Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Kut and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Kut: $656 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Al Kut
🇮🇶 Iraq
$656
/mo nomad
Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $656 per month in Al Kut vs $918 in Cebu, rent included.

  • Al Kut $656
  • Cebu $918

A couple spends around $1,020 per month in Al Kut vs $1,409 in Cebu, rent included.

  • Al Kut $1,020
  • Cebu $1,409

A family of three spends $1,385 per month in Al Kut vs $1,900 in Cebu, rent included.

  • Al Kut $1,385
  • Cebu $1,900

Al Kut is about 29% cheaper than Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Al Kut and Cebu are more affordable than the global median – Al Kut 51% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Al Kut
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.92 IQD 5,918
$3.09 ₱195
26.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.73 IQD 31.3K
$24.22 ₱1,525
-14.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.01 IQD 10.6K
$3.92 ₱247
78.83%
Cappuccino
$2.46 IQD 3,712
$2.51 ₱158
-1.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 IQD 509
$1.59 ₱100
-78.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.21 IQD 324
$0.53 ₱33.45
-60.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.93 IQD 4,423
$1.78 ₱112
64.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 IQD 3,826
$2.17 ₱137
16.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Al Kut
Cebu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.00 IQD 1,509
$1.92 ₱121
-47.92%
White Bread (500g)
$0.68 IQD 1,025
$1.36 ₱85.5
-50.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.55 IQD 2,348
$1.01 ₱63.6
53.47%
Eggs
$1.58 IQD 2,390
$2.03 ₱128
-22.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.81 IQD 5,760
$9.86 ₱621
-61.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.44 IQD 5,198
$4.39 ₱277
-21.64%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.08 IQD 18.3K
$7.60 ₱479
58.95%
Apples (1kg)
$0.87 IQD 1,312
$3.30 ₱208
-73.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.01 IQD 1,529
$1.39 ₱87.8
-27.34%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.80 IQD 1,215
$2.33 ₱147
-65.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.66 IQD 996
$1.50 ₱94.3
-56.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.53 IQD 797
$2.36 ₱149
-77.54%
Onion (1kg)
$0.61 IQD 925
$1.90 ₱119
-67.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.55 IQD 837
$1.19 ₱74.9
-53.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 IQD 770
$0.63 ₱39.73
-19.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.65 IQD 2,496
$3.00 ₱189
-45.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.22 IQD 17.0K
$6.03 ₱380
86.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 IQD 1,870
$1.23 ₱77.7
0.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 IQD 2,410
$1.75 ₱110
-8.57%
🚌 Getting Around
Al Kut
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.37 IQD 564
$0.25 ₱15.87
48.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$17.49 IQD 26.4K
$12.64 ₱796
38.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.04 IQD 3,076
$0.77 ₱48.64
164.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.21 IQD 1,825
$0.23 ₱14.54
426.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.63 IQD 8,509
$4.46 ₱281
26.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.54 IQD 809
$1.31 ₱82.8
-58.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.1K IQD 25.9M
$21.2K ₱1.3M
-19.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.0K IQD 24.1M
$19.1K ₱1.2M
-16.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Al Kut
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$87.6 IQD 132.4K
$120 ₱7,573
-27.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.89 IQD 18.0K
$14.00 ₱882
-15.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.39 IQD 36.9K
$27.54 ₱1,735
-11.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Al Kut
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 IQD 56.4K
$32.33 ₱2,036
15.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$6.65 ₱419
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.24 IQD 14.0K
$5.65 ₱356
63.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Al Kut
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$136 IQD 206.1K
$275 ₱17.3K
-50.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,765 IQD 4.2M
$7,918 ₱498.8K
-65.09%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Al Kut
Cebu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$20.87 IQD 31.5K
$49.33 ₱3,107
-57.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$21.36 IQD 32.3K
$25.24 ₱1,590
-15.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$47.29 IQD 71.5K
$77.0 ₱4,848
-38.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$31.05 IQD 46.9K
$57.2 ₱3,603
-45.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Al Kut
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$162 IQD 244.3K
$500 ₱31.5K
-67.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$137 IQD 207.6K
$309 ₱19.5K
-55.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$375 IQD 567.0K
$1,078 ₱67.9K
-65.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$308 IQD 466.0K
$615 ₱38.8K
-49.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$697 IQD 1.1M
$2,886 ₱181.8K
-75.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$566 IQD 855.8K
$1,917 ₱120.7K
-70.45%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Al Kut
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$346 ₱21.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.33
7.2
-53.75%

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

Last update for Al Kut: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Al Kut
$154
Cebu
$206 33.6% $52
Accommodation & Living
Al Kut
$137
Cebu
$309 125% $171
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Al Kut
$124
Cebu
$162 30.6% $38
Eating Out
Al Kut
$104
Cebu
$88 14.9% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Al Kut
$56
Cebu
$44 21.8% $12
Clothing & Footwear
Al Kut
$54
Cebu
$94 73.1% $40
Getting Around
Al Kut
$27
Cebu
$16 42.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $162 in Al Kut versus $500 in Cebu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Al Kut versus $24.00 in Cebu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $154 vs $206 – making Al Kut the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇶 Al Kut
🇵🇭 Cebu
🕒 Local time
16:54 4:54 PM
21:54 9:54 PM
5 h ahead of Al Kut
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
422,793
964,169
💱 Currency
Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Al Kut Cebu 8,280 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Al Kut
  • 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
Al Kut vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Al Kut and in Cebu compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $656 in Al Kut, $918 in Cebu – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Al Kut compared to Cebu?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $984 per month in Al Kut and $1,377 in Cebu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Al Kut and Cebu?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Kut, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 34% more in Cebu, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Al Kut and $24.00 in Cebu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How far does $1,200 go in Al Kut compared to Cebu?
$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $656 in Al Kut and $918 in Cebu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
How does quality of life compare between Al Kut and Cebu?
It depends on your priorities. Cebu has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $656 in Al Kut to $918 in Cebu. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Al Kut or Cebu safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Al Kut and Cebu?
If budget matters most, go with Al Kut. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cebu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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