Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mahé and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,799 in Mahé, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Mahé
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Mahé Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Mahé

🇸🇨 Seychelles

$1,799

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,799 in Mahé versus $934 in Cebu.

Mahé $1,799
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,618 in Mahé versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Mahé $2,618
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,438 in Mahé versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Mahé $3,438
Cebu $1,896

Living in Mahé is roughly 93% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mahé is 34% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 SCR 254

$3.03 ₱190

479.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 SCR 1,564

$23.48 ₱1,473

359.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.66 SCR 82.0

$4.09 ₱256

38.39%

Cappuccino

$6.59 SCR 95.4

$2.52 ₱158

161.51%

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

$1.62 SCR 23.47

$1.54 ₱96.9

5.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.98

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.68 SCR 184

$1.79 ₱112

608.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.10 SCR 132

$2.26 ₱142

302.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 SCR 22.84

$1.95 ₱122

-18.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 SCR 15.83

$1.43 ₱89.7

-23.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 SCR 26.66

$1.02 ₱63.8

80.39%

Eggs

$4.29 SCR 62.1

$2.06 ₱129

108.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.89 SCR 230

$9.81 ₱615

61.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.28 SCR 120

$4.61 ₱289

79.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.96 SCR 188

$7.70 ₱483

68.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 SCR 29.93

$3.31 ₱207

-37.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱90.9

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 SCR 35.04

$2.36 ₱148

2.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.59 SCR 95.4

$1.54 ₱96.4

327.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 SCR 15.33

$2.36 ₱148

-55.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 SCR 15.23

$1.99 ₱125

-47.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 SCR 15.81

$1.15 ₱72.1

-5.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.15

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.50 SCR 210

$3.00 ₱188

383.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 SCR 31.75

$1.73 ₱108

26.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 SCR 11.03

$0.25 ₱15.78

204.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.50 SCR 514

$12.65 ₱793

180.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.40 SCR 209

$4.33 ₱271

232.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 SCR 21.40

$1.33 ₱83.5

11.28%

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)

$19.4K ₱1.2M

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

$49.22 SCR 713

$121 ₱7,563

-59.18%

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

$21.81 SCR 316

$14.45 ₱907

50.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$105 SCR 1,523

$28.29 ₱1,774

271.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 SCR 766

$32.68 ₱2,050

61.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

Cinema Ticket

$6.26 SCR 90.6

$5.46 ₱342

14.65%

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

$273 ₱17.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.88 SCR 433

$49.57 ₱3,109

-39.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.99 SCR 174

$24.87 ₱1,560

-51.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$47.18 SCR 683

$76.6 ₱4,804

-38.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.8 SCR 851

$59.3 ₱3,717

-0.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$871 SCR 12.6K

$506 ₱31.7K

72.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$842 SCR 12.2K

$309 ₱19.4K

172.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,772 SCR 25.7K

$1,052 ₱66.0K

68.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 SCR 15.3K

$619 ₱38.8K

70.90%

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)

$855 SCR 12.4K

$341 ₱21.4K

150.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

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

Last update for Mahé: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mahé

$842 47.9%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 63.2% $532

Eating Out

Mahé

$324 * 18.5%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 72.8% $236

Groceries & Markets

Mahé

$246 * 14%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 14.5% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mahé

$176 10%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 7.3% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Mahé

$67 3.8%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 42.3% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Mahé

$65 3.7%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 33.4% $22

Getting Around

Mahé

$39 * 2.2%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 59.9% $23

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 $871 in Mahé and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mahé pays 151% 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: $108 in Mahé vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $246 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇨 Mahé

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

08:52 8:52 AM

12:52 12:52 PM

4 h ahead of Mahé

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,539

964,169

💱 Currency

Seychellois Rupee SCR ₨

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 SCR = 6.91 USD

100 SCR = 6.16 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to SCR – Seychellois Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇨 Seychellois Rupee (₨)

Seychellois Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 14.48 SCR (100 SCR = 6.91 USD). 1 EUR = 16.24 SCR (100 SCR = 6.16 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 SCR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mahé Cebu 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mahé
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

Mahé vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. The 93% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 151% higher in Mahé, 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: $871 in Mahé versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Mahé. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,799 per month in Mahé versus $934 in Cebu – a 93% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,799 in Mahé, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Mahé. 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 Mahé, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Mahé 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 93% less than in Mahé. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.