Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and 'ali

For one person, living is cheaper in 'ali: $818 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 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
40

Cost of Living Index in 'ali
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'ali Living Index

Jump to prices

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

'ali

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in 'ali

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

A single person spends $918 per month in Cebu vs $818 in 'ali, rent included.

Cebu $918
'ali $818

A couple spends around $1,409 per month in Cebu vs $1,299 in 'ali, rent included.

Cebu $1,409
'ali $1,299

A family of three spends $1,900 per month in Cebu vs $1,779 in 'ali, rent included.

Cebu $1,900
'ali $1,779

Cebu costs about 12% more than 'ali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cebu and 'ali are more affordable than the global median – Cebu 32% lower, 'ali 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$5.36 BHD 2.02

-42.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,519

$53.3 BHD 20.13

-54.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱246

$7.44 BHD 2.81

-47.31%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱157

$5.01 BHD 1.89

-49.90%

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

$1.59 ₱99.8

$0.90 BHD 0.34

76.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.31

$0.30 BHD 0.11

76.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$6.73 BHD 2.54

-73.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$10.18 BHD 3.84

-78.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱120

$1.42 BHD 0.54

35.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.1

$1.07 BHD 0.40

27.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.3

$2.26 BHD 0.85

-55.31%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱127

$2.22 BHD 0.84

-8.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱619

$8.64 BHD 3.26

14.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱276

$6.45 BHD 2.44

-31.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱477

$8.86 BHD 3.34

-14.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱207

$2.30 BHD 0.87

43.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.4

$2.31 BHD 0.87

-39.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱146

$1.92 BHD 0.73

21.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱93.9

$1.40 BHD 0.53

7.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.04 BHD 0.39

126.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.35 BHD 0.51

40.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.6

$1.50 BHD 0.57

-20.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.56

$0.78 BHD 0.30

-19.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

$5.32 BHD 2.01

-43.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱378

$18.80 BHD 7.10

-67.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.4

$3.61 BHD 1.36

-65.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.57 BHD 0.97

-31.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.80

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱792

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.43

$5.42 BHD 2.05

-85.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.47

$3.46 BHD 1.31

-93.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱279

$15.80 BHD 5.96

-71.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.5

$0.70 BHD 0.26

87.14%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$36.7K BHD 13.9K

-42.14%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$20.1K BHD 7,592

-4.82%

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

$120 ₱7,540

$151 BHD 57.0

-20.32%

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

$14.00 ₱878

$24.17 BHD 9.12

-42.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,727

$35.75 BHD 13.49

-22.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,028

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱417

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱354

$10.67 BHD 4.03

-47.05%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$495 BHD 187

-44.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱496.6K

$11.2K BHD 4,228

-29.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,094

$51.9 BHD 19.58

-4.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,583

$57.3 BHD 21.62

-55.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,827

$89.2 BHD 33.66

-13.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,587

$89.2 BHD 33.67

-35.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.7K

$3,823 BHD 1,443

-90.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

6.21

15.94%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for 'ali: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

'ali

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

'ali

$250 30.5% 21.3% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

'ali

$211 25.8% 30.3% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

'ali

$129 15.8% 37.8% $35

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

'ali

$184 22.5% 109% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

'ali

$21 * 2.6% 51.1% $22

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

'ali

$23 * 2.8% 45.9% $7.1

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 1005% higher in 'ali, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cebu versus $53.0 in 'ali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $250 – making Cebu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇧🇭 'ali

🕒 Local time

11:07 11:07 AM

06:07 6:07 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

100,553

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BHD, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.19 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.422 BHD (1 BHD = 2.37 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu 'ali 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
'ali

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 'ali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cebu is pricier by about 12%, 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 $1,227 in 'ali. 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 $53.0 in 'ali. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 21% cheaper in Cebu – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $918 in Cebu and $818 in 'ali, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward 'ali – 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 'ali. 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.