Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Ar-rass

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,154 in Ar-rass, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Ar-rass
Learn more

Ar-rass Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Ar-rass

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,154

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Ar-rass

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,154 in Ar-rass.

Cebu $918
Ar-rass $1,154

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,690 in Ar-rass.

Cebu $1,409
Ar-rass $1,690

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,226 in Ar-rass.

Cebu $1,900
Ar-rass $2,226

Living in Cebu costs roughly 20% less than in Ar-rass, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Ar-rass 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$6.16 SAR 23.12

-49.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$37.47 SAR 141

-35.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.90 SAR 29.65

-50.38%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 SAR 7.07

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 SAR 8.58

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$3.25 SAR 12.18

-22.77%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.91 SAR 3.41

74.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.26 SAR 0.98

103.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.81 SAR 6.81

6.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.39 SAR 1.45

248.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.92 SAR 7.19

-47.40%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$3.60 SAR 13.52

-43.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$7.00 SAR 26.28

40.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$8.05 SAR 30.20

-45.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$12.79 SAR 47.99

-40.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.24 SAR 8.41

47.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.76 SAR 6.60

-21.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.57 SAR 5.91

48.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.57 SAR 5.89

-4.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.16 SAR 4.37

103.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.36 SAR 5.11

39.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.28 SAR 4.79

-7.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.57 SAR 2.14

10.53%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.26 SAR 12.24

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 SAR 7.46

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 SAR 8.49

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$7.53 SAR 28.27

-60.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.98 SAR 3.69

-74.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$34.39 SAR 129

-63.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$2.59 SAR 9.72

-70.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$1.87 SAR 7.02

-87.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$11.84 SAR 44.42

-62.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.65 SAR 2.44

101.54%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$43.1K SAR 161.7K

-50.72%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$20.9K SAR 78.3K

-8.19%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$110 SAR 414

9.03%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$23.87 SAR 89.6

-41.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$59.0 SAR 221

-53.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$44.88 SAR 168

-27.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$13.43 SAR 50.4

-57.93%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$425 SAR 1,595

-35.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$8,688 SAR 32.6K

-8.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$42.84 SAR 161

15.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$62.4 SAR 234

-59.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$96.1 SAR 360

-19.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$87.6 SAR 329

-34.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$579 SAR 2,174

-13.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$394 SAR 1,480

-21.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$388 SAR 1,456

177.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$563 SAR 2,111

9.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$2,625 SAR 9,851

9.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,188 SAR 4,460

61.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$1,765 SAR 6,622

-80.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

5.54

29.96%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ar-rass: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Ar-rass

$394 34.2% 27.7% $86

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Ar-rass

$198 17.1% 3.9% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Ar-rass

$193 16.7% 19.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Ar-rass

$130 11.3% 38.4% $36

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Ar-rass

$117 10.1% 32.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Ar-rass

$72 6.2% 64.5% $28

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Ar-rass

$50 4.4% 223% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $579 in Ar-rass. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ar-rass pays 410% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $37.00 in Ar-rass. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $198, with Ar-rass cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇸🇦 Ar-rass

🕒 Local time

23:45 11:45 PM

18:45 6:45 PM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

121,359

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Ar-rass 8,560 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Ar-rass

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 Ar-rass: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu and Ar-rass differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($918 vs $1,154 including rent). Cebu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 410% lower in Ar-rass. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $579 in Ar-rass. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $275 in Cebu versus $425 in Ar-rass. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Ar-rass pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,154 in Ar-rass, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Ar-rass. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Ar-rass 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Ar-rass. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.