Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kabwe and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabwe: $573 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

28

Cost of Living Index in Kabwe
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Kabwe Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Kabwe

🇿🇲 Zambia

$573

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $573 in Kabwe versus $918 in Cebu.

Kabwe $573
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $907 in Kabwe versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Kabwe $907
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,242 in Kabwe versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Kabwe $1,242
Cebu $1,900

Living in Kabwe costs roughly 38% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kabwe 58% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.47 ZMW 109

$3.09 ₱194

77.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.30 ZMW 603

$24.22 ₱1,525

25.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.06 ZMW 101

$3.92 ₱247

29.08%

Cappuccino

$2.88 ZMW 57.2

$2.51 ₱158

14.74%

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

$0.73 ZMW 14.60

$1.59 ₱100

-54.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ZMW 9.03

$0.53 ₱33.43

-15.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.28 ZMW 25.49

$1.78 ₱112

-28.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ZMW 46.03

$2.17 ₱137

6.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ZMW 33.24

$1.92 ₱121

-13.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 ZMW 24.42

$1.36 ₱85.4

-9.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ZMW 40.41

$1.01 ₱63.5

100.99%

Eggs

$1.17 ZMW 23.21

$2.03 ₱128

-42.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ZMW 205

$9.86 ₱621

4.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.35 ZMW 126

$4.39 ₱277

44.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.46 ZMW 128

$7.60 ₱479

-15.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 ZMW 68.1

$3.30 ₱208

3.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ZMW 20.66

$1.39 ₱87.8

-25.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 ZMW 72.2

$2.33 ₱147

55.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ZMW 30.18

$1.50 ₱94.3

1.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 ZMW 49.92

$2.36 ₱149

6.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 ZMW 35.43

$1.90 ₱119

-6.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ZMW 22.95

$1.19 ₱74.9

-3.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ZMW 15.09

$0.63 ₱39.71

20.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 ZMW 60.3

$3.00 ₱189

1.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.01 ZMW 199

$6.03 ₱379

66.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 ZMW 29.47

$1.23 ₱77.7

20.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ZMW 47.02

$1.75 ₱110

34.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 ZMW 51.5

$0.77 ₱48.62

236.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ZMW 30.53

$0.23 ₱14.53

569.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.89 ZMW 97.3

$4.46 ₱281

9.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ZMW 26.81

$1.31 ₱82.8

3.05%

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

$7,588 ZMW 150.9K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-64.28%

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

$27.1K ZMW 539.4K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

41.63%

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

$79.2 ZMW 1,576

$120 ₱7,569

-34.09%

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

$10.24 ZMW 204

$14.00 ₱882

-26.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 ZMW 1,115

$27.54 ₱1,734

103.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.86 ZMW 117

$5.65 ₱356

3.72%

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

$137 ZMW 2,719

$275 ₱17.3K

-50.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ZMW 335.9K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

113.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.99 ZMW 457

$49.33 ₱3,106

-53.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.34 ZMW 305

$25.24 ₱1,589

-39.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.92 ZMW 893

$77.0 ₱4,846

-41.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.2 ZMW 1,437

$57.2 ₱3,601

26.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

302.78%

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

Last update for Kabwe: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kabwe

$226 39.5%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 9% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kabwe

$146 25.4%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 11.2% $16

Eating Out

Kabwe

$109 19.1%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 19.2% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Kabwe

$70 12.2%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 34.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Kabwe

$12 * 2.1%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 272% $32

Getting Around

Kabwe

$10 * 1.8%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 51.6% $5.3

Accommodation & Living

Kabwe

- * 0%

Cebu

$309 33.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $30.00 in Kabwe vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Kabwe

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

18:53 6:53 PM

00:53 12:53 AM

6 h ahead of Kabwe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,517

964,169

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to ZMW – Zambian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇲 Zambian Kwacha (ZK)

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 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 ZMW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kabwe Cebu 10,870 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Kabwe
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

Kabwe vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kabwe is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and transport. The 60% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $859 in Kabwe and $1,377 in Cebu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Shoppers in Cebu pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $573 per month in Kabwe versus $918 in Cebu – a 60% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

For families, Kabwe 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, Kabwe 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 Kabwe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.