Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Al-miqdadiyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-miqdadiyah: $765 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Al-miqdadiyah
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Al-miqdadiyah Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Al-miqdadiyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$765

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $765 in Al-miqdadiyah.

Cebu $918
Al-miqdadiyah $765

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,250 in Al-miqdadiyah.

Cebu $1,409
Al-miqdadiyah $1,250

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,735 in Al-miqdadiyah.

Cebu $1,900
Al-miqdadiyah $1,735

Living in Cebu is roughly 20% more expensive than in Al-miqdadiyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Al-miqdadiyah 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$6.62 IQD 10.0K

-53.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$36.13 IQD 54.6K

-32.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.06 IQD 10.7K

-44.48%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$3.39 IQD 5,125

-25.96%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.84 IQD 1,276

89.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.33 IQD 505

60.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$5.22 IQD 7,886

-65.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.88 IQD 5,866

-44.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.07 IQD 1,611

79.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.67 IQD 1,014

102.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.52 IQD 2,302

-33.55%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.58 IQD 2,392

28.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$7.22 IQD 10.9K

36.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$4.35 IQD 6,572

0.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$12.56 IQD 19.0K

-39.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$0.94 IQD 1,418

251.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$0.93 IQD 1,412

49.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.02 IQD 1,536

128.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.70 IQD 1,059

114.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.61 IQD 918

286.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.57 IQD 863

233.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.61 IQD 916

95.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.47 IQD 715

34.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$2.15 IQD 3,253

39.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$10.62 IQD 16.1K

-43.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.43 IQD 2,156

-13.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.81 IQD 2,740

-3.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.46 IQD 696

-45.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$20.75 IQD 31.4K

-39.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$1.66 IQD 2,511

-53.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$1.56 IQD 2,361

-85.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$5.76 IQD 8,709

-22.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.54 IQD 818

142.59%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

27.50%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$17.0K IQD 25.7M

12.47%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$115 IQD 174.1K

4.38%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$12.13 IQD 18.3K

15.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$24.45 IQD 36.9K

12.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$34.77 IQD 52.5K

-7.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$9.60 IQD 14.5K

-41.15%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$318 IQD 481.1K

-13.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$2,789 IQD 4.2M

183.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$26.94 IQD 40.7K

83.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$38.24 IQD 57.8K

-34.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$60.1 IQD 90.9K

27.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$59.8 IQD 90.4K

-4.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$191 IQD 289.3K

160.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$118 IQD 178.5K

161.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$409 IQD 618.0K

163.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$341 IQD 516.0K

80.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$673 IQD 1.0M

328.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$601 IQD 908.4K

218.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

2.53

184.58%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Al-miqdadiyah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Al-miqdadiyah

$118 15.5% 61.8% $191

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Al-miqdadiyah

$172 22.5% 16.5% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Al-miqdadiyah

$152 19.9% 6.2% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Al-miqdadiyah

$83 10.9% 11.3% $11

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Al-miqdadiyah

$153 20.1% 73.9% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Al-miqdadiyah

$54 7.1% 23.7% $10

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Al-miqdadiyah

$32 4.2% 106% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $191 in Al-miqdadiyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $36.00 in Al-miqdadiyah. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $172, with Al-miqdadiyah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇶 Al-miqdadiyah

🕒 Local time

01:29 1:29 AM

20:29 8:29 PM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

155,968

💱 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 = 62.96 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).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Al-miqdadiyah 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Al-miqdadiyah

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-miqdadiyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu and Al-miqdadiyah differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($918 vs $765 including rent). Al-miqdadiyah 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 $1,147 in Al-miqdadiyah 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 $191 in Al-miqdadiyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $275 in Cebu versus $318 in Al-miqdadiyah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Al-miqdadiyah gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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-miqdadiyah 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 Al-miqdadiyah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.