Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Dar es Salaam

For one person, living is cheaper in Dar es Salaam: $715 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Dar es Salaam
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Dar es Salaam Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Dar es Salaam

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$715

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Dar es Salaam

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 Dar es Salaam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $715 in Dar es Salaam.

Cebu $934
Dar es Salaam $715

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $1,114 in Dar es Salaam.

Cebu $1,415
Dar es Salaam $1,114

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $1,513 in Dar es Salaam.

Cebu $1,896
Dar es Salaam $1,513

Living in Cebu is roughly 31% more expensive than in Dar es Salaam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Dar es Salaam 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱190

$1.88 TZS 4,931

61.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,473

$18.70 TZS 49.1K

25.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱256

$7.50 TZS 19.7K

-45.47%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$1.93 TZS 5,069

30.57%

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

$1.54 ₱96.9

$0.35 TZS 910

340.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.98

$0.22 TZS 578

122.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

$1.01 TZS 2,643

77.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$1.90 TZS 4,993

18.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$0.85 TZS 2,232

129.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.7

$0.61 TZS 1,596

134.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱63.8

$1.05 TZS 2,764

-2.86%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$2.04 TZS 5,366

0.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱615

$9.13 TZS 24.0K

7.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱289

$4.67 TZS 12.2K

-1.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱483

$3.99 TZS 10.5K

92.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱207

$2.46 TZS 6,455

34.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱90.9

$1.06 TZS 2,775

36.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.08 TZS 2,822

118.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.4

$0.92 TZS 2,412

67.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$0.89 TZS 2,336

165.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$0.99 TZS 2,610

101.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

$0.82 TZS 2,160

40.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.15

$0.39 TZS 1,016

71.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

$2.09 TZS 5,494

43.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

$7.27 TZS 19.1K

-12.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

$0.94 TZS 2,455

39.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

$1.63 TZS 4,267

6.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

$0.26 TZS 688

-3.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

$14.84 TZS 38.9K

-14.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

$1.68 TZS 4,417

-55.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$1.50 TZS 3,943

-86.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

$13.03 TZS 34.2K

-66.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$1.37 TZS 3,591

-2.92%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$16.8K TZS 44.0M

29.79%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$25.9K TZS 68.0M

-25.10%

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

$121 ₱7,563

$56.6 TZS 148.5K

113.08%

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

$14.45 ₱907

$8.88 TZS 23.3K

62.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,774

$34.50 TZS 90.5K

-18.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

$85.3 TZS 223.9K

-61.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

$10.01 TZS 26.3K

-36.16%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

$5.23 TZS 13.7K

4.40%

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

$273 ₱17.1K

$568 TZS 1.5M

-51.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

$13.4K TZS 35.1M

-38.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

$15.23 TZS 40.0K

225.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

$25.44 TZS 66.8K

-2.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

$44.69 TZS 117.3K

71.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,717

$60.1 TZS 157.6K

-1.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.7K

$566 TZS 1.5M

-10.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$194 TZS 508.6K

59.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.0K

$1,348 TZS 3.5M

-21.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

$436 TZS 1.1M

42.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

$1,540 TZS 4.0M

89.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

$1,058 TZS 2.8M

76.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

$283 TZS 741.9K

20.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

18.25

-60.55%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Dar es Salaam: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Dar es Salaam

$194 27.5% 37.4% $116

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Dar es Salaam

$152 21.6% 27.6% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Dar es Salaam

$100 14.2% 38.8% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Dar es Salaam

$65 9.3% 30.8% $29

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Dar es Salaam

$72 10.2% 18.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Dar es Salaam

$96 13.6% 120% $52

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Dar es Salaam

$25 3.6% 62.4% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $566 in Dar es Salaam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 21% 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: $23.00 in Cebu vs $19.00 in Dar es Salaam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $152 per month, with Dar es Salaam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇹🇿 Dar es Salaam

🕒 Local time

19:27 7:27 PM

14:27 2:27 PM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

5,383,728

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.81 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.28 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2,624 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.81 USD). 1 EUR = 2,940 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Dar es Salaam 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Dar es Salaam

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 Dar es Salaam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dar es Salaam is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 31% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 21% 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 $566 in Dar es Salaam. 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 $715 in Dar es Salaam – a 31% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dar es Salaam runs roughly 17% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $715 in Dar es Salaam versus $934 in Cebu, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dar es Salaam but tight or insufficient in Cebu. The gap between the two cities makes Dar es Salaam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Dar es Salaam is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cebu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Dar es Salaam 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 Dar es Salaam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.