Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Centurion and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,377 in Centurion, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Centurion
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Centurion Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Centurion

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,377

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Centurion and in Cebu

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Centurion and in Cebu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,377 in Centurion versus $918 in Cebu.

Centurion $1,377
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,224 in Centurion versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Centurion $2,224
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,071 in Centurion versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Centurion $3,071
Cebu $1,900

Living in Centurion is roughly 50% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Centurion is 2% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.13 R 365

$3.09 ₱195

616.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.73 R 671

$24.22 ₱1,525

68.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 R 95.0

$3.92 ₱247

46.94%

Cappuccino

$2.57 R 42.33

$2.51 ₱158

2.39%

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

$0.94 R 15.52

$1.59 ₱100

-40.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R 14.35

$0.53 ₱33.45

64.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.10 R 34.57

$1.78 ₱112

17.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 R 40.42

$2.17 ₱137

12.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 R 20.27

$1.92 ₱121

-35.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 R 20.11

$1.36 ₱85.5

-10.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.83

$1.01 ₱63.6

114.85%

Eggs

$3.07 R 50.6

$2.03 ₱128

51.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.79 R 161

$9.86 ₱621

-0.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$4.39 ₱277

57.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.29 R 120

$7.60 ₱479

-4.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 R 29.92

$3.30 ₱208

-44.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.64

$1.39 ₱87.8

29.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 R 34.88

$2.33 ₱147

-9.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 R 34.20

$1.50 ₱94.3

38.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 24.98

$2.36 ₱149

-35.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.44

$1.90 ₱119

-2.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.24

$1.19 ₱74.9

13.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 R 23.99

$0.63 ₱39.73

131.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 R 62.1

$3.00 ₱189

25.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.90 R 97.1

$6.03 ₱380

-2.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 R 26.20

$1.23 ₱77.7

29.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 R 33.27

$1.75 ₱110

15.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 R 40.75

$0.25 ₱15.87

888.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.9 R 1,613

$12.64 ₱796

674.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R 20.14

$0.77 ₱48.64

58.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 R 20.20

$0.23 ₱14.54

434.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.89 R 146

$4.46 ₱281

99.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 R 24.75

$1.31 ₱82.8

14.50%

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

$35.9K R 591.7K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

69.05%

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

$32.1K R 528.7K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

67.61%

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

$137 R 2,260

$120 ₱7,573

14.12%

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

$30.65 R 505

$14.00 ₱882

118.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.07 R 660

$27.54 ₱1,735

45.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.79 R 721

$32.33 ₱2,036

35.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$10.73 R 177

$5.65 ₱356

89.91%

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

$314 R 5,174

$275 ₱17.3K

14.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,299 R 70.8K

$7,918 ₱498.8K

-45.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 R 965

$49.33 ₱3,107

18.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.75 R 721

$25.24 ₱1,590

73.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 R 1,925

$77.0 ₱4,848

51.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 R 1,699

$57.2 ₱3,603

80.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$345 R 5,689

$500 ₱31.5K

-30.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 R 6,115

$309 ₱19.5K

20.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$575 R 9,479

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-46.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$896 R 14.8K

$615 ₱38.8K

45.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$518 R 8,536

$2,886 ₱181.8K

-82.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$612 R 10.1K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-68.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,342 R 38.6K

$346 ₱21.8K

576.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

7.2

45.83%

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

Last update for Centurion: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Centurion

$371 27%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 16.8% $62

Eating Out

Centurion

$248 18%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 64.4% $160

Groceries & Markets

Centurion

$225 16.3%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 8.5% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Centurion

$208 15.1%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 22.2% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Centurion

$145 10.5%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 35.2% $51

Getting Around

Centurion

$115 8.4%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 86.5% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Centurion

$65 4.7%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 33.1% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $345 in Centurion and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Centurion pays 577% 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: $41.00 in Centurion vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Centurion

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

23:02 11:02 PM

05:02 5:02 AM

6 h ahead of Centurion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

236,580

964,169

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

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).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Centurion Cebu 11,070 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Centurion
Cebu

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

Centurion vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 50% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 577% higher in Centurion, 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: $345 in Centurion versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,377 per month in Centurion versus $918 in Cebu – a 50% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 675% less than in Centurion. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,377 in Centurion, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Centurion. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Centurion and Cebu 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 50% less than in Centurion. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.