Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malindi and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Malindi: $502 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Malindi
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Malindi Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Malindi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$502

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $502 in Malindi versus $934 in Cebu.

Malindi $502
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $787 in Malindi versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Malindi $787
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,072 in Malindi versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Malindi $1,072
Cebu $1,896

Living in Malindi costs roughly 46% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Malindi 63% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.06 KES 267

$3.03 ₱190

-32.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.42 KES 3,038

$23.48 ₱1,473

-0.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 KES 1,369

$4.09 ₱256

157.95%

Cappuccino

$3.58 KES 465

$2.52 ₱158

42.06%

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

$0.98 KES 128

$1.54 ₱96.9

-36.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 KES 54.1

$0.49 ₱30.98

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 KES 301

$1.79 ₱112

29.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 KES 420

$2.26 ₱142

43.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 KES 122

$1.95 ₱122

-51.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 KES 68.5

$1.43 ₱89.7

-62.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 KES 158

$1.02 ₱63.8

19.61%

Eggs

$1.82 KES 236

$2.06 ₱129

-11.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.22 KES 1,455

$9.81 ₱615

14.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.57 KES 723

$4.61 ₱289

20.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.03 KES 652

$7.70 ₱483

-34.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 KES 283

$3.31 ₱207

-34.14%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 KES 102

$1.45 ₱90.9

-45.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 KES 236

$2.36 ₱148

-22.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 KES 90.7

$1.54 ₱96.4

-54.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 KES 85.6

$2.36 ₱148

-72.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.66 KES 85.5

$1.99 ₱125

-66.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 KES 73.5

$1.15 ₱72.1

-50.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 KES 55.4

$0.67 ₱42.15

-35.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.71 KES 611

$3.00 ₱188

57.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.82 KES 1,014

$6.35 ₱398

23.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 KES 262

$1.31 ₱81.9

54.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 KES 372

$1.73 ₱108

65.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 KES 401

$0.74 ₱46.32

317.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 KES 228

$0.21 ₱13.11

738.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.61 KES 598

$4.33 ₱271

6.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 KES 179

$1.33 ₱83.5

3.76%

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

$11.9K KES 1.5M

$21.8K ₱1.4M

-45.43%

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

$11.9K KES 1.5M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

-38.84%

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

$55.5 KES 7,192

$121 ₱7,563

-54.01%

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

$12.96 KES 1,681

$14.45 ₱907

-10.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.24 KES 3,922

$28.29 ₱1,774

6.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.98 KES 5,055

$32.68 ₱2,050

19.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

Cinema Ticket

$10.71 KES 1,389

$5.46 ₱342

96.15%

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

$85.2 KES 11.1K

$273 ₱17.1K

-68.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,401 KES 700.5K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-33.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.30 KES 1,725

$49.57 ₱3,109

-73.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.46 KES 1,746

$24.87 ₱1,560

-45.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$22.81 KES 2,959

$76.6 ₱4,804

-70.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.96 KES 6,091

$59.3 ₱3,717

-20.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 KES 50.9K

$1,052 ₱66.0K

-62.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

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)

$341 ₱21.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

80.56%

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

Last update for Malindi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Malindi

$172 34.3%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 22.3% $38

Eating Out

Malindi

$115 22.9%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 23% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malindi

$99 19.7%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 65.6% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Malindi

$60 12.1%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 27.8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Malindi

$43 8.7%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 118% $51

Getting Around

Malindi

$12 * 2.4%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 30.1% $3.6

Accommodation & Living

Malindi

- * 0%

Cebu

$309 33.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $23.00 in Malindi vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $172 vs $210 per month, with Malindi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Malindi

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

12:02 12:02 PM

5 h ahead of Malindi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,735

964,169

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.87 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 KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malindi Cebu 9,390 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Malindi
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

Malindi vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malindi is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. The 86% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $754 in Malindi and $1,401 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $502 per month in Malindi versus $934 in Cebu – a 86% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

For families, Malindi 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, Malindi 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 Malindi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 86% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.