Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and 'aqrah

For one person, living is cheaper in 'aqrah: $661 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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 'aqrah
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'aqrah Living Index

Jump to prices

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

'aqrah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$661

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $661 in 'aqrah.

Cebu $918
'aqrah $661

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,015 in 'aqrah.

Cebu $1,409
'aqrah $1,015

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,369 in 'aqrah.

Cebu $1,900
'aqrah $1,369

Living in Cebu is roughly 39% more expensive than in 'aqrah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, 'aqrah 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱195

$3.62 IQD 5,467

-14.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$21.82 IQD 33.0K

11.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$6.82 IQD 10.3K

-42.52%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.38 IQD 3,602

5.46%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.32 IQD 485

396.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.45

$0.18 IQD 273

194.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$3.11 IQD 4,706

-42.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$2.61 IQD 3,945

-16.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$0.94 IQD 1,416

104.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.5

$0.72 IQD 1,086

88.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.6

$1.46 IQD 2,205

-30.82%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.70 IQD 2,573

19.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$3.48 IQD 5,252

183.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$4.16 IQD 6,291

5.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$13.31 IQD 20.1K

-42.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$0.92 IQD 1,383

258.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$0.91 IQD 1,375

52.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$0.77 IQD 1,161

202.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.66 IQD 990

127.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.54 IQD 809

337.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.64 IQD 965

196.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.51 IQD 776

133.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.73

$0.50 IQD 756

26.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$1.57 IQD 2,368

91.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱380

$10.92 IQD 16.5K

-44.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.33 IQD 2,003

-7.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.85 IQD 2,800

-5.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.87

$0.45 IQD 679

-44.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$17.50 IQD 26.4K

-27.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.64

$1.89 IQD 2,859

-59.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.54

$1.39 IQD 2,099

-83.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$5.15 IQD 7,788

-13.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.48 IQD 727

172.92%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$16.9K IQD 25.5M

25.79%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$19.4K IQD 29.3M

-1.25%

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

$120 ₱7,573

$80.2 IQD 121.1K

50.01%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$13.58 IQD 20.5K

3.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,735

$27.25 IQD 41.2K

1.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,036

$37.01 IQD 55.9K

-12.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$8.39 IQD 12.7K

-32.66%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$142 IQD 213.9K

94.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.8K

$2,656 IQD 4.0M

198.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,107

$22.08 IQD 33.4K

123.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,590

$23.85 IQD 36.0K

5.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,848

$47.26 IQD 71.4K

62.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,603

$31.06 IQD 46.9K

84.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$184 IQD 277.8K

171.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.5K

$141 IQD 213.2K

118.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$358 IQD 541.4K

200.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.8K

$278 IQD 419.4K

121.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.8K

$779 IQD 1.2M

270.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$642 IQD 970.8K

198.30%

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 'aqrah: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

'aqrah

$141 21.4% 54.3% $168

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

'aqrah

$160 24.2% 22.3% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

'aqrah

$121 18.3% 25.2% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

'aqrah

$56 8.5% 40.5% $38

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

'aqrah

$101 15.3% 14.2% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

'aqrah

$54 8.1% 23.3% $10

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

'aqrah

$28 4.3% 80.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $184 in 'aqrah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $22.00 in 'aqrah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $160 per month, with 'aqrah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇶 'aqrah

🕒 Local time

12:35 12:35 PM

07:35 7:35 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

68,100

💱 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 'aqrah 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
'aqrah

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 'aqrah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

'aqrah wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Cebu. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making 'aqrah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $991 in 'aqrah 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 $184 in 'aqrah. 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 $661 in 'aqrah – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in 'aqrah runs roughly 38% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though 'aqrah gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but 'aqrah delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $661 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes 'aqrah hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cebu and 'aqrah 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 'aqrah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.