Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skien and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,336 in Skien, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Skien
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Skien Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Skien

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,336

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,336 in Skien versus $918 in Cebu.

Skien $2,336
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,267 in Skien versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Skien $3,267
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,197 in Skien versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Skien $4,197
Cebu $1,900

Living in Skien is roughly 155% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Skien is 73% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.21 NOK 200

$3.09 ₱194

586.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$103 NOK 971

$24.22 ₱1,525

325.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.47 NOK 146

$3.92 ₱247

294.64%

Cappuccino

$5.11 NOK 48.11

$2.51 ₱158

103.59%

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

$4.36 NOK 41.01

$1.59 ₱100

174.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 NOK 27.96

$0.53 ₱33.43

460.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.89 NOK 112

$1.78 ₱112

567.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.33 NOK 116

$2.17 ₱137

468.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 NOK 19.84

$1.92 ₱121

9.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.92 NOK 36.90

$1.36 ₱85.4

188.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.57 NOK 42.98

$1.01 ₱63.5

352.48%

Eggs

$5.66 NOK 53.3

$2.03 ₱128

178.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 NOK 124

$9.86 ₱621

33.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.17 NOK 143

$4.39 ₱277

245.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.79 NOK 205

$7.60 ₱479

186.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.35 NOK 31.49

$3.30 ₱208

1.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 NOK 25.42

$1.39 ₱87.8

94.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 NOK 32.86

$2.33 ₱147

49.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.95 NOK 56.0

$1.50 ₱94.3

296.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 NOK 21.04

$2.36 ₱149

-5.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 NOK 26.12

$1.90 ₱119

46.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.04 NOK 28.63

$1.19 ₱74.9

155.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 NOK 23.33

$0.63 ₱39.71

293.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.02 NOK 179

$3.00 ₱189

534.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.76 NOK 148

$6.03 ₱379

161.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.35 NOK 31.58

$1.23 ₱77.7

172.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 NOK 40.76

$1.75 ₱110

147.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.26 NOK 30.64

$0.25 ₱15.86

1204.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.91 NOK 451

$12.64 ₱796

279.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.13 NOK 105

$0.77 ₱48.62

1345.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 NOK 17.02

$0.23 ₱14.53

686.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.8 NOK 667

$4.46 ₱281

1487.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.27 NOK 21.39

$1.31 ₱82.8

73.28%

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

$47.5K NOK 447.3K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

123.66%

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

$43.4K NOK 408.1K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

126.45%

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

$93.9 NOK 884

$120 ₱7,569

-21.93%

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

$33.89 NOK 319

$14.00 ₱882

142.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 NOK 504

$27.54 ₱1,734

94.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.10 NOK 406

$32.33 ₱2,035

33.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 NOK 144

$5.65 ₱356

170.62%

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

$239 NOK 2,247

$275 ₱17.3K

-13.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K NOK 148.1K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

98.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 NOK 600

$49.33 ₱3,106

29.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.4 NOK 568

$25.24 ₱1,589

139.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 NOK 827

$77.0 ₱4,846

14.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 NOK 1,442

$57.2 ₱3,601

167.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 NOK 9,811

$500 ₱31.5K

108.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$975 NOK 9,183

$309 ₱19.4K

215.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 NOK 9,746

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-3.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$939 NOK 8,841

$615 ₱38.7K

52.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,395 NOK 32.0K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

17.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,149 NOK 29.6K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

64.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,236 NOK 39.9K

$346 ₱21.8K

1124.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

7.2

-39.31%

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

Last update for Skien: 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

Skien

$975 41.8%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 68.3% $667

Groceries & Markets

Skien

$470 20.1%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 56.2% $264

Eating Out

Skien

$391 16.7%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 77.4% $303

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skien

$181 7.8%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 10.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Skien

$164 7%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 42.8% $70

Getting Around

Skien

$81 3.5%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 80.8% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Skien

$74 3.2%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 40.8% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,042 in Skien and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Skien pays 1125% 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: $103 in Skien vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $470 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Skien

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

22:26 10:26 PM

6 h ahead of Skien

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,769

964,169

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

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).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Skien Cebu 10,350 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Skien
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

Skien vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 155% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1125% higher in Skien, 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: $1,042 in Skien versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,336 per month in Skien versus $918 in Cebu – a 155% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 279% less than in Skien. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $2,336 in Skien, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Skien. 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 Skien, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Skien 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 155% less than in Skien. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.