Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Matola

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $995 in Matola, rent and utilities included – about $920 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Matola
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Matola Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Matola

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$995

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Matola

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $995 in Matola.

Cebu $918
Matola $995

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,520 in Matola.

Cebu $1,409
Matola $1,520

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,045 in Matola.

Cebu $1,900
Matola $2,045

Living in Cebu costs roughly 8% less than in Matola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Matola 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$7.60 MZN 481

-59.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$63.4 MZN 4,010

-61.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.32 MZN 463

-46.45%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.58 MZN 99.9

58.86%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.82 MZN 52.1

93.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.74 MZN 46.85

-28.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.15 MZN 72.9

54.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$1.52 MZN 96.3

42.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.54 MZN 97.4

24.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.99 MZN 62.8

37.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.66 MZN 105

-39.16%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.84 MZN 117

10.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$13.09 MZN 828

-24.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$5.65 MZN 357

-22.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$4.55 MZN 288

67.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.07 MZN 131

59.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$0.59 MZN 37.08

135.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.71 MZN 108

36.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.07 MZN 67.9

40.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.99 MZN 62.7

138.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.82 MZN 51.8

131.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.97 MZN 61.2

22.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.53 MZN 33.63

18.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$2.83 MZN 179

6.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$6.98 MZN 442

-13.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$0.90 MZN 57.2

36.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.24 MZN 78.4

41.13%

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

$1.59 MZN 101

-51.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$1.20 MZN 75.6

-80.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$24.67 MZN 1,560

-81.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.42 MZN 89.8

-7.75%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$32.2K MZN 2.0M

-34.07%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$22.8K MZN 1.4M

-16.14%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$39.72 MZN 2,512

202.69%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$7.80 MZN 493

79.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$77.3 MZN 4,891

-64.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$39.53 MZN 2,500

-18.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$7.87 MZN 498

-28.21%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$130 MZN 8,234

111.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$5,052 MZN 319.5K

56.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$49.07 MZN 3,104

0.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$57.0 MZN 3,606

-55.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$78.1 MZN 4,939

-1.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$79.4 MZN 5,019

-27.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$473 MZN 29.9K

5.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$389 MZN 24.6K

-20.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$693 MZN 43.8K

55.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$552 MZN 34.9K

11.52%

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

$315 MZN 19.9K

9.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

-71.20%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Matola: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Matola

$389 39.1% 26.1% $81

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Matola

$182 18.3% 11.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Matola

$125 12.6% 22.8% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Matola

$119 11.9% 26.3% $25

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Matola

$117 11.7% 32.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Matola

$55 5.6% 26.7% $12

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Matola

$7.6 * 0.8% 51.4% $8

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 $473 in Matola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 10% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $63.0 in Matola. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $182, with Matola cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇲🇿 Matola

🕒 Local time

23:54 11:54 PM

17:54 5:54 PM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

675,422

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MZN, 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).

Mozambican Metical exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 63.25 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.11 MZN (100 MZN = 1.41 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Matola 10,650 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Matola

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 Matola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 10% higher in Cebu, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $473 in Matola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Matola pay roughly 13% 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 $995 in Matola – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $995 in Matola, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Matola. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Cebu and Matola 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 8% less than in Matola. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.