Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bissau and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Bissau: $837 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Bissau

🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau

$837

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $837 in Bissau versus $934 in Cebu.

Bissau $837
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,352 in Bissau versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Bissau $1,352
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,868 in Bissau versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Bissau $1,868
Cebu $1,896

Living in Bissau costs roughly 10% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bissau 38% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.33 F CFA 3,120

$3.03 ₱190

75.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.69 F CFA 15.0K

$23.48 ₱1,473

9.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 F CFA 5,560

$4.09 ₱256

132.27%

Cappuccino

$1.75 F CFA 1,023

$2.52 ₱158

-30.56%

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

$1.03 F CFA 600

$1.54 ₱96.9

-33.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 F CFA 487

$0.49 ₱30.98

69.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.71 F CFA 413

$1.79 ₱112

-60.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 F CFA 992

$1.95 ₱122

-12.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 F CFA 587

$1.43 ₱89.7

-30.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 F CFA 1,184

$1.02 ₱63.8

98.04%

Eggs

$5.29 F CFA 3,093

$2.06 ₱129

156.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.63 F CFA 8,561

$9.81 ₱615

49.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.73 F CFA 8,033

$4.61 ₱289

197.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.00 F CFA 8,193

$7.70 ₱483

81.82%

Apples (1kg)

$4.46 F CFA 2,608

$3.31 ₱207

34.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 F CFA 622

$1.45 ₱90.9

-26.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 F CFA 2,558

$2.36 ₱148

85.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.15 F CFA 85.3

$1.54 ₱96.4

-90.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 F CFA 829

$2.36 ₱148

-39.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 F CFA 830

$1.99 ₱125

-28.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 F CFA 753

$0.67 ₱42.15

92.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

Wine (Bottle)

$6.94 F CFA 4,062

$6.35 ₱398

9.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 F CFA 749

$1.31 ₱81.9

-2.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 F CFA 499

$1.73 ₱108

-50.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 F CFA 294

$0.25 ₱15.78

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.49 F CFA 14.9K

$12.65 ₱793

101.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 F CFA 868

$1.33 ₱83.5

11.28%

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

$31.7K F CFA 18.6M

$21.8K ₱1.4M

45.74%

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

$28.9K F CFA 16.9M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

49.16%

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

$105 F CFA 61.5K

$121 ₱7,563

-12.78%

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

$34.41 F CFA 20.1K

$14.45 ₱907

138.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.15 F CFA 26.4K

$28.29 ₱1,774

59.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.73 F CFA 25.6K

$32.68 ₱2,050

33.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

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

$759 F CFA 444.1K

$273 ₱17.1K

177.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,319 F CFA 1.4M

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-71.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,717

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$528 F CFA 309.1K

$506 ₱31.7K

4.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$171 F CFA 100.1K

$309 ₱19.4K

-44.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$867 F CFA 507.3K

$1,052 ₱66.0K

-17.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$429 F CFA 250.8K

$619 ₱38.8K

-30.75%

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)

$1,029 F CFA 601.9K

$341 ₱21.4K

201.64%

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 Bissau: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bissau

–

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Groceries & Markets

Bissau

–

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bissau

–

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Clothing & Footwear

Bissau

–

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Eating Out

Bissau

–

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Sport & Entertainment

Bissau

–

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Getting Around

Bissau

–

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $528 in Bissau and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bissau pays 202% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $26.00 in Bissau vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇼 Bissau

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

09:04 9:04 AM

17:04 5:04 PM

8 h ahead of Bissau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

395,954 Capital

964,169

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 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 = 1.52 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 XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bissau Cebu 14,910 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Bissau
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

Bissau vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bissau and Cebu differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($837 vs $934 including rent). Bissau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 202% higher in Bissau, 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: $528 in Bissau versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $759 in Bissau versus $273 in Cebu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Cebu pay roughly 44% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $837 in Bissau versus $934 in Cebu, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bissau but tight or insufficient in Cebu. The gap between the two cities makes Bissau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bissau 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 Bissau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.