Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Ar-rawdah

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,388 in Ar-rawdah, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Ar-rawdah
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Ar-rawdah Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Ar-rawdah

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,388 in Ar-rawdah.

Cebu $918
Ar-rawdah $1,388

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $2,297 in Ar-rawdah.

Cebu $1,409
Ar-rawdah $2,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $3,205 in Ar-rawdah.

Cebu $1,900
Ar-rawdah $3,205

Living in Cebu costs roughly 34% less than in Ar-rawdah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 32% below, Ar-rawdah is 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$12.75 KWD 3.93

-75.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$63.3 KWD 19.51

-61.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$8.94 KWD 2.75

-56.15%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 KWD 0.97

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 KWD 1.50

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$5.20 KWD 1.60

-51.73%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.75 KWD 0.23

112.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.29 KWD 0.09

82.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.55 KWD 0.48

23.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.47 KWD 0.45

-7.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.92 KWD 0.59

-47.40%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.07 KWD 0.64

-1.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$4.42 KWD 1.36

123.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$6.57 KWD 2.02

-33.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$10.02 KWD 3.09

-24.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.41 KWD 0.74

36.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.86 KWD 0.57

-25.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.80 KWD 0.55

29.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.49 KWD 0.46

0.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.36 KWD 0.42

73.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.41 KWD 0.43

34.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$2.25 KWD 0.69

-47.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.59 KWD 0.18

6.78%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.13 KWD 0.96

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 KWD 0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 KWD 0.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$2.71 KWD 0.84

10.70%

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

$0.91 KWD 0.28

-72.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$4.80 KWD 1.48

-83.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$3.28 KWD 1.01

-92.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$16.12 KWD 4.97

-72.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.35 KWD 0.11

274.29%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$20.5K KWD 6,322

3.53%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$20.0K KWD 6,148

-4.05%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$65.7 KWD 20.24

83.05%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$22.87 KWD 7.05

-38.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$30.24 KWD 9.32

-8.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$92.7 KWD 28.55

-65.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$11.18 KWD 3.45

-49.46%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$298 KWD 91.8

-7.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$9,192 KWD 2,832

-13.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$36.80 KWD 11.34

34.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$39.38 KWD 12.13

-35.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$98.6 KWD 30.39

-21.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$87.2 KWD 26.88

-34.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$793 KWD 244

-37.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$633 KWD 195

-51.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$1,501 KWD 463

-28.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$1,354 KWD 417

-54.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,601 KWD 493

19.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

6.53

10.26%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ar-rawdah: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Ar-rawdah

$633 45.6% 105% $324

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Ar-rawdah

$183 13.2% 11% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Ar-rawdah

$119 8.6% 26.6% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Ar-rawdah

$118 8.5% 25.5% $24

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Ar-rawdah

$195 14.1% 121% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Ar-rawdah

$115 8.3% 164% $71

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Ar-rawdah

$25 * 1.8% 59.6% $9.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $793 in Ar-rawdah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $63.0 in Ar-rawdah. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $183, with Ar-rawdah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇰🇼 Ar-rawdah

🕒 Local time

15:38 3:38 PM

10:38 10:38 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, 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).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.346 KWD (1 KWD = 2.89 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Ar-rawdah 8,090 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Ar-rawdah

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-rawdah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Ar-rawdah. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cebu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $2,083 in Ar-rawdah 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 $793 in Ar-rawdah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Ar-rawdah pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $1,388 in Ar-rawdah – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,388 in Ar-rawdah, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Ar-rawdah. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cebu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $918 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cebu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Ar-rawdah 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 51% less than in Ar-rawdah. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.