Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between As Samawah and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in As Samawah: $644 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in As Samawah
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As Samawah Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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As Samawah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$644

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $644 in As Samawah versus $918 in Cebu.

As Samawah $644
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,050 in As Samawah versus $1,409 in Cebu.

As Samawah $1,050
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,456 in As Samawah versus $1,900 in Cebu.

As Samawah $1,456
Cebu $1,900

Living in As Samawah costs roughly 30% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: As Samawah 52% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.36 IQD 6,593

$3.09 ₱195

41.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.34 IQD 44.3K

$24.22 ₱1,525

21.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.51 IQD 9,844

$3.92 ₱247

66.07%

Cappuccino

$2.79 IQD 4,215

$2.51 ₱158

11.16%

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

$0.31 IQD 474

$1.59 ₱100

-80.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 IQD 237

$0.53 ₱33.45

-69.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 IQD 4,850

$1.78 ₱112

80.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 IQD 5,118

$2.17 ₱137

56.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 IQD 1,422

$1.92 ₱121

-51.04%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 IQD 959

$1.36 ₱85.5

-53.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 IQD 2,046

$1.01 ₱63.6

33.66%

Eggs

$1.56 IQD 2,356

$2.03 ₱128

-23.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.29 IQD 1,953

$9.86 ₱621

-86.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.21 IQD 6,360

$4.39 ₱277

-4.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.93 IQD 18.0K

$7.60 ₱479

56.97%

Apples (1kg)

$0.97 IQD 1,464

$3.30 ₱208

-70.61%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 IQD 1,482

$1.39 ₱87.8

-29.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.83 IQD 1,251

$2.33 ₱147

-64.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.42 IQD 640

$1.50 ₱94.3

-72.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 IQD 776

$2.36 ₱149

-78.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 836

$1.90 ₱119

-71.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 IQD 826

$1.19 ₱74.9

-53.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 IQD 939

$0.63 ₱39.73

-1.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.69 IQD 2,552

$3.00 ₱189

-43.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.42 IQD 9,703

$6.03 ₱380

6.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 IQD 2,858

$1.23 ₱77.7

53.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 IQD 2,875

$1.75 ₱110

8.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 IQD 709

$0.25 ₱15.87

88.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.97 IQD 30.2K

$12.64 ₱796

57.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.03 IQD 3,070

$0.77 ₱48.64

163.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 IQD 2,034

$0.23 ₱14.54

486.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 IQD 4,106

$4.46 ₱281

-39.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 862

$1.31 ₱82.8

-56.49%

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

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-22.19%

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

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

-12.76%

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

$71.3 IQD 107.8K

$120 ₱7,573

-40.66%

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

$16.32 IQD 24.7K

$14.00 ₱882

16.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.39 IQD 24.8K

$27.54 ₱1,735

-40.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.23 IQD 54.7K

$32.33 ₱2,036

12.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.66 IQD 25.2K

$6.65 ₱419

150.53%

Cinema Ticket

$7.97 IQD 12.0K

$5.65 ₱356

41.06%

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

$50.2 IQD 75.9K

$275 ₱17.3K

-81.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,315 IQD 2.0M

$7,918 ₱498.8K

-83.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.56 IQD 37.1K

$49.33 ₱3,107

-50.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.74 IQD 41.9K

$25.24 ₱1,590

9.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.2 IQD 88.0K

$77.0 ₱4,848

-24.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.02 IQD 62.0K

$57.2 ₱3,603

-28.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$175 IQD 264.3K

$500 ₱31.5K

-64.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$133 IQD 201.6K

$309 ₱19.5K

-56.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$168 IQD 254.3K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-84.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 IQD 465.6K

$615 ₱38.8K

-49.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$794 IQD 1.2M

$2,886 ₱181.8K

-72.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$623 IQD 942.0K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-67.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

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 As Samawah: 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

As Samawah

$143 22.2%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 44.3% $63

Accommodation & Living

As Samawah

$133 20.7%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 131% $175

Eating Out

As Samawah

$113 17.5%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 21.6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

As Samawah

$104 16.2%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 55.5% $58

Clothing & Footwear

As Samawah

$68 10.6%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 37.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

As Samawah

$52 8.1%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 16.4% $8.6

Getting Around

As Samawah

$31 4.8%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 49.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $175 in As Samawah and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $29.00 in As Samawah vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $143 vs $206, with As Samawah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇶 As Samawah

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

21:53 9:53 PM

02:53 2:53 AM

5 h ahead of As Samawah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

250,000

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 = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

As Samawah Cebu 8,340 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

As Samawah
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

As Samawah vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

As Samawah is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 43% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $966 in As Samawah and $1,377 in Cebu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $175 in As Samawah versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in As Samawah runs roughly 58% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $50.2 in As Samawah versus $275 in Cebu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

For families, As Samawah 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, As Samawah 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 As Samawah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.