Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ndola and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Ndola: $726 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

35

Cost of Living Index in Ndola
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Ndola Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Ndola

🇿🇲 Zambia

$726

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $726 in Ndola versus $918 in Cebu.

Ndola $726
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,738 in Ndola versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Ndola $1,738
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,750 in Ndola versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Ndola $2,750
Cebu $1,900

Living in Ndola costs roughly 21% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ndola 46% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.52 ZMW 110

$3.09 ₱194

78.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.75 ZMW 612

$24.22 ₱1,525

26.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.94 ZMW 98.2

$3.92 ₱247

26.02%

Cappuccino

$2.75 ZMW 54.7

$2.51 ₱158

9.56%

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

$0.52 ZMW 10.38

$1.59 ₱100

-67.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ZMW 5.20

$0.53 ₱33.43

-50.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.28 ZMW 25.38

$1.78 ₱112

-28.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ZMW 44.18

$2.17 ₱137

2.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ZMW 31.86

$1.92 ₱121

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ZMW 22.44

$1.36 ₱85.4

-16.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 ZMW 40.08

$1.01 ₱63.5

99.01%

Eggs

$1.62 ZMW 32.27

$2.03 ₱128

-20.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.37 ZMW 206

$9.86 ₱621

5.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.48 ZMW 129

$4.39 ₱277

47.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.45 ZMW 128

$7.60 ₱479

-15.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.55 ZMW 30.81

$3.30 ₱208

-53.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 ZMW 47.28

$1.39 ₱87.8

71.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 ZMW 73.6

$2.33 ₱147

58.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ZMW 29.93

$1.50 ₱94.3

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 ZMW 51.6

$2.36 ₱149

9.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 ZMW 37.49

$1.90 ₱119

-1.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ZMW 22.20

$1.19 ₱74.9

-5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ZMW 12.35

$0.63 ₱39.71

-1.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 ZMW 61.3

$3.00 ₱189

2.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.98 ZMW 198

$6.03 ₱379

65.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 ZMW 28.17

$1.23 ₱77.7

15.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ZMW 45.20

$1.75 ₱110

29.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 ZMW 14.59

$0.25 ₱15.86

192.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.60 ZMW 51.6

$0.77 ₱48.62

237.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 ZMW 29.15

$0.23 ₱14.53

539.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.13 ZMW 102

$4.46 ₱281

15.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ZMW 26.57

$1.31 ₱82.8

2.29%

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

$7,515 ZMW 149.5K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-64.62%

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

$27.1K ZMW 538.2K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

41.33%

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

$81.5 ZMW 1,622

$120 ₱7,569

-32.19%

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

$10.36 ZMW 206

$14.00 ₱882

-26.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.4 ZMW 1,102

$27.54 ₱1,734

101.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$6.10 ZMW 121

$5.65 ₱356

7.96%

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

$138 ZMW 2,743

$275 ₱17.3K

-49.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K ZMW 326.7K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

107.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.72 ZMW 472

$49.33 ₱3,106

-51.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.32 ZMW 305

$25.24 ₱1,589

-39.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.00 ZMW 895

$77.0 ₱4,846

-41.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.1 ZMW 1,434

$57.2 ₱3,601

26.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$176 ZMW 3,508

$500 ₱31.5K

-64.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$153 ZMW 3,050

$309 ₱19.4K

-50.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$384 ZMW 7,630

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-64.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,503 ZMW 29.9K

$615 ₱38.7K

144.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$602 ZMW 12.0K

$346 ₱21.8K

73.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

302.78%

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

Last update for Ndola: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ndola

$224 30.9%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 8.1% $18

Accommodation & Living

Ndola

$153 21.1%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 101% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ndola

$147 20.3%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 9.8% $14

Eating Out

Ndola

$106 14.6%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 16.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Ndola

$70 9.7%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 33.7% $24

Getting Around

Ndola

$13 * 1.8%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 21.1% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Ndola

$12 * 1.7%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 258% $31

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 $176 in Ndola and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ndola pays 74% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31.00 in Ndola vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $224 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Ndola

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

13:02 1:02 PM

6 h ahead of Ndola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

455,194

964,169

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to ZMW – Zambian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇲 Zambian Kwacha (ZK)

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to ZMW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ndola Cebu 10,830 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Ndola
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

Ndola vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ndola is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and leisure. The 26% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 74% higher in Ndola, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $176 in Ndola versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Cebu pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $726 per month in Ndola versus $918 in Cebu – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

For families, Ndola 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, Ndola 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 Ndola gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.