Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Adama and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,021 in Adama, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Adama despite lower rent and utilities.

50

Cost of Living Index in Adama
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Adama Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Adama

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,021

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,021 per month in Adama vs $934 in Cebu, rent included.

Adama $1,021
Cebu $934

A couple spends around $1,672 per month in Adama vs $1,415 in Cebu, rent included.

Adama $1,672
Cebu $1,415

A family of three spends $2,323 per month in Adama vs $1,896 in Cebu, rent included.

Adama $2,323
Cebu $1,896

Adama costs about 9% more than Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Adama and Cebu are more affordable than the global median – Adama 24% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.99 ETB 480

$3.03 ₱190

-1.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.94 ETB 6,900

$23.48 ₱1,473

82.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.91 ETB 789

$4.09 ₱256

20.05%

Cappuccino

$0.91 ETB 146

$2.52 ₱158

-63.89%

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

$0.59 ETB 94.0

$1.54 ₱96.9

-61.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ETB 50.1

$0.49 ₱30.98

-36.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.77 ETB 124

$1.79 ₱112

-56.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ETB 364

$2.26 ₱142

0.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 ETB 131

$1.95 ₱122

-58.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 ETB 195

$1.43 ₱89.7

-15.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 ETB 345

$1.02 ₱63.8

110.78%

Eggs

$1.81 ETB 291

$2.06 ₱129

-12.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.25 ETB 1,165

$9.81 ₱615

-26.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.12 ETB 1,626

$4.61 ₱289

119.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.96 ETB 1,440

$7.70 ₱483

16.36%

Apples (1kg)

$5.33 ETB 857

$3.31 ₱207

61.03%

Banana (1kg)

$0.63 ETB 101

$1.45 ₱90.9

-56.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 ETB 340

$2.36 ₱148

-10.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 ETB 105

$1.54 ₱96.4

-57.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 ETB 75.4

$2.36 ₱148

-80.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 ETB 167

$1.99 ₱125

-47.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ETB 106

$1.15 ₱72.1

-42.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ETB 91.7

$0.67 ₱42.15

-14.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.21 ETB 1,320

$3.00 ₱188

173.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.74 ETB 922

$6.35 ₱398

-9.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ETB 115

$1.31 ₱81.9

-45.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 ETB 197

$1.73 ₱108

-29.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ETB 209

$0.74 ₱46.32

75.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ETB 43.11

$0.21 ₱13.11

28.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ETB 312

$4.33 ₱271

-55.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 ETB 143

$1.33 ₱83.5

-33.08%

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

$54.7K ETB 8.8M

$21.8K ₱1.4M

151.42%

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

$55.4K ETB 8.9M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

185.60%

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

$204 ETB 32.7K

$121 ₱7,563

69.01%

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

$7.21 ETB 1,159

$14.45 ₱907

-50.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$211 ETB 33.8K

$28.29 ₱1,774

644.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

Cinema Ticket

$3.86 ETB 620

$5.46 ₱342

-29.30%

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

$136 ETB 21.9K

$273 ₱17.1K

-50.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.1K ETB 4.8M

$8,156 ₱511.5K

268.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.62 ETB 5,401

$49.57 ₱3,109

-32.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.1 ETB 11.3K

$24.87 ₱1,560

181.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 ETB 12.5K

$76.6 ₱4,804

1.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ETB 13.2K

$59.3 ₱3,717

38.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$350 ETB 56.2K

$506 ₱31.7K

-30.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$199 ETB 32.0K

$309 ₱19.4K

-35.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ETB 158.3K

$1,052 ₱66.0K

-6.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$811 ETB 130.3K

$619 ₱38.8K

30.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$101 ETB 16.3K

$341 ₱21.4K

-70.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

7.2

156.94%

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

Last update for Adama: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Adama

$422 41.4%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 61.3% $258

Groceries & Markets

Adama

$208 20.4%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 1.2% $2.4

Accommodation & Living

Adama

$199 19.5%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 55.5% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Adama

$118 11.6%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 20.1% $24

Eating Out

Adama

$62 6%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 43.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Adama

$7.7 * 0.8%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 465% $36

Getting Around

Adama

$2.6 * 0.3%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 485% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $350 in Adama versus $506 in Cebu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 236% higher in Cebu, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Adama versus $23.00 in Cebu. Groceries tell a different story – $208 in Adama vs $210 in Cebu – so Adama wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Adama

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

08:25 8:25 AM

13:25 1:25 PM

5 h ahead of Adama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

228,623

964,169

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.55 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇹 Ethiopian Birr (Br)

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.55 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to ETB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Adama Cebu 9,260 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Adama
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

Adama vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,021 in Adama, $934 in Cebu – roughly 9% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,531 per month in Adama and $1,401 in Cebu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cebu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Adama and $23.00 in Cebu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Adama – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,021 in Adama and $934 in Cebu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Cebu has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $934 in Cebu to $1,021 in Adama. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cebu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Adama makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.