Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tembisa and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $1,106 in Tembisa, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Tembisa
Learn more

Tembisa Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Tembisa

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,106

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,106 in Tembisa versus $915 in Cebu.

Tembisa $1,106
Cebu $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,692 in Tembisa versus $1,418 in Cebu.

Tembisa $1,692
Cebu $1,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,279 in Tembisa versus $1,921 in Cebu.

Tembisa $2,279
Cebu $1,921

Living in Tembisa is roughly 21% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tembisa 18% lower, Cebu 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.55 R 157

$3.05 ₱192

213.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.71 R 671

$24.00 ₱1,511

69.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.67 R 93.5

$3.99 ₱251

42.11%

Cappuccino

$2.24 R 36.98

$2.50 ₱157

-10.40%

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

$1.05 R 17.34

$1.54 ₱97.1

-31.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R 14.40

$0.50 ₱31.37

74.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 39.79

$1.78 ₱112

35.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 R 45.74

$2.17 ₱136

28.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 R 19.90

$2.00 ₱126

-39.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.68

$1.37 ₱86.2

-17.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.88

$1.03 ₱64.9

69.90%

Eggs

$2.54 R 41.85

$2.03 ₱128

25.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 R 143

$10.20 ₱642

-15.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.08 R 83.7

$4.45 ₱280

14.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.38 R 122

$7.67 ₱483

-3.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.57

$3.31 ₱208

-45.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.65

$1.46 ₱91.8

15.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.74

$2.32 ₱146

-21.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.52

$1.49 ₱94.0

12.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.22

$2.34 ₱147

-34.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 R 23.09

$1.94 ₱122

-27.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 R 20.48

$1.16 ₱73.0

6.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 R 17.35

$0.68 ₱42.89

54.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.61 R 59.5

$2.99 ₱188

20.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.31 R 87.5

$6.24 ₱393

-14.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 R 23.50

$1.23 ₱77.3

16.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 R 29.68

$1.73 ₱109

4.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 R 22.38

$0.23 ₱14.36

491.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 R 11.20

$0.79 ₱49.96

-13.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 R 16.21

$0.22 ₱13.86

345.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.10 R 183

$4.54 ₱286

144.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.38

$1.32 ₱82.9

16.67%

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

$32.4K R 534.0K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

54.29%

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

$31.7K R 521.5K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

63.15%

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

$148 R 2,438

$119 ₱7,464

24.82%

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

$31.88 R 525

$14.22 ₱896

124.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.41 R 633

$27.47 ₱1,730

39.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.17 R 530

$32.31 ₱2,034

-0.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.83 R 162

$6.50 ₱409

51.23%

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 R 105

$5.40 ₱340

17.41%

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

$246 R 4,057

$276 ₱17.4K

-10.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,091 R 100.3K

$7,866 ₱495.3K

-22.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.3 R 993

$49.37 ₱3,108

22.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 R 611

$24.58 ₱1,548

50.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R 1,665

$76.6 ₱4,825

31.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.4 R 1,358

$58.9 ₱3,706

40.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 R 6,686

$503 ₱31.7K

-19.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 R 6,008

$305 ₱19.2K

19.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$688 R 11.3K

$1,075 ₱67.7K

-35.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 R 11.1K

$632 ₱39.8K

6.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$942 R 15.5K

$2,870 ₱180.7K

-67.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$694 R 11.4K

$1,877 ₱118.2K

-63.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$574 R 9,454

$336 ₱21.1K

70.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

7.2

51.94%

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

Last update for Tembisa: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tembisa

$365 33%

Cebu

$305 33.3% 16.5% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tembisa

$218 19.7%

Cebu

$160 17.5% 26.6% $58

Groceries & Markets

Tembisa

$195 17.6%

Cebu

$210 22.9% 7.4% $14

Eating Out

Tembisa

$146 13.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 39.8% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Tembisa

$126 11.4%

Cebu

$94 10.3% 25.4% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Tembisa

$45 4.1%

Cebu

$43 4.7% 3.9% $1.8

Getting Around

Tembisa

$11 * 1%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 37.4% $4.1

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 $406 in Tembisa and $503 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tembisa pays 71% 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: $41.00 in Tembisa vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $195 vs $210, with Tembisa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Tembisa

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

23:06 11:06 PM

05:06 5:06 AM

6 h ahead of Tembisa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

463,109

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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tembisa Cebu 11,070 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Tembisa
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

Tembisa vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. The 21% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 71% higher in Tembisa, 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: $406 in Tembisa versus $503 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Tembisa pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,106 per month in Tembisa versus $915 in Cebu – a 21% 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 Tembisa, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Tembisa 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 21% less than in Tembisa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.