For one person, living is cheaper in Gafsa: $586 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
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 Gafsa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $586 in Gafsa.
Cebu $918
Gafsa $586
Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $903 in Gafsa.
Cebu $1,409
Gafsa $903
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,220 in Gafsa.
Cebu $1,900
Gafsa $1,220
🌍
Living in Cebu is roughly 57% more expensive than in Gafsa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.
📊
Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu32% lower, Gafsa57% lower.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Gafsa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.09₱194
$3.96TND 11.86
-21.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.22₱1,525
$9.87TND 29.56
145.39%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$3.92₱247
$2.47TND 7.40
58.70%
Cappuccino
$2.51₱158
$0.58TND 1.74
332.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59₱100
$0.52TND 1.55
205.77%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53₱33.43
$0.24TND 0.71
120.83%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$1.78₱112
$1.72TND 5.15
3.49%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17₱137
$1.68TND 5.05
29.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Gafsa
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.92₱121
$0.46TND 1.39
317.39%
White Bread(500g)
$1.36₱85.4
$0.13TND 0.39
946.15%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$1.01₱63.5
$1.67TND 5.02
-39.52%
Eggs
$2.03₱128
$1.04TND 3.13
95.19%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$9.86₱621
$12.88TND 38.59
-23.45%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$4.39₱277
$5.98TND 17.90
-26.59%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$7.60₱479
$11.60TND 34.75
-34.48%
Apples(1kg)
$3.30₱208
$1.39TND 4.15
137.41%
Banana(1kg)
$1.39₱87.8
$3.02TND 9.05
-53.97%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.33₱147
$0.83TND 2.48
180.72%
Tomato(1kg)
$1.50₱94.3
$0.93TND 2.78
61.29%
Potato(1kg)
$2.36₱149
$0.71TND 2.12
232.39%
Onion(1kg)
$1.90₱119
$0.47TND 1.40
304.26%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.19₱74.9
$0.45TND 1.35
164.44%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63₱39.71
$0.27TND 0.81
133.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00₱189
$2.52TND 7.54
19.05%
Wine(Bottle)
$6.03₱379
$5.16TND 15.47
16.86%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23₱77.7
$1.22TND 3.66
0.82%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75₱110
$1.35TND 4.05
29.63%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Gafsa
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.25₱15.86
$0.32TND 0.95
-21.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$12.64₱796
$10.92TND 32.70
15.75%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$0.77₱48.62
$0.29TND 0.86
165.52%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.23₱14.53
$0.25TND 0.75
-8.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$4.46₱281
$4.13TND 12.37
7.99%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.31₱82.8
$0.87TND 2.61
50.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K₱1.3M
$38.2KTND 114.5K
-44.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.1K₱1.2M
$31.4KTND 93.9K
-38.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Gafsa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$120₱7,569
$39.47TND 118
204.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.00₱882
$8.41TND 25.20
66.47%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.54₱1,734
$19.27TND 57.7
42.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Gafsa
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$32.33₱2,035
$15.29TND 45.80
111.45%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.65₱419
$12.41TND 37.16
-46.41%
Cinema Ticket
$5.65₱356
$3.43TND 10.27
64.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Gafsa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$275₱17.3K
$59.1TND 177
366.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$7,918₱498.5K
$1,023TND 3,065
673.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Gafsa
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.33₱3,106
$39.72TND 119
24.19%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.24₱1,589
$52.5TND 157
-51.91%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$77.0₱4,846
$104TND 313
-26.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.2₱3,601
$113TND 340
-49.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Gafsa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$500₱31.5K
$141TND 422
254.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$309₱19.4K
$102TND 304
204.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,078₱67.9K
$205TND 615
424.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$615₱38.7K
$153TND 458
302.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$2,886₱181.7K
$969TND 2,904
197.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$1,917₱120.7K
$358TND 1,073
434.84%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Gafsa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$346₱21.8K
$305TND 913
13.46%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
7.2
8.88
-18.92%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026
Last update for Gafsa: October 11, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$309 33.6%
Gafsa
$102 17.3% ↓ 67.1%$207
🛒Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$206 22.4%
Gafsa
$180 30.8% ↓ 12.4%$25
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$162 17.6%
Gafsa
$67 11.5% ↓ 58.5%$95
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94 10.2%
Gafsa
$140 23.8% ↑ 48.5%$46
🍽Eating Out
Cebu
$88 9.6%
Gafsa
$61 10.4% ↓ 30.9%$27
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44 4.8%
Gafsa
$22 3.8% ↓ 49.2%$21
🚌Getting Around
Cebu
$16 1.7%
Gafsa
$14 2.3% ↓ 11.8%$1.8
🏠Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$615 32.4%
Gafsa
$153 12.5% ↓ 75.1%$462
🛒Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$483 25.4%
Gafsa
$425 34.8% ↓ 12%$58
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$176 9.3%
Gafsa
$76 6.2% ↓ 57%$100
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$209 11%
Gafsa
$310 25.4% ↑ 48.5%$101
🍽Eating Out
Cebu
$292 15.4%
Gafsa
$172 14.1% ↓ 41.1%$120
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$94 4.9%
Gafsa
$57 4.7% ↓ 39.6%$37
🚌Getting Around
Cebu
$32 1.7%
Gafsa
$28 2.3% ↓ 11.2%$3.6
Cost Breakdown
🏠A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $141 in Gafsa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Cebu pays 13% 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: $24.00 in Cebu vs $10.00 in Gafsa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $180 per month, with Gafsa cheaper across the board.
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 Gafsa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gafsa cheaper than Cebu?
Gafsa is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 57% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cebu or Gafsa?
Average pay runs 13% higher in Cebu, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Cebu and Gafsa?
Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $141 in Gafsa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Gafsa?
All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $586 in Gafsa – a 57% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Gafsa runs roughly 16% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,000 enough for either Cebu or Gafsa?
Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Gafsa gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is Cebu or Gafsa more family-friendly?
For families, Gafsa 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.
Which city is safer, Cebu or Gafsa?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Gafsa are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Gafsa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.