Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Mogadishu

For one person, living is cheaper in Mogadishu: $618 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Mogadishu
Learn more

Mogadishu Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Mogadishu

🇸🇴 Somalia

$618

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Mogadishu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $618 in Mogadishu.

Cebu $934
Mogadishu $618

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $951 in Mogadishu.

Cebu $1,415
Mogadishu $951

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $1,283 in Mogadishu.

Cebu $1,896
Mogadishu $1,283

Living in Cebu is roughly 51% more expensive than in Mogadishu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Mogadishu 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱190

$2.93 SOS 1,665

3.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,473

$34.64 SOS 19.7K

-32.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱256

$4.40 SOS 2,501

-7.05%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$1.94 SOS 1,103

29.90%

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

$1.54 ₱96.9

$1.20 SOS 682

28.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.98

$0.53 SOS 302

-7.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.34 SOS 760

45.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.7

$1.66 SOS 940

-13.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱63.8

$0.75 SOS 428

36.00%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$1.93 SOS 1,096

6.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱615

$4.89 SOS 2,780

100.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱289

$3.96 SOS 2,252

16.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱483

$4.45 SOS 2,529

73.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱207

$3.80 SOS 2,160

-12.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱90.9

$1.02 SOS 580

42.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$3.04 SOS 1,724

-22.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.4

$1.27 SOS 721

21.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.48 SOS 843

59.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$1.72 SOS 978

15.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

$1.49 SOS 846

-22.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.15

$0.53 SOS 301

26.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

$2.05 SOS 1,166

-36.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

$0.51 SOS 291

-50.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

$0.99 SOS 562

-25.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$0.56 SOS 318

-62.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

$2.92 SOS 1,658

48.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$0.92 SOS 523

44.57%

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

$6,416 SOS 3.6M

202.31%

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

$121 ₱7,563

$162 SOS 92.2K

-25.69%

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

$14.45 ₱907

$4.89 SOS 2,777

195.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,774

$65.5 SOS 37.2K

-56.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

$32.12 SOS 18.2K

1.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

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

$273 ₱17.1K

$79.9 SOS 45.4K

242.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

$751 SOS 426.4K

986.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

$13.79 SOS 7,832

259.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

$13.90 SOS 7,893

78.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

$24.66 SOS 14.0K

210.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,717

$32.82 SOS 18.6K

80.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.7K

$198 SOS 112.6K

155.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$77.6 SOS 44.1K

298.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.0K

$475 SOS 269.6K

121.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

$186 SOS 105.9K

232.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

$3,242 SOS 1.8M

-10.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

$2,367 SOS 1.3M

-21.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

$276 SOS 156.6K

23.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Mogadishu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Mogadishu

$78 12.6% 74.9% $232

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Mogadishu

$163 * 26.4% 22.7% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Mogadishu

$233 37.8% 42.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Mogadishu

$38 6.2% 59.5% $56

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Mogadishu

$67 * 10.9% 24.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Mogadishu

$32 * 5.2% 26.3% $11

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Mogadishu

$5.8 * 1% 62.2% $9.6

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 $198 in Mogadishu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 24% 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: $23.00 in Cebu vs $35.00 in Mogadishu. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $163, with Mogadishu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇸🇴 Mogadishu

🕒 Local time

18:45 6:45 PM

13:45 1:45 PM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

2,610,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Somali Shilling SOS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD

1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SOS, 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 = 70.28 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Somali Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 568 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 636 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Mogadishu 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Mogadishu

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 Mogadishu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mogadishu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 51% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 24% 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: $506 in Cebu versus $198 in Mogadishu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $618 in Mogadishu – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

For families, Mogadishu 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 Mogadishu 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 Mogadishu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.