Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Molde and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,231 in Molde, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Molde
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Molde Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Molde

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,231

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,231 in Molde versus $918 in Cebu.

Molde $2,231
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,464 in Molde versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Molde $3,464
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,697 in Molde versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Molde $4,697
Cebu $1,900

Living in Molde is roughly 143% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Molde is 65% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 NOK 161

$3.09 ₱194

453.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.2 NOK 905

$24.22 ₱1,525

297.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.25 NOK 125

$3.92 ₱247

238.01%

Cappuccino

$4.11 NOK 38.70

$2.51 ₱158

63.75%

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

$3.00 NOK 28.21

$1.59 ₱100

88.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 NOK 31.45

$0.53 ₱33.43

530.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.71 NOK 120

$1.78 ₱112

614.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.27 NOK 106

$2.17 ₱137

419.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.91 NOK 27.37

$1.92 ₱121

51.56%

White Bread (500g)

$4.17 NOK 39.22

$1.36 ₱85.4

206.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.92 NOK 36.87

$1.01 ₱63.5

288.12%

Eggs

$5.24 NOK 49.35

$2.03 ₱128

158.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.98 NOK 169

$9.86 ₱621

82.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.75 NOK 148

$4.39 ₱277

258.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 NOK 31.29

$3.30 ₱208

0.61%

Banana (1kg)

$3.10 NOK 29.20

$1.39 ₱87.8

123.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 NOK 29.16

$2.33 ₱147

33.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 NOK 44.84

$1.50 ₱94.3

217.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 NOK 23.05

$2.36 ₱149

3.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 NOK 22.11

$1.90 ₱119

23.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.73 NOK 25.66

$1.19 ₱74.9

129.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.77 NOK 186

$3.00 ₱189

559.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.12 NOK 218

$6.03 ₱379

283.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.23 NOK 39.78

$1.23 ₱77.7

243.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.68 NOK 72.3

$1.75 ₱110

338.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.02 NOK 47.24

$0.25 ₱15.86

1908.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.8 NOK 779

$12.64 ₱796

555.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$15.41 NOK 145

$0.77 ₱48.62

1901.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 NOK 21.82

$1.31 ₱82.8

77.10%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

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

$120 ₱7,569

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

$21.17 NOK 199

$14.00 ₱882

51.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.9 NOK 800

$27.54 ₱1,734

208.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 NOK 542

$32.33 ₱2,035

78.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$18.48 NOK 174

$5.65 ₱356

227.08%

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

$207 NOK 1,953

$275 ₱17.3K

-24.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 NOK 1,021

$49.33 ₱3,106

119.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 NOK 1,272

$77.0 ₱4,846

75.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 NOK 1,482

$57.2 ₱3,601

175.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,249 NOK 11.8K

$500 ₱31.5K

149.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 NOK 9,199

$309 ₱19.4K

216.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,854 NOK 17.5K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

72.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,666 NOK 15.7K

$615 ₱38.7K

170.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,256 NOK 40.1K

$346 ₱21.8K

1130.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.8

7.2

-33.33%

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

Last update for Molde: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Molde

$977 43.8%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 68.4% $668

Groceries & Markets

Molde

$417 * 18.7%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 50.7% $211

Eating Out

Molde

$337 15.1%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 73.8% $249

Clothing & Footwear

Molde

$180 * 8.1%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 48% $87

Getting Around

Molde

$118 * 5.3%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 86.8% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Molde

$106 * 4.8%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 52.4% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Molde

$95 4.2%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 53.9% $51

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,249 in Molde and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Molde pays 1130% 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: $96.0 in Molde vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $417 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Molde

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

17:02 5:02 PM

23:02 11:02 PM

6 h ahead of Molde

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,920

964,169

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

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).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Molde Cebu 10,290 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Molde
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

Molde vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 143% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1130% higher in Molde, 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: $1,249 in Molde versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,231 per month in Molde versus $918 in Cebu – a 143% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 555% less than in Molde. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $2,231 in Molde, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Molde. 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 Molde, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Molde 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 143% less than in Molde. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.