Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kafue and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kafue: $591 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Kafue
🇿🇲 Zambia
$591
/mo nomad
Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $591 in Kafue versus $918 in Cebu.

  • Kafue $591
  • Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $939 in Kafue versus $1,409 in Cebu.

  • Kafue $939
  • Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,288 in Kafue versus $1,900 in Cebu.

  • Kafue $1,288
  • Cebu $1,900

Living in Kafue costs roughly 36% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kafue 56% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kafue
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.61 ZMW 112
$3.09 ₱194
81.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.47 ZMW 606
$24.22 ₱1,525
25.81%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.20 ZMW 103
$3.92 ₱247
32.65%
Cappuccino
$2.87 ZMW 57.0
$2.51 ₱158
14.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 ZMW 15.44
$1.59 ₱100
-50.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ZMW 10.01
$0.53 ₱33.43
-5.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.24 ZMW 24.59
$1.78 ₱112
-30.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.24 ZMW 44.46
$2.17 ₱137
3.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kafue
Cebu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.77 ZMW 35.17
$1.92 ₱121
-7.81%
White Bread (500g)
$1.24 ZMW 24.63
$1.36 ₱85.4
-8.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.15 ZMW 42.77
$1.01 ₱63.5
112.87%
Eggs
$1.89 ZMW 37.65
$2.03 ₱128
-6.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.26 ZMW 204
$9.86 ₱621
4.06%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.45 ZMW 128
$4.39 ₱277
46.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.61 ZMW 131
$7.60 ₱479
-13.03%
Apples (1kg)
$3.31 ZMW 65.9
$3.30 ₱208
0.30%
Banana (1kg)
$2.45 ZMW 48.76
$1.39 ₱87.8
76.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.62 ZMW 72.1
$2.33 ₱147
55.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.51 ZMW 30.01
$1.50 ₱94.3
0.67%
Potato (1kg)
$2.67 ZMW 53.0
$2.36 ₱149
13.14%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 ZMW 37.51
$1.90 ₱119
-0.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 ZMW 23.28
$1.19 ₱74.9
-1.68%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.78 ZMW 15.55
$0.63 ₱39.71
23.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.99 ZMW 59.4
$3.00 ₱189
-0.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.18 ZMW 203
$6.03 ₱379
68.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.47 ZMW 29.23
$1.23 ₱77.7
19.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 ZMW 47.35
$1.75 ₱110
36.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Kafue
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.25 ₱15.86
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$12.64 ₱796
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.48 ZMW 49.32
$0.77 ₱48.62
222.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.56 ZMW 31.06
$0.23 ₱14.53
578.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.94 ZMW 98.3
$4.46 ₱281
10.76%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 ZMW 29.93
$1.31 ₱82.8
15.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$7,751 ZMW 154.2K
$21.2K ₱1.3M
-63.51%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.5K ZMW 546.0K
$19.1K ₱1.2M
43.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kafue
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.7 ZMW 1,586
$120 ₱7,569
-33.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.66 ZMW 212
$14.00 ₱882
-23.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.3 ZMW 1,100
$27.54 ₱1,734
100.87%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kafue
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$32.33 ₱2,035
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$6.65 ₱419
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.23 ZMW 124
$5.65 ₱356
10.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kafue
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$140 ZMW 2,777
$275 ₱17.3K
-49.28%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.5K ZMW 328.6K
$7,918 ₱498.5K
108.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kafue
Cebu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$23.38 ZMW 465
$49.33 ₱3,106
-52.60%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$15.47 ZMW 308
$25.24 ₱1,589
-38.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$46.03 ZMW 915
$77.0 ₱4,846
-40.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$72.7 ZMW 1,445
$57.2 ₱3,601
27.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kafue
Cebu
Difference
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
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kafue
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$346 ₱21.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
29
7.2
302.78%

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

Last update for Kafue: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Kafue
$241
Cebu
$206 14.5% $35
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kafue
$146
Cebu
$162 11% $16
Eating Out
Kafue
$111
Cebu
$88 20.2% $22
Clothing & Footwear
Kafue
$71
Cebu
$94 32.5% $23
Sport & Entertainment
Kafue
$12 *
Cebu
$44 250% $31
Getting Around
Kafue
$10 *
Cebu
$16 51.3% $5.3
Accommodation & Living
Kafue
- *
Cebu
$309

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $30.00 in Kafue vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $241 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇿🇲 Kafue
🇵🇭 Cebu
🕒 Local time
19:37 7:37 PM
01:37 1:37 AM
6 h ahead of Kafue
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
104,174
964,169
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to ZMW – Zambian Kwacha Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kafue Cebu 10,920 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kafue
  • 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
Kafue vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cebu cheaper than Kafue?
Kafue is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and transport. The 55% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $886 in Kafue 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.
How do food prices compare in Kafue and in Cebu?
Shoppers in Cebu pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
What are total monthly expenses in Kafue and in Cebu?
All in, you'll spend $591 per month in Kafue versus $918 in Cebu – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,200 enough for either Kafue or Cebu?
Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Kafue gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is Kafue or Cebu more family-friendly?
For families, Kafue 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.
Which city is safer, Kafue or Cebu?
Safety-wise, Kafue 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Kafue gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Kafue vs other spots: cost of living compared

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