Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mbabane and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbabane: $747 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

37

Cost of Living Index in Mbabane
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Mbabane Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Mbabane

🇸🇿 Eswatini

$747

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $747 in Mbabane versus $934 in Cebu.

Mbabane $747
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,223 in Mbabane versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Mbabane $1,223
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,700 in Mbabane versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Mbabane $1,700
Cebu $1,896

Living in Mbabane costs roughly 20% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mbabane 44% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.27 SZL 169

$3.03 ₱190

238.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.04 SZL 561

$23.48 ₱1,473

44.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.74 SZL 94.6

$4.09 ₱256

40.34%

Cappuccino

$2.62 SZL 43.16

$2.52 ₱158

3.97%

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

$1.12 SZL 18.41

$1.54 ₱96.9

-27.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 SZL 10.21

$0.49 ₱30.98

26.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 SZL 35.58

$1.79 ₱112

20.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 SZL 40.46

$2.26 ₱142

8.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 SZL 25.29

$1.95 ₱122

-21.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 SZL 13.34

$1.43 ₱89.7

-43.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 SZL 28.82

$1.02 ₱63.8

71.57%

Eggs

$1.78 SZL 29.32

$2.06 ₱129

-13.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.01 SZL 181

$9.81 ₱615

12.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 SZL 92.3

$4.61 ₱289

21.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.98 SZL 82.0

$7.70 ₱483

-35.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.74 SZL 28.72

$3.31 ₱207

-47.43%

Banana (1kg)

$0.63 SZL 10.38

$1.45 ₱90.9

-56.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.25 SZL 20.56

$2.36 ₱148

-47.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 SZL 23.18

$1.54 ₱96.4

-8.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 SZL 20.57

$2.36 ₱148

-47.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 SZL 24.48

$1.99 ₱125

-25.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 SZL 11.74

$1.15 ₱72.1

-38.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 SZL 12.56

$0.67 ₱42.15

13.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.85 SZL 46.91

$3.00 ₱188

-5.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.93 SZL 97.8

$6.35 ₱398

-6.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 SZL 25.10

$1.31 ₱81.9

16.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 SZL 27.59

$1.73 ₱108

-3.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 SZL 12.18

$0.25 ₱15.78

196.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 SZL 22.80

$0.21 ₱13.11

557.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 SZL 50.0

$4.33 ₱271

-30.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 SZL 20.98

$1.33 ₱83.5

-4.51%

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)

$64.0 SZL 1,056

$121 ₱7,563

-46.89%

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

$38.40 SZL 633

$14.45 ₱907

165.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.97 SZL 445

$28.29 ₱1,774

-4.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.61 SZL 373

$32.68 ₱2,050

-30.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.04 SZL 50.1

$6.39 ₱401

-52.43%

Cinema Ticket

$3.65 SZL 60.1

$5.46 ₱342

-33.15%

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

$273 ₱17.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,330 SZL 104.3K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-22.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.21 SZL 580

$49.57 ₱3,109

-28.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.80 SZL 244

$24.87 ₱1,560

-40.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.1 SZL 1,139

$76.6 ₱4,804

-9.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.2 SZL 877

$59.3 ₱3,717

-10.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 SZL 4,406

$506 ₱31.7K

-47.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 SZL 2,950

$309 ₱19.4K

-42.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 SZL 7,332

$1,052 ₱66.0K

-57.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$347 SZL 5,720

$619 ₱38.8K

-43.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$473 SZL 7,794

$2,915 ₱182.9K

-83.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$359 SZL 5,915

$1,867 ₱117.1K

-80.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.25

7.2

0.69%

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

Last update for Mbabane: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mbabane

$180 23.7%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 17.2% $31

Accommodation & Living

Mbabane

$179 23.6%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 72.9% $130

Eating Out

Mbabane

$153 20.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 42.4% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mbabane

$129 17.1%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 26.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Mbabane

$78 10.2%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 22% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Mbabane

$30 3.9%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 45.8% $14

Getting Around

Mbabane

$9.9 * 1.3%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 56.4% $5.6

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 $267 in Mbabane and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34.00 in Mbabane vs $23.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $180 vs $210, with Mbabane cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇿 Mbabane

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

06:53 6:53 AM

12:53 12:53 PM

6 h ahead of Mbabane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

94,874 Capital

964,169

💱 Currency

Eswatini Lilangeni SZL L

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 SZL = 6.07 USD

100 SZL = 5.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to SZL – Eswatini Lilangeni Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇿 Eswatini Lilangeni (L)

Eswatini Lilangeni exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 SZL (100 SZL = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 SZL (100 SZL = 5.41 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 SZL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mbabane Cebu 10,780 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mbabane
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

Mbabane vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mbabane is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,121 in Mbabane 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $267 in Mbabane 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 Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Mbabane – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $23.00 in Cebu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

For families, Mbabane 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, Mbabane 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 Mbabane gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.