Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grahamstown and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,121 in Grahamstown, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Grahamstown
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Grahamstown Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Grahamstown

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,121

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,121 in Grahamstown versus $918 in Cebu.

Grahamstown $1,121
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,757 in Grahamstown versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Grahamstown $1,757
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,392 in Grahamstown versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Grahamstown $2,392
Cebu $1,900

Living in Grahamstown is roughly 22% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Grahamstown 17% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.85 R 179

$3.09 ₱194

251.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.03 R 692

$24.22 ₱1,525

73.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.06 R 99.9

$3.92 ₱247

54.59%

Cappuccino

$2.13 R 35.03

$2.51 ₱158

-15.14%

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

$1.04 R 17.21

$1.59 ₱100

-34.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R 11.94

$0.53 ₱33.43

35.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 R 45.45

$1.78 ₱112

55.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 R 50.6

$2.17 ₱137

41.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 R 18.45

$1.92 ₱121

-41.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.57

$1.36 ₱85.4

-25.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 R 23.86

$1.01 ₱63.5

43.56%

Eggs

$2.82 R 46.40

$2.03 ₱128

38.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.78 R 145

$9.86 ₱621

-10.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.25 R 86.5

$4.39 ₱277

19.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.51 R 140

$7.60 ₱479

11.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 R 36.07

$3.30 ₱208

-33.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.17

$1.39 ₱87.8

5.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 27.91

$2.33 ₱147

-27.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.34

$1.50 ₱94.3

14.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.50

$2.36 ₱149

-29.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.55

$1.90 ₱119

-27.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.36

$1.19 ₱74.9

9.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 R 16.73

$0.63 ₱39.71

61.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.20 R 52.7

$3.00 ₱189

6.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.68 R 77.1

$6.03 ₱379

-22.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R 20.02

$1.23 ₱77.7

-0.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 R 29.34

$1.75 ₱110

1.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.32

$0.25 ₱15.86

516.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 R 10.13

$0.77 ₱48.62

-19.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 R 7.72

$0.23 ₱14.53

104.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.17 R 135

$4.46 ₱281

83.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 R 23.07

$1.31 ₱82.8

6.87%

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

$35.0K R 576.1K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

64.60%

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

$32.8K R 540.0K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

71.19%

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

$120 R 1,983

$120 ₱7,569

0.11%

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

$34.81 R 574

$14.00 ₱882

148.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.20 R 728

$27.54 ₱1,734

60.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.55 R 520

$32.33 ₱2,035

-2.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.55 R 174

$6.65 ₱419

58.65%

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 R 175

$5.65 ₱356

87.61%

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

$175 R 2,891

$275 ₱17.3K

-36.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,834 R 79.6K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-38.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 R 1,178

$49.33 ₱3,106

45.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.90 R 608

$25.24 ₱1,589

46.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 R 1,803

$77.0 ₱4,846

42.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 R 1,553

$57.2 ₱3,601

64.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 R 6,497

$500 ₱31.5K

-21.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 R 6,038

$309 ₱19.4K

18.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$726 R 12.0K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-32.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$719 R 11.9K

$615 ₱38.7K

16.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$874 R 14.4K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-69.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$646 R 10.6K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-66.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,164 R 19.2K

$346 ₱21.8K

236.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.94

7.2

65.83%

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

Last update for Grahamstown: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Grahamstown

$366 32.7%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 15.7% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grahamstown

$199 17.8%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 18.9% $38

Groceries & Markets

Grahamstown

$196 17.5%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 5.2% $10

Eating Out

Grahamstown

$158 14.1%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 44% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Grahamstown

$140 12.5%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 33.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Grahamstown

$53 4.7%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 17.3% $9.1

Getting Around

Grahamstown

$9.1 * 0.8%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 70.9% $6.5

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 $394 in Grahamstown and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Grahamstown pays 237% 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: $42.00 in Grahamstown vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $196 vs $206, with Grahamstown cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Grahamstown

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

11:26 11:26 AM

17:26 5:26 PM

6 h ahead of Grahamstown

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,264

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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Grahamstown Cebu 11,310 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Grahamstown
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

Grahamstown vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. The 22% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 237% higher in Grahamstown, 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: $394 in Grahamstown versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you'll spend $1,121 per month in Grahamstown versus $918 in Cebu – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,121 in Grahamstown, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Grahamstown. 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 Grahamstown, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Grahamstown 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 22% less than in Grahamstown. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.