Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Addis Ababa

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,287 in Addis Ababa, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Addis Ababa
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Addis Ababa Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Addis Ababa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,287

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Addis Ababa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cebu and in Addis Ababa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $1,287 in Addis Ababa.

Cebu $934
Addis Ababa $1,287

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $1,891 in Addis Ababa.

Cebu $1,415
Addis Ababa $1,891

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $2,495 in Addis Ababa.

Cebu $1,896
Addis Ababa $2,495

Living in Cebu costs roughly 27% less than in Addis Ababa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Addis Ababa 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱190

$4.09 ETB 658

-25.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,473

$42.95 ETB 6,901

-45.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱256

$6.60 ETB 1,061

-38.03%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$0.89 ETB 142

183.15%

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

$1.54 ₱96.9

$0.59 ETB 94.2

161.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.98

$0.64 ETB 103

-23.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

$0.81 ETB 131

120.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$2.31 ETB 372

-2.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.07 ETB 171

82.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.7

$1.17 ETB 188

22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱63.8

$2.17 ETB 349

-53.00%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$1.75 ETB 281

17.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱615

$7.35 ETB 1,181

33.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱289

$10.16 ETB 1,632

-54.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱483

$9.15 ETB 1,470

-15.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱207

$5.31 ETB 853

-37.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱90.9

$0.68 ETB 110

113.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$2.16 ETB 347

9.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.4

$0.65 ETB 105

136.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$0.49 ETB 79.3

381.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$1.04 ETB 167

91.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

$0.69 ETB 111

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.15

$0.58 ETB 92.5

15.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

$7.83 ETB 1,258

-61.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

$5.77 ETB 927

10.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

$0.68 ETB 109

92.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

$1.28 ETB 206

35.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

$0.49 ETB 78.1

-48.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

$21.23 ETB 3,411

-40.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

$1.33 ETB 214

-44.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$0.27 ETB 43.19

-22.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

$2.04 ETB 327

112.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$0.90 ETB 144

47.78%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$55.7K ETB 8.9M

-60.92%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$56.7K ETB 9.1M

-65.78%

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

$121 ₱7,563

$204 ETB 32.9K

-41.03%

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

$14.45 ₱907

$7.20 ETB 1,156

100.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,774

$208 ETB 33.5K

-86.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

$43.98 ETB 7,066

-25.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

$36.11 ETB 5,803

-82.30%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

$3.74 ETB 600

45.99%

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

$273 ₱17.1K

$137 ETB 22.0K

99.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

$30.1K ETB 4.8M

-72.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

$33.12 ETB 5,322

49.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

$71.5 ETB 11.5K

-65.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

$79.2 ETB 12.7K

-3.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,717

$83.9 ETB 13.5K

-29.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.7K

$694 ETB 111.6K

-27.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$390 ETB 62.7K

-20.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.0K

$2,309 ETB 371.0K

-54.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

$782 ETB 125.6K

-20.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

$1,918 ETB 308.2K

52.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

$991 ETB 159.2K

88.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

$205 ETB 32.9K

66.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

18.5

-61.08%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Addis Ababa: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Addis Ababa

$390 30.1% 26% $81

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Addis Ababa

$212 16.3% 0.6% $1.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Addis Ababa

$420 32.4% 157% $257

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Addis Ababa

$120 9.3% 27.3% $26

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Addis Ababa

$77 5.9% 13.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Addis Ababa

$51 4% 18% $7.9

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Addis Ababa

$26 2% 67.4% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $694 in Addis Ababa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 66% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Cebu vs $43.00 in Addis Ababa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $212 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇪🇹 Addis Ababa

🕒 Local time

14:34 2:34 PM

09:34 9:34 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

3,500,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.55 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

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).

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).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Addis Ababa 9,300 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Addis Ababa

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

Cebu vs Addis Ababa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu and Addis Ababa differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($934 vs $1,287 including rent). Cebu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 66% higher in Cebu, 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: $506 in Cebu versus $694 in Addis Ababa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $1,287 in Addis Ababa – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 68% less than in Addis Ababa. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,287 in Addis Ababa, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Addis Ababa. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu 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, Cebu and Addis Ababa 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 38% less than in Addis Ababa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.