Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Mutare

For one person, living is cheaper in Mutare: $789 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Mutare
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Mutare Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Mutare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$789

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Mutare

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $789 in Mutare.

Cebu $918
Mutare $789

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,220 in Mutare.

Cebu $1,409
Mutare $1,220

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,651 in Mutare.

Cebu $1,900
Mutare $1,651

Living in Cebu is roughly 16% more expensive than in Mutare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Mutare 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$10.15 ZWL 270

-69.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$45.07 ZWL 1,199

-46.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$4.42 ZWL 118

-11.31%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.28 ZWL 34.07

96.09%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.73 ZWL 19.54

117.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.46 ZWL 12.11

15.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.22 ZWL 32.33

45.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$1.78 ZWL 47.47

21.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.22 ZWL 32.42

57.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.98 ZWL 26.14

38.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.33 ZWL 35.28

-24.06%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.87 ZWL 49.72

8.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$2.92 ZWL 77.8

237.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$4.04 ZWL 107

8.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$5.01 ZWL 133

51.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.04 ZWL 54.3

61.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.70 ZWL 45.15

-18.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$2.05 ZWL 54.6

13.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.98 ZWL 26.18

53.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.75 ZWL 46.52

34.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.99 ZWL 26.33

91.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.48 ZWL 12.83

147.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.99 ZWL 26.41

-36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$1.18 ZWL 31.32

154.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$6.09 ZWL 162

-0.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.18 ZWL 31.32

4.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.73 ZWL 45.96

1.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.77 ZWL 20.48

-67.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$26.46 ZWL 704

-52.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$3.02 ZWL 80.3

-74.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$1.98 ZWL 52.6

-88.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$4.94 ZWL 131

-9.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.86 ZWL 49.42

-29.57%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$21.6K ZWL 575.1K

-1.71%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$23.6K ZWL 629.3K

-19.04%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$50.7 ZWL 1,349

137.09%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$14.72 ZWL 392

-4.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$59.4 ZWL 1,580

-53.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$39.95 ZWL 1,063

-19.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$5.05 ZWL 134

31.68%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$9.89 ZWL 263

-42.87%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$150 ZWL 4,002

83.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$8,553 ZWL 227.6K

-7.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$10.06 ZWL 268

390.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$9.48 ZWL 252

166.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$24.80 ZWL 660

210.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$20.27 ZWL 539

182.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$356 ZWL 9,462

40.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$253 ZWL 6,742

21.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$750 ZWL 19.9K

43.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$395 ZWL 10.5K

55.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$246 ZWL 6,539

1074.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$247 ZWL 6,566

40.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

13.69

-47.41%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mutare: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Mutare

$253 32.1% 18% $55

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Mutare

$155 19.6% 24.8% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Mutare

$125 15.8% 22.8% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Mutare

$29 3.7% 69% $65

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Mutare

$124 15.8% 40.7% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Mutare

$60 7.6% 37% $16

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Mutare

$42 5.4% 173% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $356 in Mutare. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 40% 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: $24.00 in Cebu vs $45.00 in Mutare. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $155, with Mutare cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇿🇼 Mutare

🕒 Local time

07:37 7:37 AM

01:37 1:37 AM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

188,243

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, 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 = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 26.61 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.92 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Mutare 10,510 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Mutare

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 Mutare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mutare is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and clothing. The 16% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 40% 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 $356 in Mutare. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $789 in Mutare – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Mutare runs roughly 109% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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

For families, Mutare 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 Mutare 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 Mutare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.