Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cotonou and Cebu

For one person, living costs are similar in Cotonou and in Cebu: $901 and $934 a month, rent and utilities included.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cotonou
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Cotonou Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Cotonou

🇧🇯 Benin

$901

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cotonou 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 Cotonou and in Cebu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $901 in Cotonou versus $934 in Cebu.

Cotonou $901
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,417 in Cotonou versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Cotonou $1,417
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,933 in Cotonou versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Cotonou $1,933
Cebu $1,896

Living in Cotonou costs roughly 3% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cotonou 33% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.05 F CFA 2,954

$3.03 ₱190

66.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.47 F CFA 20.8K

$23.48 ₱1,473

51.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.56 F CFA 5,592

$4.09 ₱256

133.74%

Cappuccino

$5.21 F CFA 3,051

$2.52 ₱158

106.75%

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

$1.06 F CFA 619

$1.54 ₱96.9

-31.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 F CFA 521

$0.49 ₱30.98

81.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.84 F CFA 490

$1.79 ₱112

-53.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 F CFA 1,497

$2.26 ₱142

13.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.07 F CFA 1,793

$1.95 ₱122

57.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 F CFA 695

$1.43 ₱89.7

-16.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 F CFA 1,070

$1.02 ₱63.8

79.41%

Eggs

$2.69 F CFA 1,576

$2.06 ₱129

30.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 F CFA 5,375

$9.81 ₱615

-6.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.44 F CFA 3,180

$4.61 ₱289

18.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.04 F CFA 2,946

$7.70 ₱483

-34.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 F CFA 2,372

$3.31 ₱207

22.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 F CFA 1,074

$1.45 ₱90.9

26.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 F CFA 750

$2.36 ₱148

-45.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.73 F CFA 1,595

$1.54 ₱96.4

77.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 F CFA 736

$2.36 ₱148

-46.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 F CFA 1,021

$1.99 ₱125

-12.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 F CFA 256

$1.15 ₱72.1

-61.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 F CFA 641

$0.67 ₱42.15

64.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.48 F CFA 2,037

$3.00 ₱188

16.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.18 F CFA 2,444

$6.35 ₱398

-34.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 F CFA 718

$1.31 ₱81.9

-6.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 F CFA 1,116

$1.73 ₱108

10.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 F CFA 757

$0.25 ₱15.78

416.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 F CFA 782

$0.74 ₱46.32

81.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 F CFA 809

$0.21 ₱13.11

557.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 F CFA 727

$1.33 ₱83.5

-6.77%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

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

$24.0K F CFA 14.1M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

23.96%

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

$146 F CFA 85.4K

$121 ₱7,563

21.06%

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

$33.86 F CFA 19.8K

$14.45 ₱907

134.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.15 F CFA 28.8K

$28.29 ₱1,774

73.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.30 F CFA 28.8K

$32.68 ₱2,050

50.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.44 F CFA 2,015

$6.39 ₱401

-46.17%

Cinema Ticket

$8.68 F CFA 5,079

$5.46 ₱342

58.97%

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

$131 F CFA 76.5K

$273 ₱17.1K

-52.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,460 F CFA 3.2M

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-33.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.96 F CFA 15.2K

$49.57 ₱3,109

-47.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$33.73 F CFA 19.7K

$76.6 ₱4,804

-55.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.9 F CFA 39.7K

$59.3 ₱3,717

14.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$180 F CFA 105.6K

$506 ₱31.7K

-64.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$165 F CFA 96.6K

$309 ₱19.4K

-46.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$599 F CFA 350.7K

$1,052 ₱66.0K

-43.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$411 F CFA 240.7K

$619 ₱38.8K

-33.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$258 F CFA 151.0K

$341 ₱21.4K

-24.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

-44.44%

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

Last update for Cotonou: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cotonou

$229 25.4%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 28.7% $66

Groceries & Markets

Cotonou

$221 24.5%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 4.8% $11

Accommodation & Living

Cotonou

$165 18.3%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 87.5% $144

Eating Out

Cotonou

$149 16.5%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 40.6% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Cotonou

$67 7.4%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 34.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Cotonou

$57 * 6.4%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 64.8% $37

Getting Around

Cotonou

$13 * 1.5%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 15.1% $2

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 $180 in Cotonou and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 32% 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: $35.00 in Cotonou vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $221 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇯 Cotonou

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

04:49 4:49 AM

11:49 11:49 AM

7 h ahead of Cotonou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

780,000

964,169

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cotonou Cebu 13,280 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Cotonou
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

Cotonou vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cotonou is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and transport. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Cebu. 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: $180 in Cotonou versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Cebu pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $901 per month in Cotonou versus $934 in Cebu – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

For families, Cotonou 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, Cotonou 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 Cotonou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.