Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Polokwane

For one person, living costs are similar in Cebu and in Polokwane: $918 and $959 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Polokwane
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Polokwane Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Polokwane

🇿🇦 South Africa

$959

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Polokwane

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $959 in Polokwane.

Cebu $918
Polokwane $959

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,417 in Polokwane.

Cebu $1,409
Polokwane $1,417

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,875 in Polokwane.

Cebu $1,900
Polokwane $1,875

Living in Cebu costs roughly 4% less than in Polokwane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Polokwane 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$12.24 R 202

-74.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$29.66 R 489

-18.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.46 R 123

-47.45%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.38 R 39.26

5.46%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.77 R 12.68

106.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.88 R 14.47

-39.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.68 R 27.65

5.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$1.88 R 30.95

15.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.32 R 21.71

45.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.08 R 17.82

25.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.70 R 28.03

-40.59%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.65 R 43.69

-23.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$7.84 R 129

25.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$4.59 R 75.6

-4.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$6.04 R 99.6

25.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.01 R 33.19

64.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.85 R 30.53

-24.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.81 R 29.80

28.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.96 R 32.30

-23.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.67 R 27.49

41.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.50 R 24.73

26.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.12 R 18.48

6.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.82 R 13.46

-23.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$2.68 R 44.22

11.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$4.87 R 80.2

23.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.15 R 18.88

6.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.61 R 26.54

8.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.92 R 15.22

-72.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$30.03 R 495

-57.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.87 R 14.41

-11.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.95 R 15.66

-75.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$14.36 R 237

-68.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.43 R 23.52

-8.39%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$26.1K R 430.1K

-18.62%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$28.5K R 469.0K

-32.74%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$138 R 2,281

-13.17%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$38.10 R 628

-63.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$32.99 R 544

-16.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$23.29 R 384

38.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$8.00 R 132

-29.37%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$179 R 2,946

53.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$1,452 R 23.9K

445.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$45.30 R 746

8.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$37.73 R 622

-33.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$80.6 R 1,328

-4.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$93.7 R 1,544

-38.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$290 R 4,785

71.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$203 R 3,338

52.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$420 R 6,922

156.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$284 R 4,683

116.44%

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

$1,343 R 22.1K

-74.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

10.91

-34.01%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Polokwane: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Polokwane

$203 21.1% 34.4% $106

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Polokwane

$185 19.3% 10% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Polokwane

$210 21.8% 29.5% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Polokwane

$116 12.1% 23.3% $22

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Polokwane

$168 17.5% 89.9% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Polokwane

$39 4.1% 9.9% $4.3

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Polokwane

$39 4.1% 153% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $290 in Polokwane. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Polokwane pays 288% 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 $30.00 in Polokwane. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $185, with Polokwane cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇿🇦 Polokwane

🕒 Local time

21:58 9:58 PM

15:58 3:58 PM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

628,999

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

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Between locations

Cebu Polokwane 10,920 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Polokwane

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 Polokwane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and utilities. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 288% lower in Polokwane. 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 $290 in Polokwane. 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 $959 in Polokwane – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 138% less than in Polokwane. 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 Cebu gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Polokwane, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Polokwane 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Polokwane. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.