Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Secunda and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,056 in Secunda, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Secunda
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Secunda Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Secunda

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,056

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,056 in Secunda versus $918 in Cebu.

Secunda $1,056
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,618 in Secunda versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Secunda $1,618
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,180 in Secunda versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Secunda $2,180
Cebu $1,900

Living in Secunda is roughly 15% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Secunda 22% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.88 R 96.8

$3.09 ₱194

90.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.10 R 496

$24.22 ₱1,525

24.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.51 R 90.8

$3.92 ₱247

40.56%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R 36.07

$2.51 ₱158

-12.75%

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

$0.87 R 14.39

$1.59 ₱100

-45.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 R 8.09

$0.53 ₱33.43

-7.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.05 R 17.30

$1.78 ₱112

-41.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 R 21.95

$2.17 ₱137

-38.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 R 18.80

$1.92 ₱121

-40.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 R 15.39

$1.36 ₱85.4

-31.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 R 30.01

$1.01 ₱63.5

80.20%

Eggs

$2.52 R 41.60

$2.03 ₱128

24.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 R 135

$9.86 ₱621

-16.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.98 R 82.1

$4.39 ₱277

13.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.24 R 119

$7.60 ₱479

-4.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.25

$3.30 ₱208

-46.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.30

$1.39 ₱87.8

15.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.33

$2.33 ₱147

-23.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.43

$1.50 ₱94.3

2.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 R 17.70

$2.36 ₱149

-54.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 R 20.12

$1.90 ₱119

-35.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 19.98

$1.19 ₱74.9

1.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 R 21.82

$0.63 ₱39.71

109.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 R 53.8

$3.00 ₱189

9.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.96 R 81.7

$6.03 ₱379

-17.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.78

$1.23 ₱77.7

21.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 R 32.66

$1.75 ₱110

13.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 R 24.51

$0.25 ₱15.86

496.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.71

$0.77 ₱48.62

-62.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 R 13.12

$0.23 ₱14.53

247.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.38 R 237

$4.46 ₱281

222.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.49

$1.31 ₱82.8

18.32%

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

$35.4K R 582.9K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

66.54%

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

$33.5K R 551.6K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

74.86%

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

$153 R 2,518

$120 ₱7,569

27.13%

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

$36.64 R 604

$14.00 ₱882

161.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.15 R 612

$27.54 ₱1,734

34.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.57 R 537

$32.33 ₱2,035

0.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.79 R 178

$6.65 ₱419

62.26%

Cinema Ticket

$7.09 R 117

$5.65 ₱356

25.49%

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

$89.3 R 1,472

$275 ₱17.3K

-67.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,575 R 91.8K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-29.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 R 858

$49.33 ₱3,106

5.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.44 R 518

$25.24 ₱1,589

24.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 R 1,507

$77.0 ₱4,846

18.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.6 R 1,360

$57.2 ₱3,601

44.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 R 6,486

$500 ₱31.5K

-21.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 R 5,984

$309 ₱19.4K

17.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$743 R 12.2K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-31.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$735 R 12.1K

$615 ₱38.7K

19.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$861 R 14.2K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-70.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$648 R 10.7K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-66.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,418 R 23.4K

$346 ₱21.8K

309.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

7.2

57.50%

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

Last update for Secunda: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Secunda

$363 34.4%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 15% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Secunda

$227 21.5%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 28.6% $65

Groceries & Markets

Secunda

$190 18%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 8.1% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Secunda

$116 11%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 18.9% $22

Eating Out

Secunda

$103 9.8%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 14.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Secunda

$47 4.4%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 6.7% $3.1

Getting Around

Secunda

$10 * 1%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 52.3% $5.4

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 $394 in Secunda and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Secunda pays 310% 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: $30.00 in Secunda vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $190 vs $206, with Secunda cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Secunda

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

10:16 10:16 AM

16:16 4:16 PM

6 h ahead of Secunda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,198

964,169

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 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 ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Secunda Cebu 10,980 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Secunda
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

Secunda vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and utilities. The 15% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 310% higher in Secunda, 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: $394 in Secunda versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Secunda pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,056 per month in Secunda versus $918 in Cebu – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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 Secunda, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Secunda 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 15% less than in Secunda. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.