Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Mbabane

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbabane: $747 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Mbabane
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Mbabane Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Mbabane

🇸🇿 Eswatini

$747

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Mbabane

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $747 in Mbabane.

Cebu $934
Mbabane $747

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $1,223 in Mbabane.

Cebu $1,415
Mbabane $1,223

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $1,700 in Mbabane.

Cebu $1,896
Mbabane $1,700

Living in Cebu is roughly 25% more expensive than in Mbabane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Mbabane 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱190

$10.27 SZL 169

-70.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,473

$34.04 SZL 561

-31.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱256

$5.74 SZL 94.6

-28.75%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$2.62 SZL 43.16

-3.82%

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

$1.54 ₱96.9

$1.12 SZL 18.41

37.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.98

$0.62 SZL 10.21

-20.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

$2.16 SZL 35.58

-17.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$2.45 SZL 40.46

-7.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.53 SZL 25.29

27.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.7

$0.81 SZL 13.34

76.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱63.8

$1.75 SZL 28.82

-41.71%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$1.78 SZL 29.32

15.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱615

$11.01 SZL 181

-10.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱289

$5.60 SZL 92.3

-17.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱483

$4.98 SZL 82.0

54.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱207

$1.74 SZL 28.72

90.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱90.9

$0.63 SZL 10.38

130.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.25 SZL 20.56

88.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.4

$1.41 SZL 23.18

9.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.25 SZL 20.57

88.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$1.49 SZL 24.48

33.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

$0.71 SZL 11.74

61.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.15

$0.76 SZL 12.56

-11.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

$2.85 SZL 46.91

5.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

$5.93 SZL 97.8

7.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

$1.52 SZL 25.10

-13.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

$1.67 SZL 27.59

3.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

$0.74 SZL 12.18

-66.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$1.38 SZL 22.80

-84.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

$3.03 SZL 50.0

42.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$1.27 SZL 20.98

4.72%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

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

$121 ₱7,563

$64.0 SZL 1,056

88.29%

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

$14.45 ₱907

$38.40 SZL 633

-62.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,774

$26.97 SZL 445

4.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

$22.61 SZL 373

44.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

$3.04 SZL 50.1

110.20%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

$3.65 SZL 60.1

49.59%

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

$273 ₱17.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

$6,330 SZL 104.3K

28.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

$35.21 SZL 580

40.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

$14.80 SZL 244

68.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

$69.1 SZL 1,139

10.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,717

$53.2 SZL 877

11.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.7K

$267 SZL 4,406

89.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$179 SZL 2,950

72.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.0K

$445 SZL 7,332

136.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

$347 SZL 5,720

78.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

$473 SZL 7,794

516.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

$359 SZL 5,915

420.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

7.25

-0.69%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Mbabane: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Mbabane

$179 23.6% 42.2% $130

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Mbabane

$180 23.7% 14.7% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Mbabane

$129 17.1% 20.8% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Mbabane

$78 10.2% 18% $17

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Mbabane

$153 20.2% 73.7% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Mbabane

$30 3.9% 31.4% $14

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Mbabane

$9.9 * 1.3% 36.1% $5.6

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 $506 in Cebu and $267 in Mbabane. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Cebu vs $34.00 in Mbabane. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $180, with Mbabane cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇸🇿 Mbabane

🕒 Local time

17:04 5:04 PM

11:04 11:04 AM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

94,874 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Eswatini Lilangeni SZL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

100 SZL = 6.07 USD

100 SZL = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SZL, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Eswatini Lilangeni exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 SZL (100 SZL = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 SZL (100 SZL = 5.41 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Mbabane 10,780 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Mbabane

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 Mbabane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mbabane is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,401 in Cebu and $1,121 in Mbabane 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $506 in Cebu versus $267 in Mbabane. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Mbabane – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $23.00 in Cebu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

For families, Mbabane 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 Mbabane 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 Mbabane gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.