Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phnom Penh and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,035 in Phnom Penh, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Phnom Penh
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Phnom Penh Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$1,035

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,035 in Phnom Penh versus $918 in Cebu.

Phnom Penh $1,035
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,675 in Phnom Penh versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Phnom Penh $1,675
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,315 in Phnom Penh versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Phnom Penh $2,315
Cebu $1,900

Living in Phnom Penh is roughly 13% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phnom Penh 23% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.09 ៛16.6K

$3.09 ₱194

32.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.96 ៛162.3K

$24.22 ₱1,525

64.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.93 ៛28.2K

$3.92 ₱247

76.79%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ៛12.1K

$2.51 ₱158

18.33%

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

$1.78 ៛7,248

$1.59 ₱100

11.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 ៛2,695

$0.53 ₱33.43

24.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ៛4,176

$1.78 ₱112

-42.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ៛12.0K

$2.17 ₱137

35.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 ៛8,876

$1.92 ₱121

14.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 ៛6,757

$1.36 ₱85.4

22.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 ៛4,518

$1.01 ₱63.5

9.90%

Eggs

$1.70 ៛6,899

$2.03 ₱128

-16.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.06 ៛61.2K

$9.86 ₱621

52.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.13 ៛16.8K

$4.39 ₱277

-5.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.00 ៛36.5K

$7.60 ₱479

18.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 ៛16.4K

$3.30 ₱208

22.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 ៛7,228

$1.39 ₱87.8

28.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.35 ៛17.7K

$2.33 ₱147

86.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 ៛8,529

$1.50 ₱94.3

40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ៛6,391

$2.36 ₱149

-33.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 ៛4,990

$1.90 ₱119

-35.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ៛4,801

$1.19 ₱74.9

-0.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ៛3,128

$0.63 ₱39.71

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.86 ៛7,555

$3.00 ₱189

-38.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.01 ៛44.7K

$6.03 ₱379

82.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ៛4,082

$1.23 ₱77.7

-18.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ៛7,042

$1.75 ₱110

-1.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ៛1,741

$0.25 ₱15.86

72.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.58 ៛38.9K

$12.64 ₱796

-24.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 ៛4,428

$0.77 ₱48.62

41.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ៛4,179

$0.23 ₱14.53

347.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.13 ៛20.9K

$4.46 ₱281

15.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ៛5,284

$1.31 ₱82.8

-0.76%

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

$34.4K ៛139.7M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

61.87%

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

$44.9K ៛182.4M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

134.48%

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

$104 ៛424.3K

$120 ₱7,569

-13.12%

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

$7.48 ៛30.4K

$14.00 ₱882

-46.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.51 ៛99.6K

$27.54 ₱1,734

-11.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.31 ៛167.8K

$32.33 ₱2,035

27.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.87 ៛44.2K

$6.65 ₱419

63.46%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 ៛19.7K

$5.65 ₱356

-13.98%

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

$669 ៛2.7M

$275 ₱17.3K

142.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K ៛44.7M

$7,918 ₱498.5K

38.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.43 ៛115.5K

$49.33 ₱3,106

-42.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.93 ៛97.2K

$25.24 ₱1,589

-5.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 ៛372.5K

$77.0 ₱4,846

19.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.8 ៛242.7K

$57.2 ₱3,601

4.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$658 ៛2.7M

$500 ₱31.5K

31.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 ៛1.5M

$309 ₱19.4K

21.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 ៛4.6M

$1,078 ₱67.9K

6.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$818 ៛3.3M

$615 ₱38.7K

32.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ៛11.7M

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-0.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,519 ៛6.2M

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-20.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$325 ៛1.3M

$346 ₱21.8K

-6.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.07

7.2

12.08%

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

Last update for Phnom Penh: 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

Phnom Penh

$375 36.3%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 17.7% $67

Groceries & Markets

Phnom Penh

$253 24.4%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 18.6% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phnom Penh

$136 13.2%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 18.6% $25

Eating Out

Phnom Penh

$110 10.6%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 19.7% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Phnom Penh

$92 8.9%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 2.4% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Phnom Penh

$51 4.9%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 14.5% $7.4

Getting Around

Phnom Penh

$18 1.7%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 11.2% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $658 in Phnom Penh and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Phnom Penh vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $253 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Phnom Penh

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

15:03 3:03 PM

16:03 4:03 PM

1 h ahead of Phnom Penh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,009,264 Capital

964,169

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇭 Cambodian Riel (៛)

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4,062 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD). 1 EUR = 4,567 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.19 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).

USD to KHR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phnom Penh Cebu 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phnom Penh
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

Phnom Penh vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Cebu. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $658 in Phnom Penh versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,035 per month in Phnom Penh versus $918 in Cebu – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 32% less than in Phnom Penh. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,035 in Phnom Penh, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Phnom Penh. 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 Phnom Penh, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phnom Penh 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 13% less than in Phnom Penh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.