Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Muswellbrook and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,384 in Muswellbrook, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Muswellbrook
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Muswellbrook Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Muswellbrook

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,384

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,384 in Muswellbrook versus $918 in Cebu.

Muswellbrook $2,384
Cebu $918

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

Muswellbrook $3,409
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,435 in Muswellbrook versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Muswellbrook $4,435
Cebu $1,900

Living in Muswellbrook is roughly 160% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Muswellbrook is 77% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.16 A$24.69

$3.09 ₱194

455.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.1 A$122

$24.22 ₱1,525

251.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 A$15.15

$3.92 ₱247

168.62%

Cappuccino

$3.51 A$5.06

$2.51 ₱158

39.84%

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

$2.80 A$4.03

$1.59 ₱100

76.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 A$3.14

$0.53 ₱33.43

311.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.95 A$10.00

$1.78 ₱112

290.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.82 A$9.81

$2.17 ₱137

214.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 A$1.65

$1.92 ₱121

-40.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 A$4.09

$1.36 ₱85.4

108.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 A$3.19

$1.01 ₱63.5

119.80%

Eggs

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.03 ₱128

102.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 A$15.17

$9.86 ₱621

6.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.29 A$13.37

$4.39 ₱277

111.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.80 A$22.74

$7.60 ₱479

107.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.37

$3.30 ₱208

-8.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 A$3.50

$1.39 ₱87.8

74.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 A$3.89

$2.33 ₱147

15.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 A$6.48

$1.50 ₱94.3

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.43

$2.36 ₱149

0.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 A$3.71

$1.90 ₱119

35.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.83 A$4.08

$1.19 ₱74.9

137.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 A$2.55

$0.63 ₱39.71

180.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.79 A$60.1

$3.00 ₱189

1293.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.10 A$20.29

$6.03 ₱379

133.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.35 A$6.26

$1.23 ₱77.7

253.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 A$6.67

$1.75 ₱110

164.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.19 A$4.59

$0.25 ₱15.86

1176.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.0 A$105

$12.64 ₱796

477.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 A$5.25

$0.77 ₱48.62

374.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.29

$0.23 ₱14.53

591.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.51 A$51.1

$4.46 ₱281

696.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 A$1.98

$1.31 ₱82.8

5.34%

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

$39.2K A$56.4K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

84.42%

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

$24.8K A$35.7K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

29.52%

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

$138 A$199

$120 ₱7,569

14.95%

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

$31.29 A$45.03

$14.00 ₱882

123.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.0 A$73.3

$27.54 ₱1,734

85.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.6 A$80.1

$32.33 ₱2,035

72.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.27 A$26.29

$6.65 ₱419

174.74%

Cinema Ticket

$12.99 A$18.69

$5.65 ₱356

129.91%

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

$2,172 A$3,126

$275 ₱17.3K

689.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K A$32.9K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

188.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.2 A$99.6

$49.33 ₱3,106

40.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.5 A$87.0

$25.24 ₱1,589

139.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 A$205

$77.0 ₱4,846

84.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 A$154

$57.2 ₱3,601

87.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 A$2,010

$500 ₱31.5K

179.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,176 A$1,693

$309 ₱19.4K

280.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,131 A$3,066

$1,078 ₱67.9K

97.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 A$2,345

$615 ₱38.7K

164.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,387 A$9,191

$2,886 ₱181.7K

121.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,679 A$6,732

$1,917 ₱120.7K

144.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,210 A$8,936

$346 ₱21.8K

1695.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.23

7.2

-27.36%

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

Last update for Muswellbrook: 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

Muswellbrook

$1.2K 49.4%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 73.7% $868

Groceries & Markets

Muswellbrook

$358 15%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 42.5% $152

Eating Out

Muswellbrook

$279 11.7%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 68.4% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Muswellbrook

$220 9.3%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 26.6% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Muswellbrook

$171 7.2%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 44.9% $77

Getting Around

Muswellbrook

$97 4.1%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 84% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Muswellbrook

$82 3.4%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 46.6% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,397 in Muswellbrook and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Muswellbrook pays 1695% 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: $85.0 in Muswellbrook vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $358 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Muswellbrook

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

00:53 12:53 AM

3 h behind Muswellbrook

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,000

964,169

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Muswellbrook Cebu 5,530 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Muswellbrook
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

Muswellbrook vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 160% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1695% higher in Muswellbrook, 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: $1,397 in Muswellbrook versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,384 per month in Muswellbrook versus $918 in Cebu – a 160% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 477% less than in Muswellbrook. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $2,384 in Muswellbrook, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Muswellbrook. 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 Muswellbrook, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Muswellbrook 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 160% less than in Muswellbrook. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.