Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pietermaritzburg and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,036 in Pietermaritzburg, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Pietermaritzburg despite lower rent and utilities.

50

Cost of Living Index in Pietermaritzburg
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Pietermaritzburg Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Pietermaritzburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,036

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,036 in Pietermaritzburg versus $934 in Cebu.

Pietermaritzburg $1,036
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,560 in Pietermaritzburg versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Pietermaritzburg $1,560
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,083 in Pietermaritzburg versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Pietermaritzburg $2,083
Cebu $1,896

Living in Pietermaritzburg is roughly 11% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pietermaritzburg 23% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.91 R 130

$3.03 ₱190

161.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.62 R 588

$23.48 ₱1,473

51.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 R 92.6

$4.09 ₱256

37.16%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R 37.86

$2.52 ₱158

-9.13%

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

$1.16 R 19.12

$1.54 ₱96.9

-24.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 R 16.08

$0.49 ₱30.98

97.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 R 36.89

$1.79 ₱112

25.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 R 42.25

$2.26 ₱142

13.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 R 21.88

$1.95 ₱122

-31.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 R 16.45

$1.43 ₱89.7

-30.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.78

$1.02 ₱63.8

70.59%

Eggs

$3.20 R 52.7

$2.06 ₱129

55.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.93 R 114

$9.81 ₱615

-29.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.96 R 81.8

$4.61 ₱289

7.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.57 R 108

$7.70 ₱483

-14.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 R 33.40

$3.31 ₱207

-38.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$1.45 ₱90.9

31.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.35

$2.36 ₱148

-6.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 R 34.00

$1.54 ₱96.4

33.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.92

$2.36 ₱148

-25.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.93

$1.99 ₱125

-12.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 R 25.31

$1.15 ₱72.1

33.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R 17.98

$0.67 ₱42.15

62.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R 49.69

$3.00 ₱188

0.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.94 R 65.0

$6.35 ₱398

-37.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.72

$1.31 ₱81.9

5.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 R 29.70

$1.73 ₱108

4.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 R 46.92

$0.25 ₱15.78

1036.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.57 R 323

$12.65 ₱793

54.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.65 R 27.23

$0.74 ₱46.32

122.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 R 17.60

$0.21 ₱13.11

409.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 R 23.49

$1.33 ₱83.5

6.77%

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

$26.7K R 440.1K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

22.57%

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

$26.2K R 432.5K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

35.15%

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

$206 R 3,398

$121 ₱7,563

70.78%

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

$31.68 R 523

$14.45 ₱907

119.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.96 R 610

$28.29 ₱1,774

30.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.95 R 725

$32.68 ₱2,050

34.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.03 R 50.1

$6.39 ₱401

-52.58%

Cinema Ticket

$4.72 R 77.8

$5.46 ₱342

-13.55%

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

$181 R 2,993

$273 ₱17.1K

-33.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,207 R 85.9K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-36.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$49.57 ₱3,109

11.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.93 R 560

$24.87 ₱1,560

36.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,910

$76.6 ₱4,804

51.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.9 R 1,137

$59.3 ₱3,717

16.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$219 R 3,607

$506 ₱31.7K

-56.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 R 3,670

$309 ₱19.4K

-28.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$581 R 9,593

$1,052 ₱66.0K

-44.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 R 6,698

$619 ₱38.8K

-34.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,971 R 98.5K

$2,915 ₱182.9K

104.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$149 R 2,455

$1,867 ₱117.1K

-92.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,074 R 17.7K

$341 ₱21.4K

214.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.67

7.2

62.08%

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

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: 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

Pietermaritzburg

$275 26.4%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 40.5% $111

Accommodation & Living

Pietermaritzburg

$222 21.4%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 39.1% $87

Groceries & Markets

Pietermaritzburg

$195 18.8%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 7.8% $15

Eating Out

Pietermaritzburg

$132 12.8%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 33.3% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Pietermaritzburg

$123 11.9%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 23.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Pietermaritzburg

$53 5.1%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 18.3% $9.8

Getting Around

Pietermaritzburg

$38 3.7%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 59.3% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $219 in Pietermaritzburg and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pietermaritzburg pays 215% 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: $36.00 in Pietermaritzburg vs $23.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $195 vs $210, with Pietermaritzburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pietermaritzburg

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

13:26 1:26 PM

19:26 7:26 PM

6 h ahead of Pietermaritzburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

618,536

964,169

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.28 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pietermaritzburg Cebu 10,910 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Pietermaritzburg
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

Pietermaritzburg vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 215% higher in Pietermaritzburg, 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: $219 in Pietermaritzburg versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,036 per month in Pietermaritzburg versus $934 in Cebu – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 55% less than in Pietermaritzburg. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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

For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Pietermaritzburg, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Pietermaritzburg 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Pietermaritzburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.