Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Macquarie and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,450 in Port Macquarie, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Port Macquarie
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Port Macquarie Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Port Macquarie

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,450

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,450 in Port Macquarie versus $918 in Cebu.

Port Macquarie $2,450
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,487 in Port Macquarie versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Port Macquarie $3,487
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,525 in Port Macquarie versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Port Macquarie $4,525
Cebu $1,900

Living in Port Macquarie is roughly 167% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Port Macquarie is 81% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.73 A$25.39

$3.09 ₱194

473.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.3 A$125

$24.22 ₱1,519

260.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.34 A$14.82

$3.92 ₱246

163.78%

Cappuccino

$3.90 A$5.59

$2.51 ₱157

55.38%

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

$2.49 A$3.57

$1.59 ₱99.8

56.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 A$2.39

$0.53 ₱33.31

215.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.19 A$8.87

$1.78 ₱112

247.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.38 A$9.13

$2.17 ₱136

194.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 A$2.91

$1.92 ₱120

5.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.93 A$4.20

$1.36 ₱85.1

115.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 A$3.93

$1.01 ₱63.3

171.29%

Eggs

$5.29 A$7.58

$2.03 ₱127

160.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.12 A$7.34

$9.86 ₱619

-48.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 A$15.15

$4.39 ₱276

140.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 A$17.12

$7.60 ₱477

57.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.50

$3.30 ₱207

-4.85%

Banana (1kg)

$4.31 A$6.17

$1.39 ₱87.4

210.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.43

$2.33 ₱146

3.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.95 A$7.09

$1.50 ₱93.9

230.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.42

$2.36 ₱148

1.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.42

$1.90 ₱119

25.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 A$2.29

$1.19 ₱74.6

34.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 A$2.15

$0.63 ₱39.56

138.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.49 A$60.9

$3.00 ₱188

1316.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.41 A$14.91

$6.03 ₱378

72.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 A$5.92

$1.23 ₱77.4

235.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.39

$1.75 ₱110

194.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 A$4.14

$0.25 ₱15.80

1056.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.7 A$116

$12.64 ₱792

538.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 A$5.24

$0.77 ₱48.43

375.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.28

$0.23 ₱14.47

591.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.84 A$61.4

$4.46 ₱279

860.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.87

$1.31 ₱82.5

-0.76%

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

$26.2K A$37.5K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

23.14%

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

$22.0K A$31.5K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

14.74%

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

$198 A$284

$120 ₱7,540

64.72%

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

$30.80 A$44.13

$14.00 ₱878

120.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.3 A$87.9

$27.54 ₱1,727

122.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 A$73.7

$32.33 ₱2,028

59.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.54 A$13.67

$6.65 ₱417

43.46%

Cinema Ticket

$10.92 A$15.64

$5.65 ₱354

93.27%

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

$1,823 A$2,612

$275 ₱17.3K

562.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K A$26.6K

$7,918 ₱496.6K

134.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 A$101

$49.33 ₱3,094

43.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 A$78.6

$25.24 ₱1,583

117.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 A$149

$77.0 ₱4,827

35.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 A$153

$57.2 ₱3,587

86.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 A$2,016

$500 ₱31.3K

181.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 A$1,721

$309 ₱19.4K

288.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,133 A$3,055

$1,078 ₱67.6K

97.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 A$2,426

$615 ₱38.6K

175.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,785 A$8,287

$2,886 ₱181.0K

100.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,938 A$7,074

$1,917 ₱120.2K

157.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,769 A$3,966

$346 ₱21.7K

700.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

7.2

-25.97%

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

Last update for Port Macquarie: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Macquarie

$1.2K 49%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 74.3% $892

Groceries & Markets

Port Macquarie

$350 14.3%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 41.2% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Macquarie

$290 11.9%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 44.2% $128

Eating Out

Port Macquarie

$280 11.4%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 68.5% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Port Macquarie

$151 6.2%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 37.9% $57

Getting Around

Port Macquarie

$104 4.2%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 85% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Port Macquarie

$73 3%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 40.5% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,408 in Port Macquarie and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Port Macquarie pays 700% 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: $87.0 in Port Macquarie vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Port Macquarie

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

07:13 7:13 AM

04:13 4:13 AM

3 h behind Port Macquarie

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,793

964,169

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.43 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.01 PHP (100 PHP = 1.43 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Port Macquarie Cebu 5,570 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Macquarie
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

Port Macquarie vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 167% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 700% higher in Port Macquarie, 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: $1,408 in Port Macquarie versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,450 per month in Port Macquarie versus $918 in Cebu – a 167% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 539% less than in Port Macquarie. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $2,450 in Port Macquarie, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Port Macquarie. 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 Port Macquarie, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Port Macquarie 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 167% less than in Port Macquarie. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.