Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Ad Dammam

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,180 in Ad Dammam, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Ad Dammam
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Ad Dammam Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,180

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Ad Dammam

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cebu and in Ad Dammam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $1,180 in Ad Dammam.

Cebu $934
Ad Dammam $1,180

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $1,809 in Ad Dammam.

Cebu $1,415
Ad Dammam $1,809

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $2,437 in Ad Dammam.

Cebu $1,896
Ad Dammam $2,437

Living in Cebu costs roughly 21% less than in Ad Dammam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Ad Dammam 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱190

$7.04 SAR 26.45

-56.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,473

$34.90 SAR 131

-32.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱256

$6.69 SAR 25.12

-38.86%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 SAR 7.09

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 SAR 8.66

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$3.08 SAR 11.55

-18.18%

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

$1.54 ₱96.9

$0.76 SAR 2.86

102.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.98

$0.16 SAR 0.60

206.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.81 SAR 6.80

7.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.7

$1.33 SAR 5.01

7.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱63.8

$1.96 SAR 7.36

-47.96%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$2.17 SAR 8.16

-5.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱615

$7.29 SAR 27.38

34.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱289

$8.10 SAR 30.40

-43.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱483

$12.71 SAR 47.73

-39.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱207

$2.21 SAR 8.30

49.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱90.9

$1.67 SAR 6.27

-13.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.60 SAR 5.99

47.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.4

$1.63 SAR 6.10

-5.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.13 SAR 4.24

108.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$1.21 SAR 4.54

64.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

$1.28 SAR 4.79

-10.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.15

$0.58 SAR 2.17

15.52%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.04 SAR 15.18

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 SAR 5.60

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 SAR 8.29

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

$7.71 SAR 28.97

-61.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

$0.97 SAR 3.64

-74.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

$35.53 SAR 133

-64.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

$2.71 SAR 10.16

-72.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$2.73 SAR 10.27

-92.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

$13.52 SAR 50.8

-67.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$0.63 SAR 2.38

111.11%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$67.2K SAR 252.4K

-67.62%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$21.3K SAR 80.1K

-9.01%

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

$121 ₱7,563

$131 SAR 494

-8.26%

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

$14.45 ₱907

$32.52 SAR 122

-55.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,774

$63.8 SAR 240

-55.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

$75.6 SAR 284

-56.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

$27.99 SAR 105

-77.17%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

$13.59 SAR 51.0

-59.82%

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

$273 ₱17.1K

$421 SAR 1,582

-35.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

$7,860 SAR 29.5K

3.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

$42.50 SAR 160

16.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

$49.83 SAR 187

-50.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

$95.7 SAR 359

-19.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,717

$92.1 SAR 346

-35.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.7K

$583 SAR 2,188

-13.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$370 SAR 1,390

-16.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.0K

$1,003 SAR 3,767

4.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

$677 SAR 2,543

-8.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

$1,395 SAR 5,238

108.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

$609 SAR 2,287

206.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

$1,507 SAR 5,659

-77.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

5.9

22.03%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ad Dammam: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Ad Dammam

$370 30.8% 19.7% $61

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Ad Dammam

$202 16.8% 4% $8.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Ad Dammam

$228 19% 39.5% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Ad Dammam

$126 10.5% 33.2% $31

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Ad Dammam

$117 9.7% 32.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Ad Dammam

$103 8.6% 136% $59

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Ad Dammam

$56 4.6% 261% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $583 in Ad Dammam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ad Dammam pays 342% 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: $23.00 in Cebu vs $35.00 in Ad Dammam. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $202, with Ad Dammam cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇸🇦 Ad Dammam

🕒 Local time

16:48 4:48 PM

11:48 11:48 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

903,312

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

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).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Ad Dammam 7,900 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Ad Dammam

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

Cebu vs Ad Dammam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Ad Dammam. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cebu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 342% lower in Ad Dammam. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $506 in Cebu versus $583 in Ad Dammam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $1,180 in Ad Dammam – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 181% less than in Ad Dammam. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,180 in Ad Dammam, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Ad Dammam. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cebu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $934 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cebu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Ad Dammam 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 Ad Dammam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.