Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-mawsil and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-mawsil: $601 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Al-mawsil
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Al-mawsil Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Al-mawsil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$601

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $601 in Al-mawsil versus $918 in Cebu.

Al-mawsil $601
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $917 in Al-mawsil versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Al-mawsil $917
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,233 in Al-mawsil versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Al-mawsil $1,233
Cebu $1,900

Living in Al-mawsil costs roughly 34% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Al-mawsil 55% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.46 IQD 9,767

$3.09 ₱194

109.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.37 IQD 15.7K

$24.22 ₱1,525

-57.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.03 IQD 7,597

$3.92 ₱247

28.32%

Cappuccino

$0.68 IQD 1,024

$2.51 ₱158

-72.91%

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

$0.34 IQD 519

$1.59 ₱100

-78.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 IQD 219

$0.53 ₱33.43

-73.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.85 IQD 1,286

$1.78 ₱112

-52.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 IQD 1,977

$2.17 ₱137

-39.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.63 IQD 950

$1.92 ₱121

-67.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.64 IQD 964

$1.36 ₱85.4

-52.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.54 IQD 816

$1.01 ₱63.5

-46.53%

Eggs

$0.94 IQD 1,424

$2.03 ₱128

-53.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.10 IQD 10.7K

$9.86 ₱621

-27.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.00 IQD 4,536

$4.39 ₱277

-31.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.80 IQD 11.8K

$7.60 ₱479

2.63%

Apples (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 970

$3.30 ₱208

-80.61%

Banana (1kg)

$0.67 IQD 1,013

$1.39 ₱87.8

-51.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.51 IQD 769

$2.33 ₱147

-78.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.22 IQD 332

$1.50 ₱94.3

-85.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.27 IQD 408

$2.36 ₱149

-88.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.32 IQD 483

$1.90 ₱119

-83.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 IQD 928

$1.19 ₱74.9

-48.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 IQD 773

$0.63 ₱39.71

-19.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.62 IQD 2,448

$3.00 ₱189

-46.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.82 IQD 16.3K

$6.03 ₱379

79.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 IQD 2,124

$1.23 ₱77.7

14.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 IQD 2,838

$1.75 ₱110

7.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 IQD 600

$0.25 ₱15.86

60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.83 IQD 30.0K

$12.64 ₱796

56.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 IQD 2,438

$0.77 ₱48.62

109.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 IQD 2,430

$0.23 ₱14.53

600.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 IQD 5,830

$4.46 ₱281

-13.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.29 IQD 432

$1.31 ₱82.8

-77.86%

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

$13.2K IQD 19.9M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-37.90%

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

$15.0K IQD 22.7M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

-21.56%

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

$92.5 IQD 139.8K

$120 ₱7,569

-23.07%

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

$12.26 IQD 18.5K

$14.00 ₱882

-12.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.36 IQD 35.3K

$27.54 ₱1,734

-15.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.85 IQD 55.7K

$32.33 ₱2,035

13.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.72 IQD 10.2K

$6.65 ₱419

1.05%

Cinema Ticket

$6.74 IQD 10.2K

$5.65 ₱356

19.29%

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

$307 IQD 463.9K

$275 ₱17.3K

11.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$588 IQD 888.5K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-92.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.19 IQD 24.5K

$49.33 ₱3,106

-67.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.44 IQD 20.3K

$25.24 ₱1,589

-46.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.1 IQD 89.3K

$77.0 ₱4,846

-23.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$15.72 IQD 23.8K

$57.2 ₱3,601

-72.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$176 IQD 265.7K

$500 ₱31.5K

-64.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$130 IQD 196.5K

$309 ₱19.4K

-57.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$381 IQD 575.7K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-64.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 IQD 461.0K

$615 ₱38.7K

-50.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$745 IQD 1.1M

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-74.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$587 IQD 887.1K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-69.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$537 IQD 811.7K

$346 ₱21.8K

55.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

7.2

-64.86%

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

Last update for Al-mawsil: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Al-mawsil

$131 21.8%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 57% $75

Accommodation & Living

Al-mawsil

$130 21.6%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 138% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-mawsil

$128 21.3%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 26.3% $34

Eating Out

Al-mawsil

$84 13.9%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 5.4% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Al-mawsil

$50 8.4%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 13.3% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Al-mawsil

$47 7.8%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 99.9% $47

Getting Around

Al-mawsil

$31 5.2%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 49.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $176 in Al-mawsil and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al-mawsil pays 55% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $10.00 in Al-mawsil vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $131 vs $206 per month, with Al-mawsil cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al-mawsil

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

20:19 8:19 PM

01:19 1:19 AM

5 h ahead of Al-mawsil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,683,000

964,169

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

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 = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Al-mawsil Cebu 8,510 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Al-mawsil
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-mawsil vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-mawsil is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 53% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 55% higher in Al-mawsil, 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: $176 in Al-mawsil versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $307 in Al-mawsil versus $275 in Cebu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

For families, Al-mawsil 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, Al-mawsil 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 Al-mawsil gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.