Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Kabwe

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabwe: $573 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Kabwe
Learn more

Kabwe Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Kabwe

🇿🇲 Zambia

$573

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Kabwe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $573 in Kabwe.

Cebu $918
Kabwe $573

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $907 in Kabwe.

Cebu $1,409
Kabwe $907

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,242 in Kabwe.

Cebu $1,900
Kabwe $1,242

Living in Cebu is roughly 60% more expensive than in Kabwe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Kabwe 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$5.47 ZMW 109

-43.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$30.30 ZMW 603

-20.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$5.06 ZMW 101

-22.53%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.88 ZMW 57.2

-12.85%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.73 ZMW 14.60

117.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.45 ZMW 9.03

17.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.28 ZMW 25.49

39.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$2.31 ZMW 46.03

-6.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.67 ZMW 33.24

14.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.23 ZMW 24.42

10.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$2.03 ZMW 40.41

-50.25%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.17 ZMW 23.21

73.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$10.30 ZMW 205

-4.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$6.35 ZMW 126

-30.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$6.46 ZMW 128

17.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$3.42 ZMW 68.1

-3.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.04 ZMW 20.66

33.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$3.63 ZMW 72.2

-35.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.52 ZMW 30.18

-1.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$2.51 ZMW 49.92

-5.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.78 ZMW 35.43

6.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.15 ZMW 22.95

3.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.76 ZMW 15.09

-17.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$3.03 ZMW 60.3

-0.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$10.01 ZMW 199

-39.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.48 ZMW 29.47

-16.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.36 ZMW 47.02

-25.85%

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

$2.59 ZMW 51.5

-70.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$1.54 ZMW 30.53

-85.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$4.89 ZMW 97.3

-8.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.35 ZMW 26.81

-2.96%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$7,588 ZMW 150.9K

179.96%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$27.1K ZMW 539.4K

-29.39%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$79.2 ZMW 1,576

51.73%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$10.24 ZMW 204

36.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$56.0 ZMW 1,115

-50.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$5.86 ZMW 117

-3.58%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$137 ZMW 2,719

101.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$16.9K ZMW 335.9K

-53.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$22.99 ZMW 457

114.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$15.34 ZMW 305

64.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$44.92 ZMW 893

71.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$72.2 ZMW 1,437

-20.81%

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

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

-75.17%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kabwe: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Kabwe

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Kabwe

$226 39.5% 9.9% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Kabwe

$146 25.4% 10% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Kabwe

$70 12.2% 25.5% $24

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Kabwe

$109 19.1% 23.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Kabwe

$12 * 2.1% 73.1% $32

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Kabwe

$10 * 1.8% 34% $5.3

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 $30.00 in Kabwe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $226 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇿🇲 Kabwe

🕒 Local time

01:36 1:36 AM

19:36 7:36 PM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

117,517

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Kabwe 10,870 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Kabwe

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 Kabwe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kabwe is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and transport. The 60% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $859 in Kabwe 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.

Shoppers in Cebu pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $573 in Kabwe – a 60% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Kabwe gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Kabwe 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 Kabwe 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 Kabwe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.