Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Arad

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,976 in Arad, rent and utilities included – about $24,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in Arad
Learn more

Arad Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Arad

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,976

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Arad

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

A single person spends $918 per month in Cebu vs $2,976 in Arad, rent included.

Cebu $918
Arad $2,976

A couple spends around $1,409 per month in Cebu vs $4,235 in Arad, rent included.

Cebu $1,409
Arad $4,235

A family of three spends $1,900 per month in Cebu vs $5,493 in Arad, rent included.

Cebu $1,900
Arad $5,493

Cebu is about 69% cheaper than Arad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cebu sits 32% below the global median, while Arad is 120% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$25.95 ₪80.7

-88.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$92.1 ₪286

-73.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$20.04 ₪62.4

-80.44%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$4.81 ₪14.97

-47.82%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$3.98 ₪12.40

-60.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$2.67 ₪8.31

-80.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$9.92 ₪30.86

-82.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$10.27 ₪31.97

-78.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$2.57 ₪7.99

-25.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$5.61 ₪17.46

-75.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$3.38 ₪10.51

-70.12%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$4.48 ₪13.95

-54.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$13.12 ₪40.82

-24.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$19.23 ₪59.8

-77.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$26.55 ₪82.6

-71.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$6.38 ₪19.84

-48.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$3.20 ₪9.95

-56.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$3.05 ₪9.50

-23.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$3.17 ₪9.87

-52.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$2.10 ₪6.54

12.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.70 ₪5.28

11.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$2.42 ₪7.51

-50.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$2.56 ₪7.95

-75.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$9.96 ₪31.00

-69.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$13.22 ₪41.12

-54.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$4.69 ₪14.58

-73.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$4.22 ₪13.14

-58.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$2.99 ₪9.29

-91.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$87.4 ₪272

-85.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$8.24 ₪25.65

-90.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$1.15 ₪3.59

-80.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$28.86 ₪89.8

-84.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$2.63 ₪8.17

-50.19%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$58.2K ₪181.2K

-63.52%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$58.7K ₪182.8K

-67.40%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$336 ₪1,046

-64.25%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$12.37 ₪38.47

13.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$49.51 ₪154

-44.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$84.7 ₪264

-61.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$16.53 ₪51.4

-65.82%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$1,643 ₪5,112

-83.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$30.1K ₪93.5K

-73.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$103 ₪319

-51.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$64.3 ₪200

-60.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$176 ₪548

-56.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$157 ₪487

-63.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$1,678 ₪5,222

-70.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$1,184 ₪3,683

-73.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$2,522 ₪7,846

-57.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$1,624 ₪5,053

-62.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$10.8K ₪33.6K

-73.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$8,515 ₪26.5K

-77.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$2,569 ₪7,992

-86.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

5.2

38.46%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Arad: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Arad

$1.2K 39.8% 283% $875

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Arad

$516 17.3% 151% $310

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Arad

$398 13.4% 146% $236

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Arad

$225 7.6% 139% $131

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Arad

$422 14.2% 378% $334

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Arad

$118 4% 170% $74

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Arad

$113 3.8% 628% $98

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $500 in Cebu versus $1,678 in Arad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 643% higher in Arad, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cebu versus $92.0 in Arad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $516 – making Cebu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇱 Arad

🕒 Local time

13:50 1:50 PM

08:50 8:50 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

25,530

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Arad 9,290 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Arad

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 Arad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arad costs about 224% more than Cebu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,377 per month in Cebu and $4,464 in Arad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cebu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $918 in Cebu and $2,976 in Arad. That's a gap of about 224%.

Public transport costs about 591% less in Cebu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cebu, where all-in costs run around $918, than in Arad at $2,976. In Cebu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arad it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cebu costs $918 versus $2,976 in Arad. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Cebu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.