Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Benin

For one person, living is cheaper in Benin: $447 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Benin
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Benin Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Benin

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Benin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $447 in Benin.

Cebu $918
Benin $447

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $756 in Benin.

Cebu $1,409
Benin $756

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,065 in Benin.

Cebu $1,900
Benin $1,065

Living in Cebu is roughly 105% more expensive than in Benin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Benin 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱195

$1.28 ₦1,702

141.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$50.3 ₦66.9K

-51.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$5.51 ₦7,326

-28.86%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.77 ₦3,684

-9.39%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.27 ₦355

488.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.45

$0.16 ₦218

231.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$0.85 ₦1,136

109.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$0.99 ₦1,320

119.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$3.16 ₦4,204

-39.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.5

$0.77 ₦1,026

76.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.6

$1.21 ₦1,610

-16.53%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.24 ₦2,984

-9.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$3.63 ₦4,832

171.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$3.84 ₦5,114

14.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$4.43 ₦5,893

71.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$1.70 ₦2,263

94.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.30 ₦1,728

6.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.11 ₦1,475

109.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.33 ₦1,772

12.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.34 ₦1,779

76.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.32 ₦1,756

43.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.83 ₦1,105

43.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.73

$0.39 ₦523

61.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$0.59 ₦779

408.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱380

$2.41 ₦3,205

150.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$0.54 ₦724

127.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$0.46 ₦607

280.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.87

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.64

$0.69 ₦921

11.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.54

$0.90 ₦1,202

-74.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$2.21 ₦2,943

101.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.73 ₦967

79.45%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$11.1K ₦14.7M

91.73%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$13.9K ₦18.4M

38.13%

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

$120 ₱7,573

$114 ₦151.4K

5.63%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$14.69 ₦19.5K

-4.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,735

$33.21 ₦44.2K

-17.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,036

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$6.21 ₦8,258

-9.02%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$655 ₦871.3K

-57.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.8K

$19.7K ₦26.2M

-59.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,107

$14.98 ₦19.9K

229.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,590

$18.39 ₦24.5K

37.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,848

$35.97 ₦47.8K

113.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,603

$48.15 ₦64.0K

18.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$112 ₦148.6K

209.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

18.39

-60.85%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Benin: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Benin

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Benin

$147 32.9% 28.5% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Benin

$162 36.1% 0% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Benin

$53 11.8% 43.7% $41

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Benin

$68 15.2% 23% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Benin

$12 * 2.8% 71.5% $31

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Benin

$5.2 * 1.2% 66.5% $10

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Cebu pays 210% 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 $50.0 in Benin. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $147, with Benin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇳🇬 Benin

🕒 Local time

05:09 5:09 AM

22:09 10:09 PM

7 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

1,147,188

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NGN, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Benin 12,940 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Benin

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 Benin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Benin is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 105% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 210% higher in Cebu, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% 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 $447 in Benin – a 105% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

For families, Benin 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 Benin 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 Benin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 105% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.