Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Mbarara

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbarara: $504 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Mbarara
Learn more

Mbarara Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Mbarara

🇺🇬 Uganda

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Mbarara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $504 in Mbarara.

Cebu $918
Mbarara $504

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $798 in Mbarara.

Cebu $1,409
Mbarara $798

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,093 in Mbarara.

Cebu $1,900
Mbarara $1,093

Living in Cebu is roughly 82% more expensive than in Mbarara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Mbarara 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$2.48 UGX 10.2K

24.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$25.03 UGX 102.9K

-3.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.64 UGX 31.4K

-48.69%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.49 UGX 10.2K

0.80%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.35 UGX 1,455

354.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.28 UGX 1,165

89.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.22 UGX 4,998

45.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$1.89 UGX 7,765

14.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$0.49 UGX 2,012

291.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.88 UGX 3,621

54.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.27 UGX 5,239

-20.47%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.56 UGX 6,409

30.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$4.49 UGX 18.5K

119.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$4.69 UGX 19.3K

-6.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$3.42 UGX 14.1K

122.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.11 UGX 8,662

56.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.28 UGX 5,284

8.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.29 UGX 5,316

80.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.17 UGX 4,820

28.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.27 UGX 5,236

85.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.22 UGX 5,007

55.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.75 UGX 3,065

58.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.52 UGX 2,149

21.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$2.44 UGX 10.0K

22.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$7.27 UGX 29.9K

-17.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.06 UGX 4,363

16.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.96 UGX 8,042

-10.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.74 UGX 3,030

-66.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.48 UGX 1,975

60.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.32 UGX 1,334

-28.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$3.16 UGX 13.0K

41.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.45 UGX 5,972

-9.66%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$7,458 UGX 30.7M

184.84%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$7,349 UGX 30.2M

160.55%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$70.7 UGX 290.7K

70.13%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$11.88 UGX 48.9K

17.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$35.51 UGX 146.1K

-22.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$18.93 UGX 77.9K

70.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$7.55 UGX 31.0K

-25.17%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$255 UGX 1.0M

7.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$8,455 UGX 34.8M

-6.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$14.07 UGX 57.9K

250.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$13.15 UGX 54.1K

91.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$32.11 UGX 132.1K

139.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$44.20 UGX 181.8K

29.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$85.9 UGX 353.5K

481.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$74.2 UGX 305.2K

316.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$239 UGX 981.4K

351.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$172 UGX 708.1K

257.37%

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 Mbarara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Mbarara

$74 14.7% 76% $235

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Mbarara

$141 28% 31.6% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Mbarara

$118 23.4% 27% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Mbarara

$47 9.3% 50.4% $47

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Mbarara

$85 16.9% 3.7% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Mbarara

$34 6.8% 22% $9.6

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Mbarara

$5.1 * 1% 67.6% $11

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 $85.9 in Mbarara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $25.00 in Mbarara. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $141, with Mbarara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇺🇬 Mbarara

🕒 Local time

13:02 1:02 PM

08:02 8:02 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

195,013

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4,113 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.43 USD). 1 EUR = 4,624 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.16 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Mbarara 10,380 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Mbarara

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 Mbarara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mbarara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 82% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $755 in Mbarara 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: $500 in Cebu versus $85.9 in Mbarara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% 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 $504 in Mbarara – a 82% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

For families, Mbarara 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 Mbarara 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 Mbarara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 82% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.