Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basra and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $750 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$750

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $750 in Basra versus $934 in Cebu.

Basra $750
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,357 in Basra versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Basra $1,357
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,964 in Basra versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Basra $1,964
Cebu $1,896

Living in Basra costs roughly 20% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Basra 44% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.46 IQD 6,745

$3.03 ₱190

47.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.01 IQD 45.3K

$23.48 ₱1,473

27.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 IQD 11.3K

$4.09 ₱256

83.37%

Cappuccino

$2.64 IQD 3,982

$2.52 ₱158

4.76%

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

$0.43 IQD 650

$1.54 ₱96.9

-72.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 IQD 483

$0.49 ₱30.98

-34.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 IQD 5,603

$1.79 ₱112

107.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 IQD 6,450

$2.26 ₱142

88.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 IQD 1,679

$1.95 ₱122

-43.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 IQD 1,034

$1.43 ₱89.7

-52.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 IQD 2,120

$1.02 ₱63.8

37.25%

Eggs

$1.81 IQD 2,732

$2.06 ₱129

-12.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.57 IQD 11.4K

$9.81 ₱615

-22.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.27 IQD 9,479

$4.61 ₱289

36.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 IQD 21.1K

$7.70 ₱483

81.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 IQD 1,551

$3.31 ₱207

-68.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 IQD 1,981

$1.45 ₱90.9

-9.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 IQD 1,553

$2.36 ₱148

-56.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 973

$1.54 ₱96.4

-58.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 IQD 1,094

$2.36 ₱148

-69.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 IQD 1,009

$1.99 ₱125

-66.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 IQD 1,404

$1.15 ₱72.1

-19.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 IQD 624

$0.67 ₱42.15

-38.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.12 IQD 3,204

$3.00 ₱188

-29.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.11 IQD 18.3K

$6.35 ₱398

90.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 IQD 2,453

$1.31 ₱81.9

23.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 IQD 2,960

$1.73 ₱108

13.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 IQD 830

$0.25 ₱15.78

120.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.42 IQD 29.3K

$12.65 ₱793

53.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 IQD 3,384

$0.74 ₱46.32

202.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.33 IQD 3,518

$0.21 ₱13.11

1009.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 IQD 11.3K

$4.33 ₱271

72.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 IQD 917

$1.33 ₱83.5

-54.14%

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

$13.2K IQD 20.0M

$21.8K ₱1.4M

-39.18%

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

$22.5K IQD 34.0M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

16.00%

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

$50.3 IQD 76.1K

$121 ₱7,563

-58.25%

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

$25.65 IQD 38.8K

$14.45 ₱907

77.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.51 IQD 58.2K

$28.29 ₱1,774

36.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.03 IQD 54.4K

$32.68 ₱2,050

10.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.80 IQD 20.9K

$6.39 ₱401

115.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.61 IQD 11.5K

$5.46 ₱342

39.38%

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

$128 IQD 192.9K

$273 ₱17.1K

-53.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,814 IQD 5.8M

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-53.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.10 IQD 74.2K

$49.57 ₱3,109

-0.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.77 IQD 31.4K

$24.87 ₱1,560

-16.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 IQD 117.3K

$76.6 ₱4,804

1.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.13 IQD 63.7K

$59.3 ₱3,717

-28.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$462 IQD 698.8K

$506 ₱31.7K

-8.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 IQD 227.9K

$309 ₱19.4K

-51.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$848 IQD 1.3M

$1,052 ₱66.0K

-19.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$623 IQD 941.2K

$619 ₱38.8K

0.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,615 IQD 2.4M

$2,915 ₱182.9K

-44.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$800 IQD 1.2M

$1,867 ₱117.1K

-57.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$749 IQD 1.1M

$341 ₱21.4K

119.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.33

7.2

-53.75%

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

Last update for Basra: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Basra

$196 26%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 7.6% $15

Accommodation & Living

Basra

$151 20%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 105% $159

Eating Out

Basra

$120 15.9%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 26.3% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basra

$115 15.2%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 42.6% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Basra

$85 11.3%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 10.9% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Basra

$51 6.8%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 14.9% $7.7

Getting Around

Basra

$35 4.7%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 56.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $462 in Basra and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basra pays 120% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30.00 in Basra vs $23.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $196 vs $210, with Basra cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Basra

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

06:48 6:48 AM

11:48 11:48 AM

5 h ahead of Basra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,150,000

964,169

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,695 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Basra Cebu 8,100 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Basra
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

Basra vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Basra and Cebu differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($750 vs $934 including rent). Basra is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 120% higher in Basra, 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: $462 in Basra versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Basra – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $23.00 in Cebu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Basra gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Basra 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 Basra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.