Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashgabat and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $943 a month against $3,421 in Ashgabat, rent and utilities included – about $29,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

164

Cost of Living Index in Ashgabat
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Ashgabat Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Ashgabat

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

$3,421

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$943

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,421 in Ashgabat versus $943 in Cebu.

Ashgabat $3,421
Cebu $943

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,126 in Ashgabat versus $1,437 in Cebu.

Ashgabat $5,126
Cebu $1,437

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,831 in Ashgabat versus $1,930 in Cebu.

Ashgabat $6,831
Cebu $1,930

Living in Ashgabat is roughly 263% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ashgabat is 153% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.59 TMT 106

$3.88 ₱244

714.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.0 TMT 289

$23.22 ₱1,462

270.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.90 TMT 43.34

$3.90 ₱246

230.77%

Cappuccino

$6.98 TMT 23.46

$2.56 ₱161

172.66%

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

$1.61 TMT 5.42

$1.60 ₱101

0.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 TMT 3.01

$0.51 ₱32.02

76.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.78 TMT 19.41

$1.76 ₱111

228.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.56 TMT 45.55

$2.15 ₱136

530.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.46 TMT 14.99

$1.99 ₱125

124.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 TMT 6.81

$1.37 ₱86.3

48.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.89 TMT 19.79

$0.95 ₱59.8

520.00%

Eggs

$6.19 TMT 20.80

$2.02 ₱127

206.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$37.71 TMT 127

$9.63 ₱606

291.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.99 TMT 67.2

$4.35 ₱274

359.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.57 TMT 79.2

$7.70 ₱485

206.10%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 TMT 17.63

$3.30 ₱207

59.09%

Banana (1kg)

$8.59 TMT 28.88

$1.27 ₱79.7

576.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.49 TMT 25.16

$2.34 ₱147

220.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 TMT 12.82

$1.51 ₱95.3

152.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 TMT 7.83

$2.23 ₱141

4.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 TMT 4.80

$1.93 ₱122

-25.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.67 TMT 8.96

$1.18 ₱74.4

126.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 TMT 3.68

$0.65 ₱40.92

69.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.93 TMT 87.1

$2.89 ₱182

797.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$41.76 TMT 140

$6.35 ₱400

557.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.22 TMT 17.53

$1.27 ₱80.0

311.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 TMT 9.85

$1.64 ₱103

78.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.12 TMT 0.41

$0.23 ₱14.42

-47.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.04 TMT 33.73

$12.24 ₱770

-17.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 TMT 9.98

$0.82 ₱51.5

262.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 TMT 3.01

$0.20 ₱12.56

350.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.90 TMT 29.89

$4.32 ₱272

106.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.45 TMT 1.50

$1.38 ₱86.7

-67.39%

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

$44.7K TMT 150.1K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

110.70%

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

$57.9K TMT 194.4K

$19.3K ₱1.2M

200.13%

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

$571 TMT 1,920

$124 ₱7,814

360.22%

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

$56.9 TMT 191

$15.93 ₱1,003

257.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$106 TMT 355

$28.07 ₱1,767

276.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$198 TMT 666

$33.41 ₱2,103

493.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.91 TMT 154

$6.40 ₱403

617.34%

Cinema Ticket

$8.82 TMT 29.64

$5.85 ₱368

50.77%

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

$23.34 TMT 78.4

$271 ₱17.0K

-91.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K TMT 91.5K

$8,060 ₱507.3K

237.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 TMT 186

$48.31 ₱3,041

14.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$114 TMT 382

$24.56 ₱1,546

363.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$365 TMT 1,226

$77.1 ₱4,855

372.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$194 TMT 652

$56.5 ₱3,557

243.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,443 TMT 4,850

$495 ₱31.2K

191.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 TMT 3,398

$322 ₱20.2K

214.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,270 TMT 7,627

$990 ₱62.3K

129.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,925 TMT 6,466

$628 ₱39.5K

206.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,521 TMT 11.8K

$4,459 ₱280.6K

-21.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,844 TMT 9,556

$3,030 ₱190.7K

-6.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$767 TMT 2,576

$343 ₱21.6K

123.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.5

7.2

31.94%

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

Last update for Ashgabat: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cebu: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ashgabat

$1K 29.6%

Cebu

$322 34.1% 68.2% $690

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashgabat

$734 21.5%

Cebu

$168 17.8% 77.1% $566

Groceries & Markets

Ashgabat

$673 19.7%

Cebu

$206 21.8% 69.4% $467

Eating Out

Ashgabat

$441 12.9%

Cebu

$95 10.1% 78.5% $346

Clothing & Footwear

Ashgabat

$328 9.6%

Cebu

$93 9.9% 71.6% $235

Sport & Entertainment

Ashgabat

$216 6.3%

Cebu

$45 4.8% 79.1% $171

Getting Around

Ashgabat

$18 0.5%

Cebu

$15 1.6% 16.7% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,443 in Ashgabat and $495 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashgabat pays about 2.2 times 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: $86 in Ashgabat vs $23 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $673 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇲 Ashgabat

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

06:25 6:25 AM

09:25 9:25 AM

3 h ahead of Ashgabat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

909,000 Capital

964,169

💱 Currency

Turkmenistani Manat TMT m

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 TMT = 0.298 USD

1 TMT = 0.265 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to TMT – Turkmenistani Manat Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇲 Turkmenistani Manat (m)

Turkmenistani Manat exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.36 TMT (1 TMT = 0.298 USD). 1 EUR = 3.77 TMT (1 TMT = 0.265 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 62.95 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.66 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to TMT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ashgabat Cebu 7,170 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Ashgabat
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

Ashgabat vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,421 in Ashgabat and $943 in Cebu, so Cebu is about 72% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Ashgabat is about 2.2 times higher, 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: $1,443 in Ashgabat versus $495 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $23 in Ashgabat versus $271 in Cebu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 227% higher in Ashgabat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Ashgabat and Cebu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Cebu wins on affordability, Ashgabat on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.