱1.3M
128.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$43.9K NOK 413.5K
$19.1K ₱1.2M
129.44%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Grimstad
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$301 NOK 2,837
$120 ₱7,569
150.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.76 NOK 318
$14.00 ₱882
141.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.1 NOK 509
$27.54 ₱1,734
96.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Grimstad
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.35 NOK 389
$32.33 ₱2,035
27.90%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$6.65 ₱419
-
Cinema Ticket
$15.75 NOK 148
$5.65 ₱356
178.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Grimstad
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$233 NOK 2,191
$275 ₱17.3K
-15.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.7K NOK 147.6K
$7,918 ₱498.5K
98.04%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Grimstad
Cebu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$95.6 NOK 900
$49.33 ₱3,106
93.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.3 NOK 492
$25.24 ₱1,589
107.05%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 NOK 996
$77.0 ₱4,846
37.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$157 NOK 1,478
$57.2 ₱3,601
174.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Grimstad
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$876 NOK 8,245
$500 ₱31.5K
75.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$532 NOK 5,006
$309 ₱19.4K
72.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,926 NOK 18.1K
$1,078 ₱67.9K
78.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,749 NOK 16.5K
$615 ₱38.7K
184.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,591 NOK 43.2K
$2,886 ₱181.7K
59.06%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,358 NOK 31.6K
$1,917 ₱120.7K
75.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Grimstad
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,349 NOK 40.9K
$346 ₱21.8K
1157.24%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.9
7.2
-31.94%

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

Last update for Grimstad: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Grimstad
$532
Cebu
$309 41.9% $223
Groceries & Markets
Grimstad
$435
Cebu
$206 52.7% $229
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Grimstad
$389
Cebu
$162 58.4% $227
Eating Out
Grimstad
$382
Cebu
$88 76.9% $293
Clothing & Footwear
Grimstad
$185
Cebu
$94 49.2% $91
Getting Around
Grimstad
$133
Cebu
$16 88.3% $118
Sport & Entertainment
Grimstad
$73
Cebu
$44 40.1% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $876 in Grimstad and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Grimstad pays 1157% 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: $77.0 in Grimstad vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $435 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇳🇴 Grimstad
🇵🇭 Cebu
🕒 Local time
17:28 5:28 PM
23:28 11:28 PM
6 h ahead of Grimstad
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
25,093
964,169
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 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
  • Grimstad Cebu 10,450 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Grimstad
  • 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
Grimstad vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cebu cheaper than Grimstad?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 132% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Grimstad or Cebu?
Average pay runs 1157% higher in Grimstad, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Grimstad and Cebu?
Rent for a central apartment: $876 in Grimstad 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 Grimstad and in Cebu?
All in, you'll spend $2,129 per month in Grimstad versus $918 in Cebu – a 132% 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 619% less than in Grimstad. 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 Grimstad or in Cebu?
At $918 in Cebu versus $2,129 in Grimstad, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Grimstad. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Grimstad or Cebu more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Grimstad, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Grimstad or Cebu?
Safety-wise, Grimstad 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 132% less than in Grimstad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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