Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Al-Rumaitha

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Rumaitha: $650 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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-Rumaitha
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Al-Rumaitha Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Al-Rumaitha

🇮🇶 Iraq

$650

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $650 in Al-Rumaitha.

Cebu $918
Al-Rumaitha $650

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,027 in Al-Rumaitha.

Cebu $1,409
Al-Rumaitha $1,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,403 in Al-Rumaitha.

Cebu $1,900
Al-Rumaitha $1,403

Living in Cebu is roughly 41% more expensive than in Al-Rumaitha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Al-Rumaitha 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$3.62 IQD 5,465

-14.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$23.11 IQD 34.9K

4.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.08 IQD 10.7K

-44.63%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.33 IQD 3,523

7.73%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.31 IQD 471

412.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.19 IQD 286

178.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.91 IQD 4,398

-38.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$2.60 IQD 3,936

-16.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$0.86 IQD 1,298

123.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.78 IQD 1,185

74.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.37 IQD 2,063

-26.28%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.58 IQD 2,392

28.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$4.09 IQD 6,174

141.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$3.61 IQD 5,449

21.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$12.06 IQD 18.2K

-36.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$0.92 IQD 1,384

258.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$0.95 IQD 1,428

46.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$0.84 IQD 1,268

177.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.66 IQD 1,002

127.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.56 IQD 844

321.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.56 IQD 849

239.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.56 IQD 839

112.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.47 IQD 717

34.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$1.63 IQD 2,468

84.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$10.70 IQD 16.2K

-43.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.40 IQD 2,120

-12.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.78 IQD 2,691

-1.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.42 IQD 639

-40.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$22.08 IQD 33.4K

-42.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$1.80 IQD 2,724

-57.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$1.34 IQD 2,031

-82.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$4.81 IQD 7,268

-7.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.51 IQD 766

156.86%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$14.9K IQD 22.6M

42.18%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$16.9K IQD 25.5M

13.44%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$88.6 IQD 133.9K

35.70%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$12.11 IQD 18.3K

15.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$24.88 IQD 37.6K

10.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$37.29 IQD 56.3K

-13.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$3.39 IQD 5,120

96.17%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$9.20 IQD 13.9K

-38.59%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$128 IQD 193.8K

114.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$2,684 IQD 4.1M

195.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$20.77 IQD 31.4K

137.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$21.12 IQD 31.9K

19.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$46.80 IQD 70.7K

64.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$30.79 IQD 46.5K

85.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$178 IQD 269.0K

180.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$128 IQD 194.1K

140.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$373 IQD 564.1K

188.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$308 IQD 465.9K

99.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$629 IQD 951.1K

358.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$532 IQD 803.7K

260.33%

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-Rumaitha: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Al-Rumaitha

$128 19.8% 58.4% $180

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Al-Rumaitha

$154 23.7% 25% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Al-Rumaitha

$126 19.3% 22.4% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Al-Rumaitha

$54 8.3% 42.8% $40

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Al-Rumaitha

$100 15.4% 13.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Al-Rumaitha

$56 8.6% 27.6% $12

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Al-Rumaitha

$32 5% 108% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $178 in Al-Rumaitha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $23.00 in Al-Rumaitha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $154 per month, with Al-Rumaitha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇶 Al-Rumaitha

🕒 Local time

23:08 11:08 PM

18:08 6:08 PM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

115,431

💱 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-Rumaitha 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Al-Rumaitha

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-Rumaitha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-Rumaitha is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 41% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $975 in Al-Rumaitha 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 $178 in Al-Rumaitha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $650 in Al-Rumaitha – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Al-Rumaitha runs roughly 75% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Al-Rumaitha gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Al-Rumaitha is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cebu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Al-Rumaitha 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-Rumaitha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.