Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thika and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Thika: $518 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Thika
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Thika Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Thika

🇰🇪 Kenya

$518

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $518 in Thika versus $915 in Cebu.

Thika $518
Cebu $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $883 in Thika versus $1,418 in Cebu.

Thika $883
Cebu $1,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,249 in Thika versus $1,921 in Cebu.

Thika $1,249
Cebu $1,921

Living in Thika costs roughly 43% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Thika 62% lower, Cebu 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.52 KES 457

$3.05 ₱192

15.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.21 KES 4,435

$24.00 ₱1,511

42.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.43 KES 834

$3.99 ₱251

61.15%

Cappuccino

$1.95 KES 253

$2.50 ₱157

-22.00%

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

$0.33 KES 42.15

$1.54 ₱97.1

-78.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 KES 78.8

$0.50 ₱31.37

22.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 KES 243

$1.78 ₱112

5.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 KES 267

$2.17 ₱136

-5.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 KES 95.1

$2.00 ₱126

-63.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 KES 56.8

$1.37 ₱86.2

-67.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 KES 150

$1.03 ₱64.9

12.62%

Eggs

$1.35 KES 175

$2.03 ₱128

-33.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 KES 1,402

$10.20 ₱642

5.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.58 KES 853

$4.45 ₱280

47.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.12 KES 534

$7.67 ₱483

-46.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 KES 204

$3.31 ₱208

-52.57%

Banana (1kg)

$0.64 KES 82.5

$1.46 ₱91.8

-56.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.80 KES 104

$2.32 ₱146

-65.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 KES 143

$1.49 ₱94.0

-26.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.41 KES 52.9

$2.34 ₱147

-82.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 KES 56.8

$1.94 ₱122

-77.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 KES 89.5

$1.16 ₱73.0

-40.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 KES 48.31

$0.68 ₱42.89

-45.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.71 KES 352

$2.99 ₱188

-9.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.71 KES 740

$6.24 ₱393

-8.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 KES 230

$1.23 ₱77.3

44.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 KES 246

$1.73 ₱109

9.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 KES 202

$0.79 ₱49.96

97.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 KES 125

$0.22 ₱13.86

336.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 KES 366

$4.54 ₱286

-37.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 KES 183

$1.32 ₱82.9

6.82%

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

$21.7K KES 2.8M

$21.0K ₱1.3M

3.13%

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

$20.0K KES 2.6M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

3.03%

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

$34.37 KES 4,456

$119 ₱7,464

-71.01%

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

$14.94 KES 1,936

$14.22 ₱896

5.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.20 KES 4,564

$27.47 ₱1,730

28.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.96 KES 6,088

$32.31 ₱2,034

45.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

Cinema Ticket

$7.63 KES 990

$5.40 ₱340

41.30%

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

$53.7 KES 6,956

$276 ₱17.4K

-80.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,537 KES 458.6K

$7,866 ₱495.3K

-55.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.81 KES 3,605

$49.37 ₱3,108

-43.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.36 KES 3,806

$24.58 ₱1,548

19.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.9 KES 9,061

$76.6 ₱4,825

-8.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$19.37 KES 2,512

$58.9 ₱3,706

-67.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$98.7 KES 12.8K

$503 ₱31.7K

-80.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$57.5 KES 7,450

$305 ₱19.2K

-81.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$273 KES 35.3K

$1,075 ₱67.7K

-74.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 KES 23.0K

$632 ₱39.8K

-71.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$610 KES 79.1K

$2,870 ₱180.7K

-78.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

7.2

104.31%

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

Last update for Thika: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Thika

$153 29.6%

Cebu

$210 22.9% 36.7% $56

Eating Out

Thika

$88 17%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 0.4% $0.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thika

$85 16.3%

Cebu

$160 17.5% 89.6% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Thika

$66 12.7%

Cebu

$94 10.3% 43% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Thika

$62 12%

Cebu

$43 4.7% 30.7% $19

Accommodation & Living

Thika

$57 11.1%

Cebu

$305 33.3% 430% $247

Getting Around

Thika

$6.4 * 1.2%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 138% $8.8

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 $98.7 in Thika and $503 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34.00 in Thika vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $153 vs $210, with Thika cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Thika

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

23:42 11:42 PM

04:42 4:42 AM

5 h ahead of Thika

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,000

964,169

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 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 KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Thika Cebu 9,680 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Thika
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

Thika vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thika is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. The 77% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $777 in Thika and $1,372 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: $98.7 in Thika versus $503 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $518 per month in Thika versus $915 in Cebu – a 77% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Thika gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Thika 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, Thika 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 Thika gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.