Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Townsville and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,740 in Townsville, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Townsville
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Townsville Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Townsville

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,740

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,740 in Townsville versus $918 in Cebu.

Townsville $2,740
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,002 in Townsville versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Townsville $4,002
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,265 in Townsville versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Townsville $5,265
Cebu $1,900

Living in Townsville is roughly 199% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Townsville is 103% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.94 A$30.13

$3.09 ₱194

577.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.6 A$97.3

$24.22 ₱1,525

179.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.69 A$16.82

$3.92 ₱247

198.21%

Cappuccino

$3.60 A$5.18

$2.51 ₱158

43.43%

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

$2.49 A$3.59

$1.59 ₱100

56.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 A$3.43

$0.53 ₱33.43

349.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.10 A$11.66

$1.78 ₱112

355.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 A$9.98

$2.17 ₱137

219.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 A$2.66

$1.92 ₱121

-3.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 A$3.15

$1.36 ₱85.4

61.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 A$2.06

$1.01 ₱63.5

41.58%

Eggs

$5.30 A$7.63

$2.03 ₱128

161.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.84 A$11.29

$9.86 ₱621

-20.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.93 A$14.29

$4.39 ₱277

126.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.24 A$19.05

$7.60 ₱479

74.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.95 A$5.69

$3.30 ₱208

19.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.80

$1.39 ₱87.8

89.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.56 A$5.13

$2.33 ₱147

52.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 A$6.05

$1.50 ₱94.3

180.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.70

$2.36 ₱149

8.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 A$3.63

$1.90 ₱119

32.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 A$3.30

$1.19 ₱74.9

92.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 A$3.08

$0.63 ₱39.71

239.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$30.34 A$43.66

$3.00 ₱189

911.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 A$14.92

$6.03 ₱379

71.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.70 A$9.65

$1.23 ₱77.7

444.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.45 A$12.15

$1.75 ₱110

382.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.10 A$3.02

$0.25 ₱15.86

740.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.0 A$111

$12.64 ₱796

509.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 A$5.63

$0.77 ₱48.62

407.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.37 A$3.42

$0.23 ₱14.53

930.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$52.6 A$75.6

$4.46 ₱281

1078.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.87

$1.31 ₱82.8

-0.76%

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

$28.0K A$40.4K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

32.04%

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

$34.0K A$48.9K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

77.57%

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

$379 A$546

$120 ₱7,569

215.32%

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

$35.76 A$51.5

$14.00 ₱882

155.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 A$97.2

$27.54 ₱1,734

145.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 A$79.6

$32.33 ₱2,035

71.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.74 A$28.40

$6.65 ₱419

196.84%

Cinema Ticket

$15.26 A$21.96

$5.65 ₱356

170.09%

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

$2,105 A$3,029

$275 ₱17.3K

664.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.2K A$30.4K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

167.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 A$132

$49.33 ₱3,106

86.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.9 A$101

$25.24 ₱1,589

176.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$163 A$234

$77.0 ₱4,846

111.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 A$186

$57.2 ₱3,601

126.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,315 A$1,892

$500 ₱31.5K

163.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 A$1,694

$309 ₱19.4K

281.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,467 A$3,551

$1,078 ₱67.9K

128.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,081 A$2,995

$615 ₱38.7K

238.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,850 A$6,979

$2,886 ₱181.7K

68.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,960 A$5,699

$1,917 ₱120.7K

106.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,115 A$5,921

$346 ₱21.8K

1089.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

7.2

-23.06%

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

Last update for Townsville: 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

Townsville

$1.2K 43%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 73.8% $868

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Townsville

$482 17.6%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 66.5% $321

Groceries & Markets

Townsville

$370 13.5%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 44.3% $164

Eating Out

Townsville

$320 11.7%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 72.4% $231

Clothing & Footwear

Townsville

$204 7.5%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 54% $110

Getting Around

Townsville

$101 3.7%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 84.6% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Townsville

$86 3.1%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 49.2% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,315 in Townsville and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Townsville pays 1089% 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: $68.0 in Townsville vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $370 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Townsville

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

06:46 6:46 AM

04:46 4:46 AM

2 h behind Townsville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

173,724

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 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 = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Townsville Cebu 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Townsville
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

Townsville vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 199% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1089% higher in Townsville, 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: $1,315 in Townsville versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,740 per month in Townsville versus $918 in Cebu – a 199% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 509% less than in Townsville. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $2,740 in Townsville, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Townsville. 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 Townsville, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Townsville 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 199% less than in Townsville. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.