Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tema and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Tema: $738 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

36

Cost of Living Index in Tema
Learn more

Tema Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Tema

🇬🇭 Ghana

$738

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $738 in Tema versus $934 in Cebu.

Tema $738
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,173 in Tema versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Tema $1,173
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,608 in Tema versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Tema $1,608
Cebu $1,896

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Tema 45% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.03 GHS 82.4

$3.03 ₱191

132.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.88 GHS 327

$23.48 ₱1,476

18.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱257

Cappuccino

$5.05 GHS 59.2

$2.52 ₱158

100.40%

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

$0.90 GHS 10.56

$1.54 ₱97.2

-41.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 GHS 3.55

$0.49 ₱31.06

-38.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 GHS 38.60

$1.79 ₱113

83.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 GHS 30.61

$2.26 ₱142

15.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.16 GHS 37.11

$1.95 ₱122

62.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 GHS 18.81

$1.43 ₱89.9

11.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 GHS 24.29

$1.02 ₱64.0

102.94%

Eggs

$2.30 GHS 27.02

$2.06 ₱129

11.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.38 GHS 51.4

$9.81 ₱617

-55.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 GHS 37.14

$4.61 ₱290

-31.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.38 GHS 39.66

$7.70 ₱484

-56.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 GHS 30.66

$3.31 ₱208

-21.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 GHS 25.02

$1.45 ₱91.2

46.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 GHS 25.97

$2.36 ₱148

-6.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.49 GHS 40.95

$1.54 ₱96.6

126.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 GHS 39.91

$2.36 ₱148

44.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 GHS 33.06

$1.99 ₱125

41.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 GHS 5.25

$1.15 ₱72.3

-60.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 GHS 7.84

$0.67 ₱42.26

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.26 GHS 14.83

$3.00 ₱189

-58.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.54 GHS 100

$6.35 ₱399

34.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 GHS 24.59

$1.31 ₱82.1

60.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 GHS 34.74

$1.73 ₱109

71.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.68 GHS 19.70

$0.25 ₱15.82

572.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.17 GHS 483

$12.65 ₱796

225.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 GHS 24.69

$0.74 ₱46.44

183.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 GHS 4.82

$0.21 ₱13.15

95.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱272

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 GHS 13.96

$1.33 ₱83.7

-10.53%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

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

$78.2 GHS 917

$121 ₱7,583

-35.16%

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

$15.22 GHS 179

$14.45 ₱909

5.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.5 GHS 968

$28.29 ₱1,779

191.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.06 GHS 282

$32.68 ₱2,055

-26.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱402

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 GHS 103

$5.46 ₱343

61.17%

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

$174 GHS 2,046

$273 ₱17.2K

-36.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,544 GHS 29.8K

$8,156 ₱512.9K

-68.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.07 GHS 153

$49.57 ₱3,117

-73.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.40 GHS 181

$24.87 ₱1,564

-38.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.37 GHS 497

$76.6 ₱4,817

-44.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.20 GHS 378

$59.3 ₱3,727

-45.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$126 GHS 1,483

$506 ₱31.8K

-75.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$71.3 GHS 836

$309 ₱19.5K

-76.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 GHS 4,999

$1,052 ₱66.1K

-59.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$209 GHS 2,451

$619 ₱38.9K

-66.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,909 GHS 116.2K

$2,915 ₱183.4K

239.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,903 GHS 69.2K

$1,867 ₱117.4K

216.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$419 GHS 4,913

$341 ₱21.5K

22.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

386.11%

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

Last update for Tema: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tema

$216 28.9%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 2.4% $5.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tema

$176 23.6%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 7.2% $13

Eating Out

Tema

$143 * 19.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 38.3% $55

Accommodation & Living

Tema

$71 9.6%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 334% $238

Getting Around

Tema

$52 7%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 70.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Tema

$46 6.2%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 104% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Tema

$42 5.6%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 4.7% $2

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 $126 in Tema and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tema pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $28.00 in Tema vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $216 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Tema

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

02:46 2:46 AM

10:46 10:46 AM

8 h ahead of Tema

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,000

964,169

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.53 USD

100 GHS = 7.6 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to GHS – Ghanaian Cedi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇭 Ghanaian Cedi (₵)

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 11.73 GHS (100 GHS = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 13.16 GHS (100 GHS = 7.6 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to GHS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tema Cebu 13,560 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Tema
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

Tema vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tema is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and leisure. The 27% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 23% higher in Tema, 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: $126 in Tema versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $738 per month in Tema versus $934 in Cebu – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Tema runs roughly 225% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Tema gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Tema 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, Tema 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 Tema gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.