Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between An Najaf and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in An Najaf: $586 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in An Najaf
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An Najaf Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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An Najaf

🇮🇶 Iraq

$586

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $586 per month in An Najaf vs $918 in Cebu, rent included.

An Najaf $586
Cebu $918

A couple spends around $888 per month in An Najaf vs $1,409 in Cebu, rent included.

An Najaf $888
Cebu $1,409

A family of three spends $1,190 per month in An Najaf vs $1,900 in Cebu, rent included.

An Najaf $1,190
Cebu $1,900

An Najaf is about 36% cheaper than Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both An Najaf and Cebu are more affordable than the global median – An Najaf 57% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.06 IQD 6,132

$3.09 ₱194

31.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.68 IQD 29.7K

$24.22 ₱1,525

-18.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.25 IQD 6,429

$3.92 ₱247

8.42%

Cappuccino

$2.29 IQD 3,455

$2.51 ₱158

-8.76%

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

$0.33 IQD 494

$1.59 ₱100

-79.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$0.53 ₱33.43

-62.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 IQD 4,872

$1.78 ₱112

80.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 IQD 2,989

$2.17 ₱137

-8.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 IQD 1,363

$1.92 ₱121

-53.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 IQD 1,022

$1.36 ₱85.4

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 IQD 1,981

$1.01 ₱63.5

29.70%

Eggs

$1.48 IQD 2,240

$2.03 ₱128

-27.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.41 IQD 5,154

$9.86 ₱621

-65.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 IQD 6,157

$4.39 ₱277

-7.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.27 IQD 14.0K

$7.60 ₱479

21.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,530

$3.30 ₱208

-69.39%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 IQD 1,445

$1.39 ₱87.8

-30.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.88 IQD 1,333

$2.33 ₱147

-62.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 950

$1.50 ₱94.3

-58.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 IQD 880

$2.36 ₱149

-75.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 841

$1.90 ₱119

-70.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 IQD 875

$1.19 ₱74.9

-51.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 IQD 742

$0.63 ₱39.71

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.70 IQD 2,564

$3.00 ₱189

-43.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.66 IQD 17.6K

$6.03 ₱379

93.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 IQD 2,907

$1.23 ₱77.7

56.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 IQD 2,923

$1.75 ₱110

10.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 IQD 492

$0.25 ₱15.86

32.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.92 IQD 28.6K

$12.64 ₱796

49.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 IQD 2,022

$0.77 ₱48.62

74.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 IQD 1,942

$0.23 ₱14.53

460.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 IQD 8,095

$4.46 ₱281

20.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.39 IQD 584

$1.31 ₱82.8

-70.23%

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

$12.0K IQD 18.1M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-43.56%

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

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

-12.61%

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

$34.90 IQD 52.7K

$120 ₱7,569

-70.97%

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

$14.79 IQD 22.3K

$14.00 ₱882

5.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 IQD 49.8K

$27.54 ₱1,734

19.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.24 IQD 38.1K

$32.33 ₱2,035

-21.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$8.38 IQD 12.7K

$5.65 ₱356

48.32%

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

$147 IQD 222.3K

$275 ₱17.3K

-46.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$799 IQD 1.2M

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-89.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.90 IQD 22.5K

$49.33 ₱3,106

-69.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.76 IQD 35.9K

$25.24 ₱1,589

-5.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.5 IQD 91.5K

$77.0 ₱4,846

-21.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.72 IQD 63.0K

$57.2 ₱3,601

-27.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$235 IQD 354.8K

$500 ₱31.5K

-52.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$124 IQD 187.9K

$309 ₱19.4K

-59.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$319 IQD 481.5K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-70.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 IQD 292.4K

$615 ₱38.7K

-68.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,118 IQD 1.7M

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-61.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$455 IQD 687.3K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-76.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$659 IQD 996.4K

$346 ₱21.8K

90.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

7.2

-42.78%

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

Last update for An Najaf: 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

An Najaf

$151 25.7%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 36.6% $55

Accommodation & Living

An Najaf

$124 21.2%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 148% $185

Eating Out

An Najaf

$95 16.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 7% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

An Najaf

$83 14.1%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 95.8% $79

Clothing & Footwear

An Najaf

$63 10.8%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 48.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

An Najaf

$42 7.2%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 3.9% $1.6

Getting Around

An Najaf

$28 4.8%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 44.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $235 in An Najaf 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.

Salaries run about 91% higher in An Najaf, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in An Najaf versus $24.00 in Cebu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $151 vs $206 – making An Najaf the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 An Najaf

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

22:50 10:50 PM

03:50 3:50 AM

5 h ahead of An Najaf

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,221,248

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

An Najaf Cebu 8,430 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

An Najaf
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

An Najaf vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu costs about 57% more than An Najaf, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $879 per month in An Najaf and $1,377 in Cebu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in An Najaf, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $586 in An Najaf and $918 in Cebu. That's a gap of about 57%.

Public transport costs about 50% less in An Najaf. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $586 in An Najaf and $918 in Cebu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. An Najaf costs $586 versus $918 in Cebu. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with An Najaf. 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.