Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Romsey and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,503 in Romsey, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Romsey
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,503
/mo nomad
Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,503 in Romsey versus $918 in Cebu.

  • Romsey $2,503
  • Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,715 in Romsey versus $1,409 in Cebu.

  • Romsey $3,715
  • Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,927 in Romsey versus $1,900 in Cebu.

  • Romsey $4,927
  • Cebu $1,900

Living in Romsey is roughly 173% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Romsey is 85% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Romsey
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.48 A$25.15
$3.09 ₱195
465.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$82.7 A$119
$24.22 ₱1,525
241.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.48 A$17.96
$3.92 ₱247
218.37%
Cappuccino
$3.94 A$5.68
$2.51 ₱158
56.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 A$4.58
$1.59 ₱100
100.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.51 A$3.61
$0.53 ₱33.45
373.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.99 A$14.38
$1.78 ₱112
461.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.38 A$12.05
$2.17 ₱137
286.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Romsey
Cebu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 A$2.15
$1.92 ₱121
-22.40%
White Bread (500g)
$2.96 A$4.26
$1.36 ₱85.5
117.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.62 A$3.77
$1.01 ₱63.6
159.41%
Eggs
$5.33 A$7.67
$2.03 ₱128
162.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.61 A$15.27
$9.86 ₱621
7.61%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 A$14.21
$4.39 ₱277
124.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.98 A$21.55
$7.60 ₱479
97.11%
Apples (1kg)
$4.13 A$5.94
$3.30 ₱208
25.15%
Banana (1kg)
$3.03 A$4.35
$1.39 ₱87.8
117.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.10 A$4.46
$2.33 ₱147
33.05%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.75 A$6.84
$1.50 ₱94.3
216.67%
Potato (1kg)
$2.93 A$4.21
$2.36 ₱149
24.15%
Onion (1kg)
$2.55 A$3.68
$1.90 ₱119
34.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.37 A$3.41
$1.19 ₱74.9
99.16%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 A$2.28
$0.63 ₱39.73
152.38%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$44.27 A$63.7
$3.00 ₱189
1375.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.29 A$17.68
$6.03 ₱380
103.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.45 A$7.84
$1.23 ₱77.7
343.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.16 A$7.43
$1.75 ₱110
194.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Romsey
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.07 A$4.41
$0.25 ₱15.87
1128.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$81.2 A$117
$12.64 ₱796
542.17%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.44 A$6.39
$0.77 ₱48.64
476.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.42 A$2.05
$0.23 ₱14.54
517.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$30.36 A$43.69
$4.46 ₱281
580.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.43 A$2.06
$1.31 ₱82.8
9.16%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.5K A$41.0K
$21.2K ₱1.3M
34.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.0K A$37.4K
$19.1K ₱1.2M
35.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Romsey
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$231 A$333
$120 ₱7,573
92.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.97 A$40.25
$14.00 ₱882
99.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.7 A$80.2
$27.54 ₱1,735
102.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Romsey
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.0 A$77.8
$32.33 ₱2,036
67.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.02 A$25.93
$6.65 ₱419
170.98%
Cinema Ticket
$15.19 A$21.87
$5.65 ₱356
168.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Romsey
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,369 A$3,409
$275 ₱17.3K
760.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$29.5K A$42.5K
$7,918 ₱498.8K
273.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Romsey
Cebu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$80.9 A$116
$49.33 ₱3,107
63.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.28 A$70.9
$25.24 ₱1,590
95.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 A$170
$77.0 ₱4,848
53.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$135 A$194
$57.2 ₱3,603
135.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Romsey
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,536 A$2,210
$500 ₱31.5K
207.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,130 A$1,626
$309 ₱19.5K
265.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,062 A$2,967
$1,078 ₱67.9K
91.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,898 A$2,731
$615 ₱38.8K
208.51%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,391 A$9,196
$2,886 ₱181.8K
121.44%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,239 A$6,100
$1,917 ₱120.7K
121.19%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Romsey
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$346 ₱21.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.9
7.2
-18.06%

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

Last update for Romsey: 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
Romsey
$1.1K
Cebu
$309 72.7% $821
Groceries & Markets
Romsey
$382
Cebu
$206 46.1% $176
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Romsey
$315
Cebu
$162 48.6% $153
Eating Out
Romsey
$314
Cebu
$88 71.9% $226
Clothing & Footwear
Romsey
$172
Cebu
$94 45.5% $78
Getting Around
Romsey
$105
Cebu
$16 85.2% $89
Sport & Entertainment
Romsey
$84
Cebu
$44 48.3% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,536 in Romsey and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83.0 in Romsey vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Romsey
🇵🇭 Cebu
🕒 Local time
06:23 6:23 AM
03:23 3:23 AM
3 h behind Romsey
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,400
964,169
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Romsey Cebu 5,730 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Romsey
  • 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
Romsey vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cebu cheaper than Romsey?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 173% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $3,754 in Romsey and $1,377 in Cebu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Romsey and Cebu?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,536 in Romsey 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 Romsey and in Cebu?
All in, you'll spend $2,503 per month in Romsey versus $918 in Cebu – a 173% 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 542% less than in Romsey. 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 Romsey or in Cebu?
At $918 in Cebu versus $2,503 in Romsey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Romsey. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Romsey or Cebu more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Romsey, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Romsey or Cebu?
Safety-wise, Romsey 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 173% less than in Romsey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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