Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Al-musayyib

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-musayyib: $767 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Al-musayyib
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Al-musayyib Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Al-musayyib

🇮🇶 Iraq

$767

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $767 in Al-musayyib.

Cebu $918
Al-musayyib $767

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,171 in Al-musayyib.

Cebu $1,409
Al-musayyib $1,171

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,575 in Al-musayyib.

Cebu $1,900
Al-musayyib $1,575

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱195

$4.26 IQD 6,436

-27.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$29.42 IQD 44.4K

-17.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$6.40 IQD 9,674

-38.75%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.74 IQD 4,138

-8.39%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.35 IQD 534

354.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.45

$0.22 IQD 333

140.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$3.23 IQD 4,885

-44.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.26 IQD 4,922

-33.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$0.91 IQD 1,379

110.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.5

$0.73 IQD 1,108

86.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.6

$1.28 IQD 1,940

-21.09%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.31 IQD 1,976

54.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$3.31 IQD 5,004

197.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$3.29 IQD 4,966

33.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$9.93 IQD 15.0K

-23.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$1.00 IQD 1,512

230.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$0.96 IQD 1,446

44.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$0.89 IQD 1,338

161.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.47 IQD 711

219.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.54 IQD 822

337.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.47 IQD 705

304.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.47 IQD 716

153.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.73

$0.32 IQD 478

96.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$1.68 IQD 2,533

78.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱380

$11.51 IQD 17.4K

-47.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.90 IQD 2,878

-35.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.97 IQD 2,970

-11.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.87

$0.45 IQD 679

-44.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$18.63 IQD 28.1K

-32.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.64

$2.02 IQD 3,057

-61.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.54

$1.29 IQD 1,956

-82.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$6.64 IQD 10.0K

-32.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.54 IQD 820

142.59%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$16.4K IQD 24.9M

29.14%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$16.9K IQD 25.5M

13.52%

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

$120 ₱7,573

$190 IQD 287.7K

-36.85%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$17.40 IQD 26.3K

-19.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,735

$36.40 IQD 55.0K

-24.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,036

$33.63 IQD 50.8K

-3.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$9.91 IQD 15.0K

-42.99%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$146 IQD 220.7K

88.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.8K

$2,987 IQD 4.5M

165.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,107

$24.48 IQD 37.0K

101.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,590

$28.70 IQD 43.4K

-12.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,848

$60.5 IQD 91.4K

27.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,603

$42.48 IQD 64.2K

34.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$152 IQD 229.0K

229.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.5K

$115 IQD 173.9K

168.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$392 IQD 592.3K

174.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.8K

$308 IQD 465.5K

99.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.8K

$721 IQD 1.1M

300.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$570 IQD 861.9K

235.98%

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-musayyib: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Al-musayyib

$115 15% 62.7% $194

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Al-musayyib

$144 18.8% 29.9% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Al-musayyib

$244 31.8% 51% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Al-musayyib

$70 9.2% 25.2% $24

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Al-musayyib

$111 14.5% 25.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Al-musayyib

$53 7% 22.5% $9.8

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Al-musayyib

$29 3.8% 85.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $152 in Al-musayyib. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $29.00 in Al-musayyib. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $144, with Al-musayyib cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇶 Al-musayyib

🕒 Local time

16:12 4:12 PM

11:12 11:12 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

279,939

💱 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 = 5.88 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 = 70.93 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 = 1,701 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.88 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Al-musayyib 8,420 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Al-musayyib

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-musayyib: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu and Al-musayyib differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($918 vs $767 including rent). Al-musayyib 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 $1,151 in Al-musayyib 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 $152 in Al-musayyib. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $275 in Cebu versus $146 in Al-musayyib. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% 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-musayyib 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-musayyib 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-musayyib 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.