Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bamako and Cebu

For one person, living costs are similar in Bamako and in Cebu: $907 and $934 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Bamako
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Bamako Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Bamako

🇲🇱 Mali

$907

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $907 in Bamako versus $934 in Cebu.

Bamako $907
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,475 in Bamako versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Bamako $1,475
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,042 in Bamako versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Bamako $2,042
Cebu $1,896

Living in Bamako costs roughly 3% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bamako 32% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.70 F CFA 5,086

$3.03 ₱191

187.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.22 F CFA 21.2K

$23.48 ₱1,476

54.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.09 F CFA 4,731

$4.09 ₱257

97.80%

Cappuccino

$1.63 F CFA 955

$2.52 ₱158

-35.32%

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

$0.95 F CFA 557

$1.54 ₱97.2

-38.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 F CFA 383

$0.49 ₱31.06

34.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 F CFA 1,410

$1.79 ₱113

34.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$21.09 F CFA 12.3K

$2.26 ₱142

833.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 F CFA 1,127

$1.95 ₱122

-1.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.90 F CFA 2,281

$1.43 ₱89.9

172.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.0

Eggs

$5.84 F CFA 3,416

$2.06 ₱129

183.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.84 F CFA 10.4K

$9.81 ₱617

81.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.45 F CFA 9,034

$4.61 ₱290

235.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.49 F CFA 7,298

$7.70 ₱484

62.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.95 F CFA 2,307

$3.31 ₱208

19.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 F CFA 601

$1.45 ₱91.2

-28.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 F CFA 1,669

$2.36 ₱148

21.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 F CFA 1,256

$1.54 ₱96.6

39.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 F CFA 706

$2.36 ₱148

-48.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 F CFA 665

$1.99 ₱125

-42.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.10 F CFA 59.0

$1.15 ₱72.3

-91.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 F CFA 1,569

$0.67 ₱42.26

301.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱399

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 F CFA 913

$1.31 ₱82.1

19.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 F CFA 973

$1.73 ₱109

-4.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.44

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 F CFA 703

$0.21 ₱13.15

471.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱272

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 F CFA 643

$1.33 ₱83.7

-17.29%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

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

$149 F CFA 86.9K

$121 ₱7,583

23.25%

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

$14.45 ₱909

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.8 F CFA 38.5K

$28.29 ₱1,779

132.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.0 F CFA 40.9K

$32.68 ₱2,055

114.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱402

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱343

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

$273 ₱17.2K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱512.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,117

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,564

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,817

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,727

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$174 F CFA 101.8K

$506 ₱31.8K

-65.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$80.7 F CFA 47.2K

$309 ₱19.5K

-73.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 F CFA 297.6K

$1,052 ₱66.1K

-51.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 F CFA 173.6K

$619 ₱38.9K

-52.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱183.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,227 F CFA 717.0K

$1,867 ₱117.4K

-34.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$266 F CFA 155.7K

$341 ₱21.5K

-21.88%

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 Bamako: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bamako

$348 * 38.9%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 39.5% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bamako

$214 * 24%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 23.8% $51

Eating Out

Bamako

$174 19.5%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 49.3% $86

Accommodation & Living

Bamako

$81 9%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 283% $229

Sport & Entertainment

Bamako

$70 * 7.8%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 37.7% $26

Getting Around

Bamako

$6 * 0.7%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 157% $9.4

Clothing & Footwear

Bamako

- * 0%

Cebu

$95 10.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $174 in Bamako and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 28% 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: $36.00 in Bamako vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $348 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇱 Bamako

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

02:47 2:47 AM

10:47 10:47 AM

8 h ahead of Bamako

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,809,106 Capital

964,169

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bamako Cebu 14,120 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Bamako
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

Bamako vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bamako wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Cebu. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bamako the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Cebu. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $174 in Bamako versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $907 per month in Bamako versus $934 in Cebu – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Shoppers in Cebu pay roughly 65% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Bamako gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bamako delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $907 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bamako hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bamako 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 Bamako gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.