Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portlaoise and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,347 in Portlaoise, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Portlaoise
🇮🇪 Ireland
$2,347
/mo nomad
Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,347 in Portlaoise versus $918 in Cebu.

  • Portlaoise $2,347
  • Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,746 in Portlaoise versus $1,409 in Cebu.

  • Portlaoise $3,746
  • Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,145 in Portlaoise versus $1,900 in Cebu.

  • Portlaoise $5,145
  • Cebu $1,900

Living in Portlaoise is roughly 156% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Portlaoise is 74% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Portlaoise
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.70 €20.19
$3.09 ₱194
634.63%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.5 €69.8
$24.22 ₱1,525
224.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.72 €11.32
$3.92 ₱247
224.49%
Cappuccino
$4.40 €3.91
$2.51 ₱158
75.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.50 €2.22
$1.59 ₱100
57.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 €1.51
$0.53 ₱33.43
220.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.60 €5.87
$1.78 ₱112
270.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.12 €5.44
$2.17 ₱137
182.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Portlaoise
Cebu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.71 €1.52
$1.92 ₱121
-10.94%
White Bread (500g)
$2.25 €2.00
$1.36 ₱85.4
65.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.01 ₱63.5
84.16%
Eggs
$4.62 €4.11
$2.03 ₱128
127.59%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.04 €12.49
$9.86 ₱621
42.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.88 €11.46
$4.39 ₱277
193.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.74 €14.89
$7.60 ₱479
120.26%
Apples (1kg)
$3.32 €2.95
$3.30 ₱208
0.61%
Banana (1kg)
$2.94 €2.62
$1.39 ₱87.8
111.51%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.26 €2.90
$2.33 ₱147
39.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.86 €4.32
$1.50 ₱94.3
224.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.32 €2.07
$2.36 ₱149
-1.69%
Onion (1kg)
$1.73 €1.54
$1.90 ₱119
-8.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.38 €1.23
$1.19 ₱74.9
15.97%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.10 €1.87
$0.63 ₱39.71
233.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.38 €18.13
$3.00 ₱189
579.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.49 €12.00
$6.03 ₱379
123.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.10 €3.64
$1.23 ₱77.7
233.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.61 €3.21
$1.75 ₱110
106.29%
🚌 Getting Around
Portlaoise
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.66 €4.14
$0.25 ₱15.86
1764.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.08 €39.21
$12.64 ₱796
248.73%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.23 €4.65
$0.77 ₱48.62
579.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.55 €1.38
$0.23 ₱14.53
573.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.30 €29.62
$4.46 ₱281
646.64%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.03 €1.80
$1.31 ₱82.8
54.96%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.8K €34.5K
$21.2K ₱1.3M
82.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.0K €33.8K
$19.1K ₱1.2M
98.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Portlaoise
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$239 €212
$120 ₱7,569
98.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.79 €19.38
$14.00 ₱882
55.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.6 €49.41
$27.54 ₱1,734
101.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Portlaoise
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.3 €49.22
$32.33 ₱2,035
71.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$6.65 ₱419
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.45 €11.96
$5.65 ₱356
138.05%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Portlaoise
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,072 €953
$275 ₱17.3K
289.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,427 €4,827
$7,918 ₱498.5K
-31.46%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Portlaoise
Cebu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$94.5 €84.0
$49.33 ₱3,106
91.49%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.66 €37.95
$25.24 ₱1,589
69.02%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 €96.3
$77.0 ₱4,846
40.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 €108
$57.2 ₱3,601
112.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Portlaoise
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,229 €1,093
$500 ₱31.5K
146.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$984 €875
$309 ₱19.4K
218.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,264 €2,014
$1,078 ₱67.9K
110.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,151 €1,913
$615 ₱38.7K
249.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,886 ₱181.7K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,917 ₱120.7K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Portlaoise
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,785 €2,477
$346 ₱21.8K
704.91%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.5
7.2
-51.39%

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

Last update for Portlaoise: 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
Portlaoise
$984
Cebu
$309 68.6% $675
Groceries & Markets
Portlaoise
$390
Cebu
$206 47.2% $184
Eating Out
Portlaoise
$335
Cebu
$88 73.6% $246
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Portlaoise
$316
Cebu
$162 48.8% $154
Clothing & Footwear
Portlaoise
$165
Cebu
$94 43.1% $71
Sport & Entertainment
Portlaoise
$82
Cebu
$44 47% $39
Getting Around
Portlaoise
$76
Cebu
$16 79.4% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,229 in Portlaoise and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portlaoise pays 705% 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: $78.0 in Portlaoise vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $390 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇪 Portlaoise
🇵🇭 Cebu
🕒 Local time
14:37 2:37 PM
21:37 9:37 PM
7 h ahead of Portlaoise
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
23,494
964,169
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Portlaoise Cebu 11,600 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Portlaoise
  • 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
Portlaoise vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cebu cheaper than Portlaoise?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 156% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Portlaoise or Cebu?
Average pay runs 705% higher in Portlaoise, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Portlaoise and Cebu?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,229 in Portlaoise versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Portlaoise and in Cebu?
All in, you'll spend $2,347 per month in Portlaoise versus $918 in Cebu – a 156% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 249% less than in Portlaoise. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Portlaoise or in Cebu?
At $918 in Cebu versus $2,347 in Portlaoise, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Portlaoise. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Portlaoise or Cebu more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Portlaoise, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Portlaoise or Cebu?
Safety-wise, Portlaoise 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 156% less than in Portlaoise. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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