Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arusha and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Arusha: $549 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

10

Cost of Living Index in Arusha
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Arusha Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Arusha

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$549

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $549 per month in Arusha vs $918 in Cebu, rent included.

Arusha $549
Cebu $918

A couple spends around $888 per month in Arusha vs $1,409 in Cebu, rent included.

Arusha $888
Cebu $1,409

A family of three spends $1,228 per month in Arusha vs $1,900 in Cebu, rent included.

Arusha $1,228
Cebu $1,900

Arusha is about 40% cheaper than Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Arusha and Cebu are more affordable than the global median – Arusha 59% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 TZS 8,723

$3.09 ₱194

7.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.39 TZS 71.7K

$24.22 ₱1,525

13.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 TZS 23.9K

$3.92 ₱247

132.65%

Cappuccino

$1.70 TZS 4,443

$2.51 ₱158

-32.27%

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

$0.92 TZS 2,421

$1.59 ₱100

-42.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 TZS 851

$0.53 ₱33.43

-39.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 TZS 2,653

$1.78 ₱112

-43.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 TZS 7,336

$2.17 ₱137

29.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 TZS 2,522

$1.92 ₱121

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 TZS 1,798

$1.36 ₱85.4

-49.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 TZS 4,554

$1.01 ₱63.5

72.28%

Eggs

$1.75 TZS 4,573

$2.03 ₱128

-13.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 TZS 5,802

$3.30 ₱208

-32.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 TZS 2,021

$1.50 ₱94.3

-48.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 TZS 1,272

$2.36 ₱149

-79.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 TZS 2,686

$1.90 ₱119

-45.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 TZS 2,229

$0.63 ₱39.71

34.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.53 TZS 4,015

$3.00 ₱189

-49.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 TZS 2,444

$1.23 ₱77.7

-24.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 TZS 2,417

$1.75 ₱110

-47.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 TZS 503

$0.25 ₱15.86

-24.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.64 TZS 20.0K

$4.46 ₱281

71.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 TZS 3,259

$1.31 ₱82.8

-5.34%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

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

$28.61 TZS 74.9K

$120 ₱7,569

-76.20%

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

$8.60 TZS 22.5K

$14.00 ₱882

-38.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.62 TZS 122.1K

$27.54 ₱1,734

69.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.4 TZS 171.4K

$32.33 ₱2,035

102.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$4.69 TZS 12.3K

$5.65 ₱356

-16.99%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,710 TZS 20.2M

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-2.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$285 TZS 747.5K

$500 ₱31.5K

-42.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 TZS 611.7K

$309 ₱19.4K

-24.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 TZS 1.3M

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-54.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$525 TZS 1.4M

$615 ₱38.7K

-14.63%

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)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

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

Last update for Arusha: 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

Arusha

$234 42.6%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 32.2% $75

Eating Out

Arusha

$90 16.4%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 2% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arusha

$84 15.3%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 93% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Arusha

$75 13.6%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 41.7% $31

Groceries & Markets

Arusha

$66 * 12%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 214% $140

Getting Around

Arusha

$0.8 * 0.1%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 1922% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Arusha

- * 0%

Cebu

$94 10.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $285 in Arusha versus $500 in Cebu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Arusha versus $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries tell a different story – $66.0 in Arusha vs $206 in Cebu – so Arusha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Arusha

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

21:41 9:41 PM

5 h ahead of Arusha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

617,631

964,169

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to TZS – Tanzanian Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇿 Tanzanian Shilling (Sh)

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,945 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 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 TZS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Arusha Cebu 9,770 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Arusha
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

Arusha vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $549 in Arusha, $918 in Cebu – roughly 67% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $823 per month in Arusha and $1,377 in Cebu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arusha, 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 $27.00 in Arusha and $24.00 in Cebu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $549 in Arusha and $918 in Cebu. That's a gap of about 67%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $549 in Arusha and $918 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 $549 in Arusha to $918 in Cebu. 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 Arusha. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cebu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.