Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mogadishu and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Mogadishu: $618 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Mogadishu
Learn more

Mogadishu Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Mogadishu

🇸🇴 Somalia

$618

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $618 in Mogadishu versus $934 in Cebu.

Mogadishu $618
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $951 in Mogadishu versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Mogadishu $951
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,283 in Mogadishu versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Mogadishu $1,283
Cebu $1,896

Living in Mogadishu costs roughly 34% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mogadishu 54% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.93 SOS 1,665

$3.03 ₱190

-3.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.64 SOS 19.7K

$23.48 ₱1,473

47.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.40 SOS 2,501

$4.09 ₱256

7.58%

Cappuccino

$1.94 SOS 1,103

$2.52 ₱158

-23.02%

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

$1.20 SOS 682

$1.54 ₱96.9

-22.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 SOS 302

$0.49 ₱30.98

8.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 SOS 760

$1.95 ₱122

-31.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 SOS 940

$1.43 ₱89.7

16.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 SOS 428

$1.02 ₱63.8

-26.47%

Eggs

$1.93 SOS 1,096

$2.06 ₱129

-6.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.89 SOS 2,780

$9.81 ₱615

-50.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 SOS 2,252

$4.61 ₱289

-14.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.45 SOS 2,529

$7.70 ₱483

-42.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.80 SOS 2,160

$3.31 ₱207

14.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 SOS 580

$1.45 ₱90.9

-29.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.04 SOS 1,724

$2.36 ₱148

28.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 SOS 721

$1.54 ₱96.4

-17.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 SOS 843

$2.36 ₱148

-37.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 SOS 978

$1.99 ₱125

-13.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 SOS 846

$1.15 ₱72.1

29.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SOS 301

$0.67 ₱42.15

-20.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 SOS 1,166

$1.31 ₱81.9

56.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 SOS 291

$0.25 ₱15.78

104.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.99 SOS 562

$0.74 ₱46.32

33.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 SOS 318

$0.21 ₱13.11

166.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 SOS 1,658

$4.33 ₱271

-32.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 SOS 523

$1.33 ₱83.5

-30.83%

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)

$6,416 SOS 3.6M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

-66.92%

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

$162 SOS 92.2K

$121 ₱7,563

34.57%

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

$4.89 SOS 2,777

$14.45 ₱907

-66.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.5 SOS 37.2K

$28.29 ₱1,774

131.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.12 SOS 18.2K

$32.68 ₱2,050

-1.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

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

$79.9 SOS 45.4K

$273 ₱17.1K

-70.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$751 SOS 426.4K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-90.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.79 SOS 7,832

$49.57 ₱3,109

-72.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.90 SOS 7,893

$24.87 ₱1,560

-44.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$24.66 SOS 14.0K

$76.6 ₱4,804

-67.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.82 SOS 18.6K

$59.3 ₱3,717

-44.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$198 SOS 112.6K

$506 ₱31.7K

-60.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$77.6 SOS 44.1K

$309 ₱19.4K

-74.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$475 SOS 269.6K

$1,052 ₱66.0K

-54.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$186 SOS 105.9K

$619 ₱38.8K

-69.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,242 SOS 1.8M

$2,915 ₱182.9K

11.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,367 SOS 1.3M

$1,867 ₱117.1K

26.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$276 SOS 156.6K

$341 ₱21.4K

-19.17%

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 Mogadishu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mogadishu

$233 37.8%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 29.8% $69

Groceries & Markets

Mogadishu

$163 * 26.4%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 29.4% $48

Accommodation & Living

Mogadishu

$78 12.6%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 299% $232

Eating Out

Mogadishu

$67 * 10.9%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 32.1% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Mogadishu

$38 6.2%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 147% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Mogadishu

$32 * 5.2%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 35.7% $11

Getting Around

Mogadishu

$5.8 * 1%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 164% $9.6

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 $198 in Mogadishu and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 24% 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: $35.00 in Mogadishu vs $23.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $163 vs $210, with Mogadishu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇴 Mogadishu

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

11:11 11:11 AM

16:11 4:11 PM

5 h ahead of Mogadishu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,610,000 Capital

964,169

💱 Currency

Somali Shilling SOS Sh

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD

1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to SOS – Somali Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇴 Somali Shilling (Sh)

Somali Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 568 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 637 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.57 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 SOS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mogadishu Cebu 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mogadishu
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

Mogadishu vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mogadishu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 51% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 24% 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: $198 in Mogadishu versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $618 per month in Mogadishu versus $934 in Cebu – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

For families, Mogadishu 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, Mogadishu 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 Mogadishu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.