Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-Ula and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,184 in Al-Ula, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Al-Ula
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,184
/mo nomad
Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,184 per month in Al-Ula vs $918 in Cebu, rent included.

  • Al-Ula $1,184
  • Cebu $918

A couple spends around $1,757 per month in Al-Ula vs $1,409 in Cebu, rent included.

  • Al-Ula $1,757
  • Cebu $1,409

A family of three spends $2,330 per month in Al-Ula vs $1,900 in Cebu, rent included.

  • Al-Ula $2,330
  • Cebu $1,900

Al-Ula costs about 29% more than Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Al-Ula and Cebu are more affordable than the global median – Al-Ula 12% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Al-Ula
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.11 SAR 22.91
$3.09 ₱194
97.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.80 SAR 138
$24.22 ₱1,525
51.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.96 SAR 29.87
$3.92 ₱247
103.06%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.89 SAR 7.08
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.30 SAR 8.62
-
-
Cappuccino
$3.17 SAR 11.89
$2.51 ₱158
26.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 SAR 3.24
$1.59 ₱100
-45.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.26 SAR 0.98
$0.53 ₱33.43
-50.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.78 ₱112
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.17 ₱137
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Al-Ula
Cebu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 SAR 6.52
$1.92 ₱121
-9.37%
White Bread (500g)
$1.27 SAR 4.75
$1.36 ₱85.4
-6.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.30 SAR 8.62
$1.01 ₱63.5
127.72%
Eggs
$2.32 SAR 8.72
$2.03 ₱128
14.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.39 SAR 27.75
$9.86 ₱621
-25.05%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.07 SAR 30.27
$4.39 ₱277
83.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.67 SAR 47.54
$7.60 ₱479
66.71%
Apples (1kg)
$2.25 SAR 8.45
$3.30 ₱208
-31.82%
Banana (1kg)
$1.76 SAR 6.60
$1.39 ₱87.8
26.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.58 SAR 5.94
$2.33 ₱147
-32.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.57 SAR 5.89
$1.50 ₱94.3
4.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.23 SAR 4.61
$2.36 ₱149
-47.88%
Onion (1kg)
$1.28 SAR 4.79
$1.90 ₱119
-32.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.22 SAR 4.58
$1.19 ₱74.9
2.52%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 SAR 2.02
$0.63 ₱39.71
-14.29%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$2.86 SAR 10.71
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 SAR 6.68
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 SAR 7.91
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.74 SAR 25.28
$3.00 ₱189
124.67%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$6.03 ₱379
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.23 ₱77.7
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.75 ₱110
-
🚌 Getting Around
Al-Ula
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.09 SAR 4.08
$0.25 ₱15.86
336.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$36.77 SAR 138
$12.64 ₱796
190.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.61 SAR 9.80
$0.77 ₱48.62
238.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.85 SAR 6.95
$0.23 ₱14.53
704.35%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.14 SAR 49.29
$4.46 ₱281
194.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.65 SAR 2.44
$1.31 ₱82.8
-50.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$44.0K SAR 165.2K
$21.2K ₱1.3M
107.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.3K SAR 79.9K
$19.1K ₱1.2M
11.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Al-Ula
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$106 SAR 397
$120 ₱7,569
-11.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.21 SAR 125
$14.00 ₱882
137.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$65.8 SAR 247
$27.54 ₱1,734
138.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Al-Ula
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$82.4 SAR 309
$32.33 ₱2,035
154.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$6.65 ₱419
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.33 SAR 50.0
$5.65 ₱356
135.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Al-Ula
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$425 SAR 1,596
$275 ₱17.3K
54.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,102 SAR 30.4K
$7,918 ₱498.5K
2.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Al-Ula
Cebu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.74 SAR 160
$49.33 ₱3,106
-13.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.4 SAR 208
$25.24 ₱1,589
119.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.2 SAR 361
$77.0 ₱4,846
24.96%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 SAR 329
$57.2 ₱3,601
53.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Al-Ula
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$576 SAR 2,162
$500 ₱31.5K
15.33%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$372 SAR 1,397
$309 ₱19.4K
20.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$832 SAR 3,121
$1,078 ₱67.9K
-22.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$572 SAR 2,147
$615 ₱38.7K
-7.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,323 SAR 8,718
$2,886 ₱181.7K
-19.50%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,382 SAR 5,187
$1,917 ₱120.7K
-27.88%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Al-Ula
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$346 ₱21.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.54
7.2
-23.06%

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

Last update for Al-Ula: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Al-Ula
$372
Cebu
$309 17.1% $63
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Al-Ula
$205
Cebu
$162 21.1% $43
Groceries & Markets
Al-Ula
$203
Cebu
$206 1.6% $3.3
Clothing & Footwear
Al-Ula
$127
Cebu
$94 26% $33
Eating Out
Al-Ula
$115
Cebu
$88 23.4% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Al-Ula
$109
Cebu
$44 60% $65
Getting Around
Al-Ula
$53
Cebu
$16 70.6% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $576 in Al-Ula 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 $37.00 in Al-Ula versus $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries tell a different story – $203 in Al-Ula vs $206 in Cebu – so Al-Ula wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇸🇦 Al-Ula
🇵🇭 Cebu
🕒 Local time
13:42 1:42 PM
18:42 6:42 PM
5 h ahead of Al-Ula
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
32,413
964,169
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Al-Ula Cebu 9,100 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Al-Ula
  • 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-Ula vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Al-Ula and in Cebu compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,184 in Al-Ula, $918 in Cebu – roughly 29% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.
What salary covers living expenses in Al-Ula compared to Cebu?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,776 per month in Al-Ula 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-Ula and Cebu?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Cebu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Al-Ula and Cebu?
Kindergarten costs $425 per month in Al-Ula and $275 in Cebu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Al-Ula – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cebu, where all-in costs run around $918, than in Al-Ula at $1,184. In Cebu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Al-Ula it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Al-Ula and Cebu?
It depends on your priorities. Cebu has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $918 in Cebu to $1,184 in Al-Ula. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Al-Ula 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-Ula and Cebu?
If budget matters most, go with Cebu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Al-Ula makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Al-Ula vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?