Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Masindi

For one person, living is cheaper in Masindi: $417 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Masindi
Learn more

Masindi Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Masindi

🇺🇬 Uganda

$417

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Masindi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $417 in Masindi.

Cebu $918
Masindi $417

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $658 in Masindi.

Cebu $1,409
Masindi $658

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

Cebu $1,900
Masindi $900

Living in Cebu is roughly 120% more expensive than in Masindi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Masindi 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$2.54 UGX 10.5K

21.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$25.21 UGX 103.7K

-3.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.60 UGX 31.3K

-48.42%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.62 UGX 10.8K

-4.20%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.38 UGX 1,575

318.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.26 UGX 1,065

103.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.26 UGX 5,192

41.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$1.82 UGX 7,476

19.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$0.75 UGX 3,078

156.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.90 UGX 3,691

51.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.30 UGX 5,360

-22.31%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.59 UGX 6,540

27.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$4.38 UGX 18.0K

125.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$4.60 UGX 18.9K

-4.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$4.90 UGX 20.1K

55.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.17 UGX 8,930

52.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.28 UGX 5,273

8.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.32 UGX 5,441

76.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.23 UGX 5,078

21.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.21 UGX 4,960

95.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.25 UGX 5,142

52.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.80 UGX 3,305

48.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.52 UGX 2,159

21.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$2.55 UGX 10.5K

17.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$7.26 UGX 29.8K

-16.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.06 UGX 4,364

16.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.97 UGX 8,113

-11.17%

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

$0.49 UGX 2,013

57.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.30 UGX 1,233

-23.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$3.10 UGX 12.7K

43.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.44 UGX 5,941

-9.03%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$7,390 UGX 30.4M

187.45%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$7,554 UGX 31.1M

153.46%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$70.3 UGX 289.1K

71.07%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$11.94 UGX 49.1K

17.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$35.69 UGX 146.8K

-22.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$7.45 UGX 30.6K

-24.16%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$252 UGX 1.0M

9.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$8,325 UGX 34.2M

-4.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$13.80 UGX 56.8K

257.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$13.29 UGX 54.7K

89.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$32.31 UGX 132.9K

138.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$44.13 UGX 181.5K

29.62%

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

20.75

-65.30%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Masindi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Masindi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Masindi

$148 35.6% 28% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Masindi

$118 28.3% 27.1% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Masindi

$47 11.2% 50.4% $47

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Masindi

$87 20.9% 1.3% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Masindi

$15 * 3.6% 65.8% $29

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Masindi

$2 * 0.5% 87.2% $14

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 $25.00 in Masindi. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $148, with Masindi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇺🇬 Masindi

🕒 Local time

04:43 4:43 AM

23:43 11:43 PM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

94,622

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.43 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.16 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UGX, 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 = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4,113 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.43 USD). 1 EUR = 4,625 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.16 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Masindi 10,210 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Masindi

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 Masindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Masindi is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 120% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $625 in Masindi 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 39% 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 $417 in Masindi – a 120% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Masindi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Masindi 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 Masindi 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 Masindi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 120% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.