Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mbeya and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbeya: $419 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Mbeya
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Mbeya Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Mbeya

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$419

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $419 in Mbeya versus $934 in Cebu.

Mbeya $419
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $653 in Mbeya versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Mbeya $653
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $888 in Mbeya versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Mbeya $888
Cebu $1,896

Living in Mbeya costs roughly 55% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mbeya 69% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱190

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.66 TZS 59.5K

$23.48 ₱1,473

-3.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 TZS 19.6K

$4.09 ₱256

82.89%

Cappuccino

$1.54 TZS 4,050

$2.52 ₱158

-38.89%

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

$0.37 TZS 961

$1.54 ₱96.9

-75.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 TZS 1,033

$0.49 ₱30.98

-20.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.72 TZS 1,899

$1.79 ₱112

-59.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

Milk (1 liter)

$0.55 TZS 1,441

$1.95 ₱122

-71.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 TZS 2,578

$1.43 ₱89.7

-31.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 TZS 2,545

$1.02 ₱63.8

-4.90%

Eggs

$2.22 TZS 5,821

$2.06 ₱129

7.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.70 TZS 9,713

$9.81 ₱615

-62.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.74 TZS 9,806

$4.61 ₱289

-18.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.49 TZS 9,148

$7.70 ₱483

-54.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 TZS 2,924

$3.31 ₱207

-66.47%

Banana (1kg)

$0.78 TZS 2,056

$1.45 ₱90.9

-46.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 TZS 2,610

$2.36 ₱148

-58.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.74 TZS 1,954

$1.54 ₱96.4

-51.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 TZS 2,439

$2.36 ₱148

-60.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 TZS 1,928

$1.99 ₱125

-63.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 TZS 1,529

$1.15 ₱72.1

-49.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 TZS 2,048

$0.67 ₱42.15

16.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.12 TZS 2,943

$3.00 ₱188

-62.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.82 TZS 10.0K

$6.35 ₱398

-39.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 TZS 1,908

$1.31 ₱81.9

-44.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 TZS 2,923

$1.73 ₱108

-35.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 TZS 957

$0.25 ₱15.78

44.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 TZS 2,906

$0.74 ₱46.32

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 TZS 5,024

$0.21 ₱13.11

809.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 TZS 7,031

$4.33 ₱271

-38.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 TZS 3,111

$1.33 ₱83.5

-10.53%

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)

$23.67 TZS 62.1K

$121 ₱7,563

-80.37%

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

$18.99 TZS 49.8K

$14.45 ₱907

31.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.78 TZS 117.5K

$28.29 ₱1,774

58.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.23 TZS 100.3K

$32.68 ₱2,050

16.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

Cinema Ticket

$9.65 TZS 25.3K

$5.46 ₱342

76.74%

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

$186 TZS 487.8K

$273 ₱17.1K

-32.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,137 TZS 3.0M

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-86.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$11.26 TZS 29.6K

$49.57 ₱3,109

-77.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$9.75 TZS 25.6K

$24.87 ₱1,560

-60.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$18.97 TZS 49.8K

$76.6 ₱4,804

-75.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.24 TZS 68.8K

$59.3 ₱3,717

-55.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$112 TZS 294.2K

$506 ₱31.7K

-77.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.4 TZS 200.5K

$309 ₱19.4K

-75.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$190 TZS 497.9K

$1,052 ₱66.0K

-81.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$114 TZS 299.3K

$619 ₱38.8K

-81.57%

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)

$191 TZS 501.0K

$341 ₱21.4K

-44.02%

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 Mbeya: 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

Mbeya

$116 27.1%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 81.7% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mbeya

$87 20.5%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 86.8% $76

Accommodation & Living

Mbeya

$76 17.9%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 305% $233

Sport & Entertainment

Mbeya

$58 13.5%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 24.2% $14

Eating Out

Mbeya

$48 * 11.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 85.6% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Mbeya

$30 7%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 218% $65

Getting Around

Mbeya

$12 * 2.8%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 27.2% $3.3

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 $112 in Mbeya and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 79% 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: $23.00 in Mbeya vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $116 vs $210 per month, with Mbeya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Mbeya

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

16:49 4:49 PM

5 h ahead of Mbeya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

541,603

964,169

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.81 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to TZS – Tanzanian Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇿 Tanzanian Shilling (Sh)

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2,624 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.81 USD). 1 EUR = 2,943 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 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 TZS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mbeya Cebu 10,230 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Mbeya
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

Mbeya vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mbeya is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 123% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 79% lower in Cebu. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $112 in Mbeya versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 82% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $419 per month in Mbeya versus $934 in Cebu – a 123% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Mbeya gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Mbeya 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, Mbeya 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 Mbeya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 123% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.