Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ar-rass and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,154 in Ar-rass, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Ar-rass
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Ar-rass Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Ar-rass

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,154

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,154 in Ar-rass versus $918 in Cebu.

Ar-rass $1,154
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,690 in Ar-rass versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Ar-rass $1,690
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,226 in Ar-rass versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Ar-rass $2,226
Cebu $1,900

Living in Ar-rass is roughly 26% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ar-rass 15% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.16 SAR 23.12

$3.09 ₱194

99.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.47 SAR 141

$24.22 ₱1,525

54.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.90 SAR 29.65

$3.92 ₱247

101.53%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 SAR 7.07

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 SAR 8.58

Cappuccino

$3.25 SAR 12.18

$2.51 ₱158

29.48%

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

$0.91 SAR 3.41

$1.59 ₱100

-42.77%

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

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 SAR 6.81

$1.92 ₱121

-5.73%

White Bread (500g)

$0.39 SAR 1.45

$1.36 ₱85.4

-71.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 SAR 7.19

$1.01 ₱63.5

90.10%

Eggs

$3.60 SAR 13.52

$2.03 ₱128

77.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 SAR 26.28

$9.86 ₱621

-29.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.05 SAR 30.20

$4.39 ₱277

83.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 SAR 47.99

$7.60 ₱479

68.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 SAR 8.41

$3.30 ₱208

-32.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 SAR 6.60

$1.39 ₱87.8

26.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 SAR 5.91

$2.33 ₱147

-32.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 SAR 5.89

$1.50 ₱94.3

4.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 SAR 4.37

$2.36 ₱149

-50.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 SAR 5.11

$1.90 ₱119

-28.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 SAR 4.79

$1.19 ₱74.9

7.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 SAR 2.14

$0.63 ₱39.71

-9.52%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.26 SAR 12.24

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 SAR 7.46

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 SAR 8.49

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.53 SAR 28.27

$3.00 ₱189

151.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 SAR 3.69

$0.25 ₱15.86

292.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.39 SAR 129

$12.64 ₱796

172.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 SAR 9.72

$0.77 ₱48.62

236.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 SAR 7.02

$0.23 ₱14.53

713.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.84 SAR 44.42

$4.46 ₱281

165.47%

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)

$43.1K SAR 161.7K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

102.91%

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

$20.9K SAR 78.3K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

8.92%

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

$110 SAR 414

$120 ₱7,569

-8.28%

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

$23.87 SAR 89.6

$14.00 ₱882

70.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 SAR 221

$27.54 ₱1,734

114.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.88 SAR 168

$32.33 ₱2,035

38.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$13.43 SAR 50.4

$5.65 ₱356

137.70%

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

$425 SAR 1,595

$275 ₱17.3K

54.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,688 SAR 32.6K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

9.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.84 SAR 161

$49.33 ₱3,106

-13.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.4 SAR 234

$25.24 ₱1,589

147.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 SAR 360

$77.0 ₱4,846

24.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 SAR 329

$57.2 ₱3,601

53.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$579 SAR 2,174

$500 ₱31.5K

15.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 SAR 1,480

$309 ₱19.4K

27.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 SAR 1,456

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-64.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 SAR 2,111

$615 ₱38.7K

-8.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,625 SAR 9,851

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-9.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,188 SAR 4,460

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-37.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,765 SAR 6,622

$346 ₱21.8K

410.13%

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 Ar-rass: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ar-rass

$394 34.2%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 21.7% $86

Groceries & Markets

Ar-rass

$198 17.1%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 4.1% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ar-rass

$193 16.7%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 16.2% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Ar-rass

$130 11.3%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 27.7% $36

Eating Out

Ar-rass

$117 10.1%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 24.3% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Ar-rass

$72 6.2%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 39.2% $28

Getting Around

Ar-rass

$50 4.4%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 69% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $579 in Ar-rass and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ar-rass pays 410% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $37.00 in Ar-rass vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $198 vs $206, with Ar-rass cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Ar-rass

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

18:11 6:11 PM

23:11 11:11 PM

5 h ahead of Ar-rass

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

121,359

964,169

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

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).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ar-rass Cebu 8,560 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ar-rass
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

Ar-rass vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ar-rass and Cebu differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($1,154 vs $918 including rent). Cebu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 410% higher in Ar-rass, 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: $579 in Ar-rass versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $425 in Ar-rass versus $275 in Cebu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Ar-rass pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,154 in Ar-rass, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Ar-rass. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ar-rass 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Ar-rass. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.