Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Al Fallujah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Fallujah: $826 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Al Fallujah
🇮🇶 Iraq
$826
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Al Fallujah

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 Fallujah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $826 in Al Fallujah.

  • Cebu $918
  • Al Fallujah $826

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,218 in Al Fallujah.

  • Cebu $1,409
  • Al Fallujah $1,218

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,609 in Al Fallujah.

  • Cebu $1,900
  • Al Fallujah $1,609

Living in Cebu is roughly 11% more expensive than in Al Fallujah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Al Fallujah 39% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Al Fallujah
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.09 ₱194
$4.27 IQD 6,456
-27.63%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.22 ₱1,525
$30.03 IQD 45.4K
-19.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.92 ₱247
$6.45 IQD 9,753
-39.22%
Cappuccino
$2.51 ₱158
$2.68 IQD 4,050
-6.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 ₱100
$0.33 IQD 495
381.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 ₱33.43
$0.20 IQD 302
165.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.78 ₱112
$3.28 IQD 4,957
-45.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 ₱137
$3.21 IQD 4,847
-32.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Al Fallujah
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.92 ₱121
$0.88 IQD 1,336
118.18%
White Bread (500g)
$1.36 ₱85.4
$0.68 IQD 1,033
100.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.01 ₱63.5
$1.31 IQD 1,974
-22.90%
Eggs
$2.03 ₱128
$1.69 IQD 2,553
20.12%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.86 ₱621
$3.38 IQD 5,108
191.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.39 ₱277
$4.22 IQD 6,380
4.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.60 ₱479
$12.55 IQD 19.0K
-39.44%
Apples (1kg)
$3.30 ₱208
$1.03 IQD 1,559
220.39%
Banana (1kg)
$1.39 ₱87.8
$0.93 IQD 1,399
49.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.33 ₱147
$0.93 IQD 1,412
150.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ₱94.3
$0.69 IQD 1,046
117.39%
Potato (1kg)
$2.36 ₱149
$0.59 IQD 890
300.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 ₱119
$0.59 IQD 892
222.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 ₱74.9
$0.55 IQD 828
116.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63 ₱39.71
$0.61 IQD 922
3.28%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00 ₱189
$1.61 IQD 2,427
86.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.03 ₱379
$11.54 IQD 17.4K
-47.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 ₱77.7
$1.96 IQD 2,960
-37.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₱110
$1.97 IQD 2,976
-11.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Al Fallujah
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 ₱15.86
$0.42 IQD 635
-40.48%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.64 ₱796
$19.31 IQD 29.2K
-34.54%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.77 ₱48.62
$1.94 IQD 2,932
-60.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.23 ₱14.53
$1.30 IQD 1,957
-82.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.46 ₱281
$6.57 IQD 9,921
-32.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ₱82.8
$0.55 IQD 828
138.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ₱1.3M
$16.5K IQD 24.9M
28.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.1K ₱1.2M
$16.7K IQD 25.3M
14.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Al Fallujah
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 ₱7,569
$188 IQD 284.3K
-36.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.00 ₱882
$17.84 IQD 27.0K
-21.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.54 ₱1,734
$36.76 IQD 55.5K
-25.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Al Fallujah
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.33 ₱2,035
$40.84 IQD 61.7K
-20.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.65 ₱419
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.65 ₱356
$9.91 IQD 15.0K
-42.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Al Fallujah
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$275 ₱17.3K
$146 IQD 220.0K
89.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,918 ₱498.5K
$3,020 IQD 4.6M
162.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Al Fallujah
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.33 ₱3,106
$25.06 IQD 37.9K
96.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.24 ₱1,589
$27.75 IQD 41.9K
-9.05%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.0 ₱4,846
$60.6 IQD 91.5K
27.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.2 ₱3,601
$41.11 IQD 62.1K
39.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Al Fallujah
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$500 ₱31.5K
$195 IQD 294.9K
155.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ₱19.4K
$150 IQD 226.1K
106.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 ₱67.9K
$353 IQD 533.2K
205.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$615 ₱38.7K
$280 IQD 423.8K
119.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,886 ₱181.7K
$609 IQD 919.7K
374.16%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,917 ₱120.7K
$605 IQD 914.7K
216.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Al Fallujah
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$346 ₱21.8K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
4.12
74.76%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Al Fallujah: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$309
Al Fallujah
$150 51.5% $159
Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$206
Al Fallujah
$164 20.5% $42
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$162
Al Fallujah
$243 50.1% $81
Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94
Al Fallujah
$70 26% $24
Eating Out
Cebu
$88
Al Fallujah
$111 25.4% $22
Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44
Al Fallujah
$61 39.1% $17
Getting Around
Cebu
$16
Al Fallujah
$29 88.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $195 in Al Fallujah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $30.00 in Al Fallujah. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $164, with Al Fallujah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cebu
🇮🇶 Al Fallujah
🕒 Local time
01:18 1:18 AM
20:18 8:18 PM
5 h behind Cebu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
964,169
326,471
💱 Currency
Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د
Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cebu Al Fallujah 8,470 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cebu
  • Al Fallujah

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 Fallujah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Cebu or Al Fallujah?
Al Fallujah wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Cebu. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Al Fallujah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Cebu and in Al Fallujah?
You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $1,240 in Al Fallujah 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 Fallujah?
Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $195 in Al Fallujah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Cebu and in Al Fallujah?
Childcare runs $275 in Cebu versus $146 in Al Fallujah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Are groceries more expensive in Cebu or in Al Fallujah?
Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Can you live on $800/month in Cebu or in Al Fallujah?
Either city works on $800 a month, though Al Fallujah 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 Fallujah?
Both work as nomad bases, but Al Fallujah delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $826 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Al Fallujah hard to pass up.
How safe is Cebu compared to Al Fallujah?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Al Fallujah 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 Fallujah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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