Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Bulawayo

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulawayo: $763 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Bulawayo
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Bulawayo Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$763

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Bulawayo

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

A single person spends $934 per month in Cebu vs $763 in Bulawayo, rent included.

Cebu $934
Bulawayo $763

A couple spends around $1,415 per month in Cebu vs $1,192 in Bulawayo, rent included.

Cebu $1,415
Bulawayo $1,192

A family of three spends $1,896 per month in Cebu vs $1,622 in Bulawayo, rent included.

Cebu $1,896
Bulawayo $1,622

Cebu costs about 22% more than Bulawayo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Cebu and Bulawayo are more affordable than the global median – Cebu 30% lower, Bulawayo 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱190

$4.58 ZWL 122

-33.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,473

$30.29 ZWL 809

-22.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱256

$4.89 ZWL 131

-16.36%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$2.09 ZWL 55.9

20.57%

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

$1.54 ₱96.9

$0.52 ZWL 13.86

196.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.98

$0.37 ZWL 9.85

32.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

$1.47 ZWL 39.14

21.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$2.03 ZWL 54.2

11.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.66 ZWL 44.28

17.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.7

$1.01 ZWL 27.05

41.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱63.8

$1.55 ZWL 41.32

-34.19%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$1.91 ZWL 50.9

7.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱615

$9.59 ZWL 256

2.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱289

$4.02 ZWL 107

14.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱483

$4.46 ZWL 119

72.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱207

$1.85 ZWL 49.29

78.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱90.9

$1.60 ZWL 42.68

-9.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$2.42 ZWL 64.8

-2.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.4

$1.04 ZWL 27.89

48.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.28 ZWL 34.19

84.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$1.39 ZWL 37.02

43.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

$1.10 ZWL 29.29

4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.15

$0.75 ZWL 19.93

-10.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

$1.54 ZWL 41.04

94.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

$5.10 ZWL 136

24.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

$1.35 ZWL 36.15

-2.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

$1.85 ZWL 49.48

-6.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

$0.77 ZWL 20.65

-67.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

$30.55 ZWL 816

-58.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

$2.94 ZWL 78.6

-74.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$1.95 ZWL 52.1

-89.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

$5.04 ZWL 135

-14.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$1.64 ZWL 43.75

-18.90%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$24.6K ZWL 656.4K

-11.43%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$24.6K ZWL 657.7K

-21.22%

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

$121 ₱7,563

$95.3 ZWL 2,547

26.47%

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

$14.45 ₱907

$17.21 ZWL 460

-16.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,774

$105 ZWL 2,816

-73.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

$31.62 ZWL 845

3.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

$20.07 ZWL 536

-68.16%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

$9.86 ZWL 263

-44.62%

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

$273 ₱17.1K

$231 ZWL 6,175

18.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

$3,512 ZWL 93.8K

132.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

$20.96 ZWL 560

136.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

$11.58 ZWL 309

114.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

$45.58 ZWL 1,217

68.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,717

$58.0 ZWL 1,548

2.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.7K

$176 ZWL 4,695

187.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$107 ZWL 2,863

188.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.0K

$414 ZWL 11.1K

153.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

$325 ZWL 8,679

90.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

$2,053 ZWL 54.8K

42.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

$2,046 ZWL 54.7K

-8.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

$306 ZWL 8,161

11.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

-52.00%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bulawayo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Bulawayo

$107 14.2% 65.4% $202

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Bulawayo

$177 23.5% 15.8% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Bulawayo

$218 29% 33.5% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Bulawayo

$61 8.1% 35.3% $33

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Bulawayo

$91 12.1% 3.4% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Bulawayo

$51 6.8% 17.8% $7.7

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Bulawayo

$46 6.2% 200% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $506 in Cebu versus $176 in Bulawayo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 12% higher in Cebu, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Cebu versus $30.00 in Bulawayo. Groceries tell a different story – $210 in Cebu vs $177 in Bulawayo – so Bulawayo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇿🇼 Bulawayo

🕒 Local time

18:04 6:04 PM

12:04 12:04 PM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

653,337

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.74 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, 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 = 70.28 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 26.71 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.74 USD). 1 EUR = 29.93 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Bulawayo 10,950 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Bulawayo

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 Bulawayo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cebu is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,401 per month in Cebu and $1,144 in Bulawayo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bulawayo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $934 in Cebu and $763 in Bulawayo. That's a gap of about 22%.

Public transport costs about 142% less in Bulawayo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $934 in Cebu and $763 in Bulawayo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Bulawayo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Bulawayo. 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.