Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Al `arish

For one person, living is cheaper in Al `arish: $449 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Al `arish
🇪🇬 Egypt
$449
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Al `arish

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 Al `arish actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $449 in Al `arish.

  • Cebu $918
  • Al `arish $449

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $735 in Al `arish.

  • Cebu $1,409
  • Al `arish $735

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,022 in Al `arish.

  • Cebu $1,900
  • Al `arish $1,022

Living in Cebu is roughly 105% more expensive than in Al `arish, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Al `arish 67% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Al `arish
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.09 ₱195
$4.07 E£218
-24.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.22 ₱1,526
$14.03 E£750
72.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.92 ₱247
$4.79 E£256
-18.16%
Cappuccino
$2.51 ₱158
$1.23 E£65.9
104.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 ₱100
$0.37 E£19.82
329.73%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 ₱33.47
$0.12 E£6.23
341.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.78 ₱112
$1.45 E£77.3
22.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 ₱137
$2.93 E£157
-25.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Al `arish
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.92 ₱121
$0.85 E£45.54
125.88%
White Bread (500g)
$1.36 ₱85.5
$0.37 E£19.97
267.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.01 ₱63.6
$0.63 E£33.44
60.32%
Eggs
$2.03 ₱128
$1.43 E£76.2
41.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.86 ₱622
$2.53 E£135
289.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.39 ₱277
$3.64 E£194
20.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.60 ₱479
$7.81 E£417
-2.69%
Apples (1kg)
$3.30 ₱208
$1.46 E£77.9
126.03%
Banana (1kg)
$1.39 ₱87.9
$0.62 E£33.01
124.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.33 ₱147
$0.39 E£20.85
497.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ₱94.4
$0.32 E£16.95
368.75%
Potato (1kg)
$2.36 ₱149
$0.44 E£23.49
436.36%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 ₱120
$0.46 E£24.45
313.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 ₱75.0
$0.29 E£15.55
310.34%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63 ₱39.75
$0.18 E£9.52
250.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00 ₱189
$1.96 E£105
53.06%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.03 ₱380
$4.72 E£252
27.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 ₱77.8
$1.01 E£54.0
21.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₱110
$1.64 E£87.8
6.71%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Al `arish
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 ₱15.88
$0.20 E£10.54
25.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.64 ₱796
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.77 ₱48.67
$0.29 E£15.53
165.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.23 ₱14.55
$0.39 E£21.00
-41.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.46 ₱281
$1.21 E£64.4
268.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ₱82.9
$0.46 E£24.55
184.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ₱1.3M
$32.7K E£1.7M
-35.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.1K ₱1.2M
$24.6K E£1.3M
-22.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Al `arish
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 ₱7,577
$14.84 E£793
710.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.00 ₱883
$6.99 E£373
100.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.54 ₱1,736
$25.08 E£1,340
9.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Al `arish
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.33 ₱2,037
$18.29 E£977
76.76%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.65 ₱419
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.65 ₱356
$3.90 E£208
44.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Al `arish
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$275 ₱17.4K
$85.2 E£4,555
223.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,918 ₱499.1K
$2,336 E£124.8K
239.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Al `arish
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.33 ₱3,109
$10.30 E£550
378.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.24 ₱1,591
$47.64 E£2,546
-47.02%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.0 ₱4,851
$157 E£8,375
-50.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.2 ₱3,605
$56.4 E£3,013
1.45%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Al `arish
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$500 ₱31.5K
$132 E£7,035
279.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ₱19.5K
$66.7 E£3,563
363.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 ₱67.9K
$234 E£12.5K
361.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$615 ₱38.8K
$164 E£8,785
274.24%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,886 ₱181.9K
$846 E£45.2K
241.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,917 ₱120.8K
$375 E£20.1K
410.74%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Al `arish
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$346 ₱21.8K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
22.5
-68.00%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Al `arish: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$309
Al `arish
$67 78.4% $242
Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$206
Al `arish
$107 48% $99
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$162
Al `arish
$47 71% $115
Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94
Al `arish
$122 29.9% $28
Eating Out
Cebu
$88
Al `arish
$77 13% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44
Al `arish
$26 40.2% $18
Getting Around
Cebu
$16
Al `arish
$3 * 80.5% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $132 in Al `arish. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $14.00 in Al `arish for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $107 per month, with Al `arish cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cebu
🇪🇬 Al `arish
🕒 Local time
04:20 4:20 AM
23:20 11:20 PM
5 h behind Cebu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
964,169
199,243
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 63.03 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 53.44 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 59.84 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cebu Al `arish 9,430 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cebu
  • Al `arish

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 Al `arish: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Cebu or Al `arish?
Al `arish wins on cost – living expenses run 105% lower than in Cebu. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Al `arish the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Cebu and in Al `arish?
You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $673 in Al `arish 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Cebu compared to Al `arish?
Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $132 in Al `arish. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Cebu or in Al `arish?
Supermarket bills run roughly 92% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Cebu compared to Al `arish?
All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $449 in Al `arish – a 105% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $800/month in Cebu or in Al `arish?
Either city works on $800 a month, though Al `arish gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Cebu or Al `arish?
Both work as nomad bases, but Al `arish delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $449 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Al `arish hard to pass up.
How safe is Cebu compared to Al `arish?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Al `arish are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Al `arish gentler on the wallet – expenses run 105% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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