Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Arusha

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.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index
10

Cost of Living Index in Arusha
Learn more

Arusha Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Arusha

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$549

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Arusha

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 Arusha actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Cebu $918
Arusha $549

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

Cebu $1,409
Arusha $888

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

Cebu $1,900
Arusha $1,228

Cebu costs about 67% more than Arusha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱195

$3.33 TZS 8,723

-7.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$27.39 TZS 71.7K

-11.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$9.12 TZS 23.9K

-57.02%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.70 TZS 4,443

47.65%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.92 TZS 2,421

72.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.45

$0.32 TZS 851

65.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.01 TZS 2,653

76.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$2.80 TZS 7,336

-22.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$0.96 TZS 2,522

100.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.5

$0.69 TZS 1,798

97.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.6

$1.74 TZS 4,554

-41.95%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.75 TZS 4,573

16.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.22 TZS 5,802

48.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.77 TZS 2,021

94.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.49 TZS 1,272

381.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.03 TZS 2,686

84.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.73

$0.85 TZS 2,229

-25.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$1.53 TZS 4,015

96.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱380

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$0.93 TZS 2,444

32.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$0.92 TZS 2,417

90.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.87

$0.19 TZS 503

31.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.64

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.54

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$7.64 TZS 20.0K

-41.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.24 TZS 3,259

5.65%

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)

$120 ₱7,573

$28.61 TZS 74.9K

320.24%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$8.60 TZS 22.5K

62.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,735

$46.62 TZS 122.1K

-40.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,036

$65.4 TZS 171.4K

-50.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$4.69 TZS 12.3K

20.47%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.8K

$7,710 TZS 20.2M

2.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,107

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,590

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,848

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,603

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$285 TZS 747.5K

75.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.5K

$234 TZS 611.7K

32.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$491 TZS 1.3M

119.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.8K

$525 TZS 1.4M

17.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.8K

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 Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Arusha: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Arusha

$234 42.6% 24.4% $75

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Arusha

$66 * 12% 68.1% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Arusha

$84 15.3% 48.2% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Arusha

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Arusha

$90 16.4% 2% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Arusha

$75 13.6% 71.5% $31

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Arusha

$0.8 * 0.1% 95.1% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $500 in Cebu versus $285 in Arusha. 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 $24.00 in Cebu versus $27.00 in Arusha. Groceries tell a different story – $206 in Cebu vs $66.0 in Arusha – so Arusha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇹🇿 Arusha

🕒 Local time

00:22 12:22 AM

19:22 7:22 PM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

617,631

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

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).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Arusha 9,770 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Arusha

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 Arusha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,377 per month in Cebu and $823 in Arusha. 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 $24.00 in Cebu and $27.00 in Arusha. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $918 in Cebu and $549 in Arusha, 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.