Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mombasa and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Mombasa: $726 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

35

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
Learn more

Mombasa Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$726

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $726 in Mombasa versus $934 in Cebu.

Mombasa $726
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,140 in Mombasa versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Mombasa $1,140
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,553 in Mombasa versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Mombasa $1,553
Cebu $1,896

Living in Mombasa costs roughly 22% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mombasa 46% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.65 KES 343

$3.03 ₱190

-12.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.75 KES 3,210

$23.48 ₱1,473

5.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.36 KES 1,343

$4.09 ₱256

153.30%

Cappuccino

$2.75 KES 357

$2.52 ₱158

9.13%

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

$0.68 KES 88.1

$1.54 ₱96.9

-55.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 KES 67.1

$0.49 ₱30.98

6.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 KES 296

$1.79 ₱112

27.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 KES 432

$2.26 ₱142

47.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 KES 128

$1.95 ₱122

-49.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 KES 69.3

$1.43 ₱89.7

-62.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 KES 197

$1.02 ₱63.8

49.02%

Eggs

$1.75 KES 227

$2.06 ₱129

-15.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.89 KES 1,802

$9.81 ₱615

41.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.92 KES 639

$4.61 ₱289

6.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.42 KES 703

$7.70 ₱483

-29.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 KES 282

$3.31 ₱207

-34.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 KES 149

$1.45 ₱90.9

-20.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 KES 230

$2.36 ₱148

-25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.71 KES 91.6

$1.54 ₱96.4

-53.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 KES 95.8

$2.36 ₱148

-68.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 KES 136

$1.99 ₱125

-47.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 KES 78.0

$1.15 ₱72.1

-47.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 KES 59.4

$0.67 ₱42.15

-31.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 KES 517

$3.00 ₱188

33.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 KES 1,259

$6.35 ₱398

52.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 KES 250

$1.31 ₱81.9

47.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 KES 377

$1.73 ₱108

67.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 KES 103

$0.25 ₱15.78

220.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.24 KES 5,089

$12.65 ₱793

210.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 KES 411

$0.74 ₱46.32

328.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 KES 229

$0.21 ₱13.11

738.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.49 KES 583

$4.33 ₱271

3.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 KES 206

$1.33 ₱83.5

19.55%

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

$12.1K KES 1.6M

$21.8K ₱1.4M

-44.32%

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

$12.2K KES 1.6M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

-37.33%

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

$76.8 KES 9,958

$121 ₱7,563

-36.32%

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

$9.20 KES 1,194

$14.45 ₱907

-36.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.52 KES 4,478

$28.29 ₱1,774

22.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.03 KES 2,339

$32.68 ₱2,050

-44.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.39 KES 2,515

$6.39 ₱401

203.44%

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 KES 1,974

$5.46 ₱342

178.75%

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

$85.5 KES 11.1K

$273 ₱17.1K

-68.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,377 KES 697.4K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-34.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.31 KES 1,727

$49.57 ₱3,109

-73.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.57 KES 1,760

$24.87 ₱1,560

-45.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.10 KES 2,996

$76.6 ₱4,804

-69.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.02 KES 5,969

$59.3 ₱3,717

-22.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$231 KES 30.0K

$506 ₱31.7K

-54.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 KES 20.3K

$309 ₱19.4K

-49.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$538 KES 69.8K

$1,052 ₱66.0K

-48.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 KES 48.5K

$619 ₱38.8K

-39.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,456 KES 707.6K

$2,915 ₱182.9K

87.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,836 KES 497.6K

$1,867 ₱117.1K

105.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$318 KES 41.3K

$341 ₱21.4K

-6.71%

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 Mombasa: 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

Mombasa

$186 26%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 12.9% $24

Accommodation & Living

Mombasa

$157 21.8%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 97.3% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mombasa

$121 16.8%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 35.5% $43

Eating Out

Mombasa

$108 15.1%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 18.3% $20

Getting Around

Mombasa

$54 7.6%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 71.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Mombasa

$48 6.8%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 10.1% $4.9

Clothing & Footwear

Mombasa

$43 6%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 119% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $231 in Mombasa and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 7% 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: $25.00 in Mombasa vs $23.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $186 vs $210, with Mombasa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

08:25 8:25 AM

13:25 1:25 PM

5 h ahead of Mombasa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,300,000

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

Mombasa Cebu 9,460 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mombasa
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

Mombasa vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mombasa is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and clothing. The 29% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 7% 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: $231 in Mombasa versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $726 per month in Mombasa versus $934 in Cebu – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Mombasa runs roughly 210% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Mombasa gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Mombasa 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, Mombasa 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 Mombasa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.