Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Ndola

For one person, living is cheaper in Ndola: $726 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Ndola
Learn more

Ndola Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Ndola

🇿🇲 Zambia

$726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Ndola

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $726 in Ndola.

Cebu $918
Ndola $726

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,738 in Ndola.

Cebu $1,409
Ndola $1,738

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,750 in Ndola.

Cebu $1,900
Ndola $2,750

Living in Cebu is roughly 26% more expensive than in Ndola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Ndola 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$5.52 ZMW 110

-44.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$30.75 ZMW 612

-21.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$4.94 ZMW 98.2

-20.65%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.75 ZMW 54.7

-8.73%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.52 ZMW 10.38

205.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.26 ZMW 5.20

103.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.28 ZMW 25.38

39.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$2.22 ZMW 44.18

-2.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.60 ZMW 31.86

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.13 ZMW 22.44

20.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$2.01 ZMW 40.08

-49.75%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.62 ZMW 32.27

25.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$10.37 ZMW 206

-4.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$6.48 ZMW 129

-32.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$6.45 ZMW 128

17.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$1.55 ZMW 30.81

112.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$2.38 ZMW 47.28

-41.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$3.70 ZMW 73.6

-37.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.50 ZMW 29.93

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$2.59 ZMW 51.6

-8.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.88 ZMW 37.49

1.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.12 ZMW 22.20

6.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.62 ZMW 12.35

1.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$3.08 ZMW 61.3

-2.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$9.98 ZMW 198

-39.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.42 ZMW 28.17

-13.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.27 ZMW 45.20

-22.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.73 ZMW 14.59

-65.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$2.60 ZMW 51.6

-70.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$1.47 ZMW 29.15

-84.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$5.13 ZMW 102

-13.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.34 ZMW 26.57

-2.24%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$7,515 ZMW 149.5K

182.67%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$27.1K ZMW 538.2K

-29.24%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$81.5 ZMW 1,622

47.47%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$10.36 ZMW 206

35.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$55.4 ZMW 1,102

-50.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$6.10 ZMW 121

-7.38%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$138 ZMW 2,743

99.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$16.4K ZMW 326.7K

-51.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$23.72 ZMW 472

107.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$15.32 ZMW 305

64.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$45.00 ZMW 895

71.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$72.1 ZMW 1,434

-20.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$176 ZMW 3,508

183.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$153 ZMW 3,050

101.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$384 ZMW 7,630

180.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$1,503 ZMW 29.9K

-59.07%

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

$602 ZMW 12.0K

-42.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

-75.17%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ndola: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Ndola

$153 21.1% 50.3% $155

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Ndola

$224 30.9% 8.8% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Ndola

$147 20.3% 9% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Ndola

$70 9.7% 25.2% $24

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Ndola

$106 14.6% 20.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Ndola

$12 * 1.7% 72% $31

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Ndola

$13 * 1.8% 17.4% $2.7

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 $176 in Ndola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ndola pays 74% 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 $31.00 in Ndola for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $224 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇿🇲 Ndola

🕒 Local time

13:50 1:50 PM

07:50 7:50 AM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

455,194

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, 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).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Ndola 10,830 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Ndola

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 Ndola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ndola is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and transport. The 26% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 74% lower in Ndola. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $176 in Ndola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Cebu pay roughly 9% 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 $726 in Ndola – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

For families, Ndola 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 Ndola 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 Ndola gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.