Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Al-qardahah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-qardahah: $638 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Al-qardahah
Learn more

Al-qardahah Living Index

Jump to prices

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Al-qardahah

🇸🇾 Syria

$638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $918 per month in Cebu vs $638 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Cebu $918
Al-qardahah $638

A couple spends around $1,409 per month in Cebu vs $1,011 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Cebu $1,409
Al-qardahah $1,011

A family of three spends $1,900 per month in Cebu vs $1,383 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Cebu $1,900
Al-qardahah $1,383

Cebu costs about 44% more than Al-qardahah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cebu and Al-qardahah are more affordable than the global median – Cebu 32% lower, Al-qardahah 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$9.83 SYP 1,194

-68.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$42.10 SYP 5,117

-42.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.03 SYP 855

-44.24%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$3.67 SYP 446

-31.61%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$2.27 SYP 276

-29.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.86 SYP 105

-38.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.05 SYP 249

-13.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.98 SYP 484

-45.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.10 SYP 133

74.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.42 SYP 50.5

223.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.58 SYP 192

-36.08%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.60 SYP 195

26.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$3.89 SYP 472

153.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$5.56 SYP 676

-21.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$13.73 SYP 1,668

-44.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$1.02 SYP 124

223.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.41 SYP 171

-1.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.15 SYP 139

102.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.03 SYP 125

45.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.76 SYP 91.9

210.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.76 SYP 92.1

150.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.44 SYP 53.5

170.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.62 SYP 75.9

1.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$2.85 SYP 346

5.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$5.81 SYP 706

3.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.05 SYP 128

17.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.92 SYP 355

-40.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.98 SYP 120

-21.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$1.57 SYP 190

-85.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$7.49 SYP 911

-40.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$3.72 SYP 452

-64.78%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$15.1K SYP 1.8M

40.92%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$19.0K SYP 2.3M

0.82%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$137 SYP 16.7K

-12.40%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$9.89 SYP 1,202

41.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$45.78 SYP 5,564

-39.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$5.62 SYP 683

0.53%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$66.2 SYP 8,040

316.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$1,781 SYP 216.4K

344.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$29.05 SYP 3,531

69.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$39.40 SYP 4,788

-35.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$59.0 SYP 7,164

30.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$57.9 SYP 7,030

-1.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

14.25

-49.47%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Al-qardahah: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Al-qardahah

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Al-qardahah

$168 26.3% 18.6% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Al-qardahah

$193 30.2% 19.3% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Al-qardahah

$83 13.1% 11.3% $11

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Al-qardahah

$175 27.3% 97.7% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Al-qardahah

$11 * 1.8% 74.2% $32

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Al-qardahah

$8.8 * 1.4% 43.4% $6.8

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cebu versus $42.00 in Al-qardahah. Groceries tell a different story – $206 in Cebu vs $168 in Al-qardahah – so Al-qardahah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇸🇾 Al-qardahah

🕒 Local time

13:58 1:58 PM

08:58 8:58 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Al-qardahah 9,150 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Al-qardahah

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-qardahah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cebu is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,377 per month in Cebu and $958 in Al-qardahah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cebu and $42.00 in Al-qardahah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Cebu, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $918 in Cebu and $638 in Al-qardahah, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Al-qardahah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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-qardahah. 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.