Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Al-hawiyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,081 in Al-hawiyah, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Al-hawiyah
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Al-hawiyah Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Al-hawiyah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,081

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Al-hawiyah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,081 in Al-hawiyah.

Cebu $918
Al-hawiyah $1,081

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,603 in Al-hawiyah.

Cebu $1,409
Al-hawiyah $1,603

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,125 in Al-hawiyah.

Cebu $1,900
Al-hawiyah $2,125

Living in Cebu costs roughly 15% less than in Al-hawiyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Al-hawiyah 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$4.44 SAR 16.67

-30.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$26.52 SAR 99.5

-8.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$6.91 SAR 25.93

-43.27%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 SAR 5.91

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 SAR 5.64

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.63 SAR 9.88

-4.56%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.70 SAR 2.63

127.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.25 SAR 0.94

112.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.83 SAR 6.85

4.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.96 SAR 3.60

41.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$2.20 SAR 8.25

-54.09%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.68 SAR 10.04

-24.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$5.85 SAR 21.94

68.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$11.70 SAR 43.90

-62.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$13.12 SAR 49.22

-42.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.04 SAR 7.64

61.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.58 SAR 5.92

-12.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.83 SAR 6.88

27.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.49 SAR 5.60

0.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.30 SAR 4.87

81.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.50 SAR 5.63

26.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.09 SAR 4.09

9.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.74 SAR 2.77

-14.86%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.99 SAR 11.21

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 SAR 7.87

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 SAR 5.88

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$8.00 SAR 30.02

-62.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$1.10 SAR 4.13

-77.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$36.82 SAR 138

-65.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$2.44 SAR 9.15

-68.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$2.69 SAR 10.10

-91.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$13.24 SAR 49.67

-66.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.59 SAR 2.23

122.03%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$43.9K SAR 164.7K

-51.59%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$21.5K SAR 80.8K

-11.11%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$67.1 SAR 252

79.21%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$35.32 SAR 133

-60.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$62.5 SAR 235

-55.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$80.6 SAR 302

-59.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$15.09 SAR 56.6

-62.56%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$423 SAR 1,586

-34.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$7,864 SAR 29.5K

0.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$13.09 SAR 49.11

276.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$55.8 SAR 209

-54.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$40.45 SAR 152

90.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$52.5 SAR 197

9.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$576 SAR 2,162

-13.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$366 SAR 1,375

-15.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$826 SAR 3,098

30.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$577 SAR 2,166

6.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$2,404 SAR 9,023

20.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,375 SAR 5,158

39.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

5.25

37.14%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Al-hawiyah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Al-hawiyah

$366 33.9% 18.6% $58

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Al-hawiyah

$217 20.1% 5.6% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Al-hawiyah

$165 15.3% 2% $3.2

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Al-hawiyah

$73 6.7% 22.5% $21

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Al-hawiyah

$92 8.5% 3.9% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Al-hawiyah

$111 10.2% 154% $67

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Al-hawiyah

$57 5.3% 267% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $576 in Al-hawiyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $27.00 in Al-hawiyah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $217 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇸🇦 Al-hawiyah

🕒 Local time

10:07 10:07 AM

05:07 5:07 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

148,151

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Al-hawiyah 8,920 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Al-hawiyah

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-hawiyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu and Al-hawiyah differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($918 vs $1,081 including rent). Cebu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $1,621 in Al-hawiyah 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $576 in Al-hawiyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cebu – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $27.00 in Al-hawiyah. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $1,081 in Al-hawiyah – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,081 in Al-hawiyah, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Al-hawiyah. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Cebu and Al-hawiyah 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 18% less than in Al-hawiyah. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.