Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mackay and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $2,222 in Mackay, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Mackay
Learn more

Mackay Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Mackay

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,222

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,222 in Mackay versus $934 in Cebu.

Mackay $2,222
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,485 in Mackay versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Mackay $3,485
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,748 in Mackay versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Mackay $4,748
Cebu $1,896

Living in Mackay is roughly 138% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mackay is 66% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.39 A$24.89

$3.03 ₱190

473.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 A$108

$23.48 ₱1,473

221.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.53 A$17.93

$4.09 ₱256

206.36%

Cappuccino

$4.14 A$5.92

$2.52 ₱158

64.29%

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

$3.38 A$4.84

$1.54 ₱96.9

119.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 A$3.87

$0.49 ₱30.98

453.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 A$9.81

$1.79 ₱112

282.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.06 A$10.10

$2.26 ₱142

212.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 A$2.77

$1.95 ₱122

-1.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 A$3.72

$1.43 ₱89.7

81.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 A$4.09

$1.02 ₱63.8

180.39%

Eggs

$5.65 A$8.09

$2.06 ₱129

174.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 A$13.78

$9.81 ₱615

-1.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.43 A$12.07

$4.61 ₱289

82.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.28 A$23.29

$7.70 ₱483

111.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 A$5.18

$3.31 ₱207

9.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.28

$1.45 ₱90.9

106.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.27

$2.36 ₱148

26.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.62 A$9.48

$1.54 ₱96.4

329.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 A$3.58

$2.36 ₱148

5.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.67

$1.99 ₱125

29.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.08 A$4.41

$1.15 ₱72.1

167.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 A$4.42

$0.67 ₱42.15

361.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.90 A$61.4

$3.00 ₱188

1330.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 A$12.20

$6.35 ₱398

34.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.99 A$7.14

$1.31 ₱81.9

280.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 A$8.96

$1.73 ₱108

261.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 A$3.57

$0.25 ₱15.78

896.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.7 A$101

$12.65 ₱793

458.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.81 A$8.32

$0.74 ₱46.32

685.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.11 A$3.02

$0.21 ₱13.11

904.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.59 A$49.50

$4.33 ₱271

698.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 A$1.73

$1.33 ₱83.5

-9.02%

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

$27.2K A$38.9K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

24.97%

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

$35.4K A$50.7K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

82.60%

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

$230 A$329

$121 ₱7,563

90.39%

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

$29.33 A$41.97

$14.45 ₱907

102.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.5 A$114

$28.29 ₱1,774

180.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 A$74.1

$32.68 ₱2,050

58.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.63 A$29.52

$6.39 ₱401

222.85%

Cinema Ticket

$16.88 A$24.15

$5.46 ₱342

209.16%

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

$1,856 A$2,656

$273 ₱17.1K

578.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,749 A$9,658

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-17.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 A$101

$49.57 ₱3,109

42.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 A$73.0

$24.87 ₱1,560

105.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 A$181

$76.6 ₱4,804

65.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 A$150

$59.3 ₱3,717

76.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 A$1,355

$506 ₱31.7K

87.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$802 A$1,148

$309 ₱19.4K

159.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,868 A$2,674

$1,052 ₱66.0K

77.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,784 A$2,553

$619 ₱38.8K

188.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,116 A$4,459

$2,915 ₱182.9K

6.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,738 A$2,487

$1,867 ₱117.1K

-6.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,620 A$8,043

$341 ₱21.4K

1547.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.63

7.2

-21.81%

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

Last update for Mackay: 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

Mackay

$802 36.9%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 61.4% $493

Groceries & Markets

Mackay

$397 18.2%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 47% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mackay

$338 15.5%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 51.7% $175

Eating Out

Mackay

$299 13.7%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 70.5% $211

Clothing & Footwear

Mackay

$159 7.3%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 40.4% $64

Getting Around

Mackay

$97 4.5%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 84.1% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Mackay

$86 3.9%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 49% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $947 in Mackay and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mackay pays 1548% 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: $75.0 in Mackay vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $397 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Mackay

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

15:23 3:23 PM

13:23 1:23 PM

2 h behind Mackay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,455

964,169

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 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 = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mackay Cebu 4,460 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Mackay
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

Mackay vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 138% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1548% higher in Mackay, 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: $947 in Mackay versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,222 per month in Mackay versus $934 in Cebu – a 138% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 459% less than in Mackay. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $2,222 in Mackay, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Mackay. 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 Mackay, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Mackay 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 138% less than in Mackay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.