Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Al Kut

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Kut: $656 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Al Kut
Learn more

Al Kut Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Al Kut

🇮🇶 Iraq

$656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $918 per month in Cebu vs $656 in Al Kut, rent included.

Cebu $918
Al Kut $656

A couple spends around $1,409 per month in Cebu vs $1,020 in Al Kut, rent included.

Cebu $1,409
Al Kut $1,020

A family of three spends $1,900 per month in Cebu vs $1,385 in Al Kut, rent included.

Cebu $1,900
Al Kut $1,385

Cebu costs about 40% more than Al Kut, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cebu and Al Kut are more affordable than the global median – Cebu 32% lower, Al Kut 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱195

$3.92 IQD 5,918

-21.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$20.73 IQD 31.3K

16.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.01 IQD 10.6K

-44.08%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.46 IQD 3,712

2.03%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.34 IQD 509

367.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.45

$0.21 IQD 324

152.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.93 IQD 4,423

-39.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$2.53 IQD 3,826

-14.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.00 IQD 1,509

92.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.5

$0.68 IQD 1,025

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.6

$1.55 IQD 2,348

-34.84%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.58 IQD 2,390

28.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$3.81 IQD 5,760

158.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$3.44 IQD 5,198

27.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$12.08 IQD 18.3K

-37.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$0.87 IQD 1,312

279.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.01 IQD 1,529

37.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$0.80 IQD 1,215

191.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.66 IQD 996

127.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.53 IQD 797

345.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.61 IQD 925

211.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.55 IQD 837

116.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.73

$0.51 IQD 770

23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$1.65 IQD 2,496

81.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱380

$11.22 IQD 17.0K

-46.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.24 IQD 1,870

-0.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.60 IQD 2,410

9.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.87

$0.37 IQD 564

-32.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$17.49 IQD 26.4K

-27.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.64

$2.04 IQD 3,076

-62.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.54

$1.21 IQD 1,825

-80.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$5.63 IQD 8,509

-20.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.54 IQD 809

142.59%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

23.92%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$16.0K IQD 24.1M

19.83%

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

$120 ₱7,573

$87.6 IQD 132.4K

37.25%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$11.89 IQD 18.0K

17.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,735

$24.39 IQD 36.9K

12.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,036

$37.31 IQD 56.4K

-13.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$9.24 IQD 14.0K

-38.85%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$136 IQD 206.1K

101.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.8K

$2,765 IQD 4.2M

186.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,107

$20.87 IQD 31.5K

136.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,590

$21.36 IQD 32.3K

18.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,848

$47.29 IQD 71.5K

62.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,603

$31.05 IQD 46.9K

84.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$162 IQD 244.3K

208.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.5K

$137 IQD 207.6K

124.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$375 IQD 567.0K

187.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.8K

$308 IQD 466.0K

99.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.8K

$697 IQD 1.1M

313.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$566 IQD 855.8K

238.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

3.33

116.22%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Al Kut: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Al Kut

$137 20.9% 55.5% $171

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Al Kut

$154 23.5% 25.1% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Al Kut

$124 18.9% 23.4% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Al Kut

$54 8.3% 42.2% $40

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Al Kut

$104 15.8% 17.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Al Kut

$56 8.5% 27.9% $12

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Al Kut

$27 4.1% 73.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $500 in Cebu versus $162 in Al Kut. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cebu versus $21.00 in Al Kut. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $154 – making Al Kut the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇶 Al Kut

🕒 Local time

21:54 9:54 PM

16:54 4:54 PM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

422,793

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 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).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Al Kut 8,280 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Al Kut

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 Kut: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $918 in Cebu, $656 in Al Kut – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,377 per month in Cebu and $984 in Al Kut. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Kut, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Cebu, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cebu and $21.00 in Al Kut. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $918 in Cebu and $656 in Al Kut, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Cebu has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $656 in Al Kut to $918 in Cebu. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Al Kut. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cebu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.