Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St Francis Bay and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,022 in St Francis Bay, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in St Francis Bay despite lower rent and utilities.

50

Cost of Living Index in St Francis Bay
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St Francis Bay Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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St Francis Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,022

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,022 in St Francis Bay versus $918 in Cebu.

St Francis Bay $1,022
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,650 in St Francis Bay versus $1,409 in Cebu.

St Francis Bay $1,650
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,278 in St Francis Bay versus $1,900 in Cebu.

St Francis Bay $2,278
Cebu $1,900

Living in St Francis Bay 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: St Francis Bay 24% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.85 R 179

$3.09 ₱194

251.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.05 R 693

$24.22 ₱1,525

73.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.65 R 60.2

$3.92 ₱247

-6.89%

Cappuccino

$2.14 R 35.18

$2.51 ₱158

-14.74%

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

$1.02 R 16.76

$1.59 ₱100

-35.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 R 11.98

$0.53 ₱33.43

37.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.13 R 35.13

$1.78 ₱112

19.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 R 30.36

$2.17 ₱137

-15.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 R 14.25

$1.92 ₱121

-55.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.58

$1.36 ₱85.4

-25.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.56

$1.01 ₱63.5

41.58%

Eggs

$2.66 R 43.89

$2.03 ₱128

31.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 R 122

$9.86 ₱621

-25.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 R 87.9

$4.39 ₱277

21.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.26 R 136

$7.60 ₱479

8.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 R 34.25

$3.30 ₱208

-36.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.04

$1.39 ₱87.8

5.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.59

$2.33 ₱147

-28.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.48

$1.50 ₱94.3

19.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.26

$2.36 ₱149

-30.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 R 22.70

$1.90 ₱119

-27.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R 20.15

$1.19 ₱74.9

2.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.17

$0.63 ₱39.71

55.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 R 52.4

$3.00 ₱189

6.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.80 R 79.1

$6.03 ₱379

-20.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 R 20.73

$1.23 ₱77.7

2.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 R 28.44

$1.75 ₱110

-1.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.34

$0.25 ₱15.86

492.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 R 9.45

$0.77 ₱48.62

-25.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 R 8.13

$0.23 ₱14.53

113.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.19 R 135

$4.46 ₱281

83.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 R 22.46

$1.31 ₱82.8

3.82%

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

$20.3K R 334.8K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-4.35%

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

$33.7K R 554.7K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

75.84%

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

$60.0 R 988

$120 ₱7,569

-50.11%

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

$34.08 R 562

$14.00 ₱882

143.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.40 R 682

$27.54 ₱1,734

50.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.46 R 518

$32.33 ₱2,035

-2.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.79 R 178

$6.65 ₱419

62.26%

Cinema Ticket

$9.04 R 149

$5.65 ₱356

60.00%

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

$180 R 2,961

$275 ₱17.3K

-34.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,149 R 101.3K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-22.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 R 1,178

$49.33 ₱3,106

44.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.62 R 620

$25.24 ₱1,589

49.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 R 1,812

$77.0 ₱4,846

42.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 R 1,613

$57.2 ₱3,601

71.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,561

$500 ₱31.5K

-20.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 R 5,823

$309 ₱19.4K

14.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 R 11.8K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-33.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$615 ₱38.7K

16.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$870 R 14.3K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-69.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$665 R 11.0K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-65.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

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 St Francis Bay: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St Francis Bay

$353 34.6%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 12.6% $45

Groceries & Markets

St Francis Bay

$187 18.3%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 9.9% $19

Eating Out

St Francis Bay

$145 14.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 39% $56

Clothing & Footwear

St Francis Bay

$143 14%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 34.2% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St Francis Bay

$135 13.3%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 19.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

St Francis Bay

$50 4.9%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 11.9% $5.9

Getting Around

St Francis Bay

$9 * 0.9%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 74% $6.6

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 $398 in St Francis Bay and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $42.00 in St Francis Bay vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $187 vs $206, with St Francis Bay cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 St Francis Bay

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

09:17 9:17 AM

15:17 3:17 PM

6 h ahead of St Francis Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,910

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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Between locations

St Francis Bay Cebu 11,480 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

St Francis Bay
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

St Francis Bay 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.

You'd need roughly $1,533 in St Francis Bay and $1,377 in Cebu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $398 in St Francis Bay versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in St Francis Bay pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,022 per month in St Francis Bay versus $918 in Cebu – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,022 in St Francis Bay, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in St Francis Bay. 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 St Francis Bay, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, St Francis Bay 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 St Francis Bay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.