Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Kuruman

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,125 in Kuruman, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Kuruman
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Kuruman Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Kuruman

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,125

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Kuruman

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,125 in Kuruman.

Cebu $918
Kuruman $1,125

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,692 in Kuruman.

Cebu $1,409
Kuruman $1,692

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,259 in Kuruman.

Cebu $1,900
Kuruman $2,259

Living in Cebu costs roughly 18% less than in Kuruman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Kuruman 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$9.59 R 158

-67.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$40.39 R 665

-40.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$5.55 R 91.5

-29.37%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.79 R 29.41

40.22%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$1.20 R 19.75

32.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.62 R 10.25

-14.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.31 R 38.13

-22.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$2.64 R 43.51

-17.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.15 R 18.98

66.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.34 R 22.03

1.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.72 R 28.26

-41.28%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$4.20 R 69.2

-51.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$8.33 R 137

18.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$5.07 R 83.6

-13.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$7.41 R 122

2.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$1.78 R 29.28

85.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.68 R 27.67

-17.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.82 R 30.04

28.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.67 R 27.54

-10.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.52 R 25.03

55.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.41 R 23.18

34.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.17 R 19.24

1.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$1.15 R 18.92

-45.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$3.53 R 58.2

-15.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$4.92 R 81.0

22.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.38 R 22.75

-10.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.85 R 30.56

-5.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$1.36 R 22.39

-81.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.62 R 10.26

24.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.97 R 15.96

-76.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$13.36 R 220

-66.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.53 R 25.15

-14.38%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$37.7K R 621.3K

-43.67%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$35.3K R 581.1K

-45.72%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$157 R 2,586

-23.40%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$34.82 R 574

-59.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$36.83 R 607

-25.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$31.37 R 517

3.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$12.24 R 202

-45.67%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$8.20 R 135

-31.10%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$252 R 4,157

9.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$5,096 R 84.0K

55.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$52.8 R 870

-6.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$29.03 R 478

-13.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$101 R 1,656

-23.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$87.7 R 1,444

-34.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$343 R 5,648

45.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$376 R 6,190

-17.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$841 R 13.9K

28.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$636 R 10.5K

-3.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$782 R 12.9K

268.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$664 R 10.9K

188.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$1,074 R 17.7K

-67.80%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Kuruman: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Kuruman

$376 33.4% 21.7% $67

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Kuruman

$202 18% 1.9% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Kuruman

$229 20.3% 41.3% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Kuruman

$122 10.8% 29.4% $28

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Kuruman

$139 12.3% 57.4% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Kuruman

$48 4.2% 9.5% $4.2

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Kuruman

$11 * 1% 30% $4.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $343 in Kuruman. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kuruman pays 211% 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 $40.00 in Kuruman. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $202, with Kuruman cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇿🇦 Kuruman

🕒 Local time

06:42 6:42 AM

00:42 12:42 AM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

9,093

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Kuruman 11,560 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Kuruman

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 Kuruman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 23% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 211% lower in Kuruman. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $343 in Kuruman. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Kuruman pay roughly 2% 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 $1,125 in Kuruman – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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.

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

Safety-wise, Cebu and Kuruman 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Kuruman. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.