Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rockhampton and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,985 in Rockhampton, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Rockhampton
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Rockhampton Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Rockhampton

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,985

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,985 in Rockhampton versus $918 in Cebu.

Rockhampton $1,985
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,201 in Rockhampton versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Rockhampton $3,201
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,418 in Rockhampton versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Rockhampton $4,418
Cebu $1,900

Living in Rockhampton is roughly 116% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rockhampton is 47% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.54 A$29.56

$3.09 ₱194

564.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 A$122

$24.22 ₱1,525

249.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.68 A$13.92

$3.92 ₱247

146.94%

Cappuccino

$5.00 A$7.19

$2.51 ₱158

99.20%

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

$2.37 A$3.41

$1.59 ₱100

49.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 A$3.89

$0.53 ₱33.43

409.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 A$11.26

$1.78 ₱112

339.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.22 A$8.95

$2.17 ₱137

186.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.24 A$3.23

$1.92 ₱121

16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 A$3.17

$1.36 ₱85.4

61.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 A$2.99

$1.01 ₱63.5

105.94%

Eggs

$3.65 A$5.26

$2.03 ₱128

79.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.65 A$9.57

$9.86 ₱621

-32.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.88 A$15.65

$4.39 ₱277

147.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.71 A$22.60

$7.60 ₱479

106.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.85

$3.30 ₱208

-18.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 A$3.07

$1.39 ₱87.8

53.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 A$2.67

$2.33 ₱147

-20.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 A$6.75

$1.50 ₱94.3

212.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 A$2.94

$2.36 ₱149

-13.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 A$3.26

$1.90 ₱119

18.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 A$2.69

$1.19 ₱74.9

57.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 A$3.08

$0.63 ₱39.71

239.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$37.22 A$53.6

$3.00 ₱189

1140.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 A$21.86

$6.03 ₱379

151.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 A$4.78

$1.23 ₱77.7

169.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.00 A$8.63

$1.75 ₱110

242.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 A$2.38

$0.25 ₱15.86

564.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.7 A$93.1

$12.64 ₱796

411.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.37 A$4.85

$0.77 ₱48.62

337.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 A$2.64

$0.23 ₱14.53

700.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.56 A$56.9

$4.46 ₱281

787.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 A$1.79

$1.31 ₱82.8

-4.58%

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

$29.3K A$42.1K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

37.73%

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

$22.8K A$32.8K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

18.96%

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

$206 A$296

$120 ₱7,569

71.00%

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

$23.90 A$34.39

$14.00 ₱882

70.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 A$96.3

$27.54 ₱1,734

142.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.23 A$57.9

$32.33 ₱2,035

24.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.72 A$19.74

$6.65 ₱419

106.32%

Cinema Ticket

$15.72 A$22.62

$5.65 ₱356

178.23%

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

$1,739 A$2,502

$275 ₱17.3K

531.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,479 A$9,323

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-18.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$123 A$177

$49.33 ₱3,106

149.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.2 A$86.7

$25.24 ₱1,589

138.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 A$204

$77.0 ₱4,846

84.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.5 A$88.5

$57.2 ₱3,601

7.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 A$1,175

$500 ₱31.5K

63.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$685 A$985

$309 ₱19.4K

121.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 A$2,347

$1,078 ₱67.9K

51.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,514 A$2,179

$615 ₱38.7K

146.14%

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)

$3,321 A$4,779

$346 ₱21.8K

859.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.27

7.2

-12.92%

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

Last update for Rockhampton: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rockhampton

$685 34.5%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 54.9% $376

Groceries & Markets

Rockhampton

$349 17.6%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 41% $143

Eating Out

Rockhampton

$325 16.4%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 72.9% $237

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rockhampton

$296 14.9%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 45.4% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Rockhampton

$174 8.8%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 46% $80

Getting Around

Rockhampton

$84 4.2%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 81.4% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Rockhampton

$72 3.6%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 39.1% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $817 in Rockhampton and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rockhampton pays 860% 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 Rockhampton vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Rockhampton

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

13:15 1:15 PM

11:15 11:15 AM

2 h behind Rockhampton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,151

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 19, 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 19, 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 →

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Rockhampton Cebu 4,730 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Rockhampton
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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

Rockhampton vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 116% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 860% higher in Rockhampton, 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: $817 in Rockhampton versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,985 per month in Rockhampton versus $918 in Cebu – a 116% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 412% less than in Rockhampton. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,985 in Rockhampton, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Rockhampton. 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 Rockhampton, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Rockhampton 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 116% less than in Rockhampton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.