Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Elizabeth and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,233 in Port Elizabeth, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Port Elizabeth
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Port Elizabeth Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Port Elizabeth

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,233

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,233 in Port Elizabeth versus $934 in Cebu.

Port Elizabeth $1,233
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,847 in Port Elizabeth versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Port Elizabeth $1,847
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,461 in Port Elizabeth versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Port Elizabeth $2,461
Cebu $1,896

Living in Port Elizabeth is roughly 32% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Port Elizabeth 8% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 R 175

$3.03 ₱190

250.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.87 R 707

$23.48 ₱1,473

82.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.02 R 99.3

$4.09 ₱256

47.19%

Cappuccino

$2.12 R 35.03

$2.52 ₱158

-15.87%

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

$1.04 R 17.24

$1.54 ₱96.9

-32.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R 11.93

$0.49 ₱30.98

46.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 R 45.50

$1.79 ₱112

54.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.5

$2.26 ₱142

35.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 R 18.74

$1.95 ₱122

-41.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 R 17.10

$1.43 ₱89.7

-27.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.78

$1.02 ₱63.8

41.18%

Eggs

$2.81 R 46.33

$2.06 ₱129

36.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.58 R 142

$9.81 ₱615

-12.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 R 90.2

$4.61 ₱289

18.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.28 R 137

$7.70 ₱483

7.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.80

$3.31 ₱207

-36.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.46

$1.45 ₱90.9

6.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.56

$2.36 ₱148

-31.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.43

$1.54 ₱96.4

15.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.56

$2.36 ₱148

-26.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 R 23.46

$1.99 ₱125

-28.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 R 21.27

$1.15 ₱72.1

12.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 R 16.70

$0.67 ₱42.15

50.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.13 R 51.6

$3.00 ₱188

4.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.82 R 79.6

$6.35 ₱398

-24.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 R 20.63

$1.31 ₱81.9

-4.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 R 30.06

$1.73 ₱108

5.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R 17.96

$0.25 ₱15.78

336.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.08 R 595

$12.65 ₱793

185.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 R 35.03

$0.74 ₱46.32

186.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 R 8.20

$0.21 ₱13.11

138.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.45 R 139

$4.33 ₱271

95.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 R 23.86

$1.33 ₱83.5

9.02%

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

$35.4K R 584.3K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

62.70%

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

$34.0K R 561.2K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

75.35%

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

$123 R 2,024

$121 ₱7,563

1.74%

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

$35.08 R 579

$14.45 ₱907

142.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.22 R 746

$28.29 ₱1,774

59.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.88 R 526

$32.68 ₱2,050

-2.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.73 R 375

$6.39 ₱401

255.71%

Cinema Ticket

$10.61 R 175

$5.46 ₱342

94.32%

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

$176 R 2,902

$273 ₱17.1K

-35.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,192 R 102.2K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-24.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 R 1,164

$49.57 ₱3,109

42.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.27 R 631

$24.87 ₱1,560

53.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 R 1,807

$76.6 ₱4,804

42.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 R 1,593

$59.3 ₱3,717

62.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 R 10.1K

$506 ₱31.7K

20.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R 6,891

$309 ₱19.4K

34.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 R 13.3K

$1,052 ₱66.0K

-23.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$689 R 11.4K

$619 ₱38.8K

11.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$750 R 12.4K

$2,915 ₱182.9K

-74.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$531 R 8,754

$1,867 ₱117.1K

-71.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,612 R 26.6K

$341 ₱21.4K

372.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.94

7.2

65.83%

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

Last update for Port Elizabeth: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Elizabeth

$418 34.4%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 25.9% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Elizabeth

$203 16.7%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 19.5% $40

Groceries & Markets

Port Elizabeth

$197 16.2%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 7% $14

Eating Out

Port Elizabeth

$155 12.8%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 43.1% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Port Elizabeth

$142 11.7%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 33.2% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Port Elizabeth

$53 4.4%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 17.9% $9.5

Getting Around

Port Elizabeth

$45 3.7%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 65.7% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $612 in Port Elizabeth and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Port Elizabeth pays 373% 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: $43.00 in Port Elizabeth vs $23.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $197 vs $210, with Port Elizabeth cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Port Elizabeth

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

16:29 4:29 PM

22:29 10:29 PM

6 h ahead of Port Elizabeth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,050,000

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 →

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Between locations

Port Elizabeth Cebu 11,400 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Elizabeth
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

Port Elizabeth vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 373% higher in Port Elizabeth, 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: $612 in Port Elizabeth versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,233 per month in Port Elizabeth versus $934 in Cebu – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 185% less than in Port Elizabeth. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,233 in Port Elizabeth, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Port Elizabeth. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Port Elizabeth 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 32% less than in Port Elizabeth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.