Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Kimberley

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $1,138 in Kimberley, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$915
/mo nomad
Kimberley
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,138
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Kimberley

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $1,138 in Kimberley.

  • Cebu $915
  • Kimberley $1,138

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $1,907 in Kimberley.

  • Cebu $1,418
  • Kimberley $1,907

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $2,676 in Kimberley.

  • Cebu $1,921
  • Kimberley $2,676

Living in Cebu costs roughly 20% less than in Kimberley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 33% lower, Kimberley 16% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Kimberley
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.05 ₱192
$12.12 R 200
-74.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.00 ₱1,511
$36.35 R 599
-33.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.99 ₱251
$6.22 R 103
-35.85%
Cappuccino
$2.50 ₱157
$2.99 R 49.32
-16.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 ₱97.1
$1.29 R 21.17
19.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ₱31.37
$1.30 R 21.49
-61.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.78 ₱112
$2.79 R 45.92
-36.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 ₱136
$2.67 R 44.00
-18.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Kimberley
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.00 ₱126
$1.55 R 25.50
29.03%
White Bread (500g)
$1.37 ₱86.2
$1.16 R 19.03
18.10%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.03 ₱64.9
$2.94 R 48.49
-64.97%
Eggs
$2.03 ₱128
$2.91 R 48.01
-30.24%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.20 ₱642
$6.52 R 107
56.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.45 ₱280
$5.89 R 97.0
-24.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.67 ₱483
$8.33 R 137
-7.92%
Apples (1kg)
$3.31 ₱208
$2.35 R 38.64
40.85%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 ₱91.8
$2.44 R 40.25
-40.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.32 ₱146
$1.78 R 29.25
30.34%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 ₱94.0
$3.34 R 55.0
-55.39%
Potato (1kg)
$2.34 ₱147
$1.52 R 24.99
53.95%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 ₱122
$1.41 R 23.18
37.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.16 ₱73.0
$1.39 R 22.85
-16.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68 ₱42.89
$0.90 R 14.76
-24.44%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.99 ₱188
$3.28 R 54.0
-8.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.24 ₱393
$6.56 R 108
-4.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 ₱77.3
$2.30 R 37.83
-46.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 ₱109
$2.87 R 47.29
-39.72%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Kimberley
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.23 ₱14.36
$1.53 R 25.15
-84.97%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.34 ₱777
$33.18 R 547
-62.81%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.79 ₱49.96
$0.58 R 9.55
36.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.22 ₱13.86
$0.82 R 13.51
-73.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.54 ₱286
$13.15 R 217
-65.48%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 ₱82.9
$1.45 R 23.81
-8.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K ₱1.3M
$37.5K R 617.3K
-43.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.4K ₱1.2M
$38.3K R 630.5K
-49.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Kimberley
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$119 ₱7,464
$108 R 1,772
10.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.22 ₱896
$35.15 R 579
-59.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.47 ₱1,730
$42.40 R 699
-35.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Kimberley
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.31 ₱2,034
$22.40 R 369
44.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.50 ₱409
$10.56 R 174
-38.45%
Cinema Ticket
$5.40 ₱340
$7.16 R 118
-24.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Kimberley
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$276 ₱17.4K
$242 R 3,981
14.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,866 ₱495.3K
$6,107 R 100.6K
28.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Kimberley
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.37 ₱3,108
$54.5 R 897
-9.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.58 ₱1,548
$30.14 R 497
-18.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.6 ₱4,825
$101 R 1,669
-24.33%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$58.9 ₱3,706
$90.8 R 1,495
-35.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Kimberley
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$503 ₱31.7K
$263 R 4,329
91.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$305 ₱19.2K
$338 R 5,574
-10.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 ₱67.7K
$645 R 10.6K
66.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$632 ₱39.8K
$928 R 15.3K
-31.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,870 ₱180.7K
$806 R 13.3K
255.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,877 ₱118.2K
$619 R 10.2K
203.27%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Kimberley
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$336 ₱21.1K
$949 R 15.6K
-64.61%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
10.94
-34.19%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kimberley: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$305
Kimberley
$338 11.1% $34
Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$210
Kimberley
$229 9.1% $19
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$160
Kimberley
$185 15.5% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94
Kimberley
$124 32.1% $30
Eating Out
Cebu
$88
Kimberley
$181 107% $93
Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$43
Kimberley
$37 14.8% $6.4
Getting Around
Cebu
$15
Kimberley
$44 190% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $503 in Cebu and $263 in Kimberley. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kimberley pays 183% 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 $36.00 in Kimberley for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $229 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cebu
🇿🇦 Kimberley
🕒 Local time
18:45 6:45 PM
12:45 12:45 PM
6 h behind Cebu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
964,169
225,160
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cebu Kimberley 11,440 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cebu
  • Kimberley

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 Kimberley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kimberley cheaper than Cebu?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cebu or Kimberley?
On paper, salaries run 183% lower in Kimberley. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Cebu and Kimberley?
Rent for a central apartment: $503 in Cebu versus $263 in Kimberley. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Kimberley?
All in, you'll spend $915 per month in Cebu versus $1,138 in Kimberley – a 24% 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 Cebu runs roughly 169% less than in Kimberley. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,000 enough for either Cebu or Kimberley?
Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Cebu gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is Cebu or Kimberley more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Kimberley, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Cebu or Kimberley?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Kimberley 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Kimberley. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Cebu vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?