Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Hawassa

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawassa: $834 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Hawassa
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Hawassa Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Hawassa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Hawassa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $834 in Hawassa.

Cebu $918
Hawassa $834

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,199 in Hawassa.

Cebu $1,409
Hawassa $1,199

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,564 in Hawassa.

Cebu $1,900
Hawassa $1,564

Living in Cebu is roughly 10% more expensive than in Hawassa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Hawassa 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$3.90 ETB 625

-20.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$42.11 ETB 6,758

-42.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$6.56 ETB 1,054

-40.24%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$0.95 ETB 153

164.21%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.63 ETB 102

152.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.69 ETB 110

-23.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$0.83 ETB 133

114.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$2.30 ETB 370

-5.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.07 ETB 172

79.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.17 ETB 188

16.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.01 ETB 163

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.58 ETB 253

28.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$7.40 ETB 1,188

33.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$10.07 ETB 1,616

-56.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$9.09 ETB 1,458

-16.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$5.35 ETB 859

-38.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$0.68 ETB 109

104.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$2.13 ETB 341

9.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.66 ETB 106

127.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.50 ETB 80.5

372.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.06 ETB 169

79.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.69 ETB 110

72.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.57 ETB 91.3

10.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$8.18 ETB 1,312

-63.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$5.55 ETB 891

8.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$0.66 ETB 106

86.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.28 ETB 206

36.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$1.31 ETB 210

-41.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.27 ETB 42.86

-14.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$2.03 ETB 326

119.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.92 ETB 147

42.39%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$54.6K ETB 8.8M

-61.10%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$56.4K ETB 9.0M

-66.03%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$202 ETB 32.5K

-40.53%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$7.21 ETB 1,158

94.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$213 ETB 34.2K

-87.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$3.84 ETB 616

47.14%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$136 ETB 21.9K

102.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$30.2K ETB 4.9M

-73.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$33.37 ETB 5,356

47.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$70.7 ETB 11.3K

-64.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$78.6 ETB 12.6K

-2.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$83.6 ETB 13.4K

-31.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$494 ETB 79.3K

287.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

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 12, 2026

Last update for Hawassa: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Hawassa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Hawassa

$205 24.6% 0.3% $0.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Hawassa

$423 50.6% 161% $261

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Hawassa

$120 14.4% 27.5% $26

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Hawassa

$76 9.2% 13.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Hawassa

$7.7 * 0.9% 82.4% $36

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Hawassa

$2.6 * 0.3% 83% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $42.00 in Hawassa. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $205, with Hawassa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇪🇹 Hawassa

🕒 Local time

15:38 3:38 PM

10:38 10:38 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

160,000

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Hawassa 9,370 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Hawassa

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 Hawassa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hawassa is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $1,252 in Hawassa to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 0% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $834 in Hawassa – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Hawassa gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Hawassa 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 Hawassa 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 Hawassa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.