Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Arar

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,185 in Arar, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Arar
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Arar Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Arar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Arar

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

A single person spends $918 per month in Cebu vs $1,185 in Arar, rent included.

Cebu $918
Arar $1,185

A couple spends around $1,409 per month in Cebu vs $1,758 in Arar, rent included.

Cebu $1,409
Arar $1,758

A family of three spends $1,900 per month in Cebu vs $2,330 in Arar, rent included.

Cebu $1,900
Arar $2,330

Cebu is about 23% cheaper than Arar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Cebu and Arar are more affordable than the global median – Cebu 32% lower, Arar 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$6.20 SAR 23.25

-50.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$37.34 SAR 140

-35.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.78 SAR 29.18

-49.61%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 SAR 7.11

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 SAR 8.72

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$3.16 SAR 11.88

-20.57%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.86 SAR 3.24

84.88%

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

$1.69 SAR 6.33

13.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.31 SAR 4.92

3.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$2.24 SAR 8.41

-54.91%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.43 SAR 9.13

-16.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$7.61 SAR 28.54

29.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$7.97 SAR 29.91

-44.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$12.96 SAR 48.62

-41.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.25 SAR 8.46

46.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.67 SAR 6.27

-16.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.59 SAR 5.97

46.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.64 SAR 6.14

-8.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.23 SAR 4.62

91.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.32 SAR 4.97

43.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.22 SAR 4.58

-2.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.55 SAR 2.06

14.55%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.88 SAR 10.82

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 SAR 6.65

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 SAR 7.55

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$6.50 SAR 24.38

-53.85%

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

$1.04 SAR 3.91

-75.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$36.99 SAR 139

-65.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$2.70 SAR 10.13

-71.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$1.85 SAR 6.95

-87.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$13.26 SAR 49.76

-66.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.64 SAR 2.40

104.69%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$43.8K SAR 164.5K

-51.55%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$21.3K SAR 80.1K

-10.30%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$102 SAR 384

17.64%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$32.69 SAR 123

-57.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$67.5 SAR 253

-59.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$81.8 SAR 307

-60.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$13.21 SAR 49.58

-57.23%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$421 SAR 1,579

-34.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$8,110 SAR 30.4K

-2.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$41.56 SAR 156

18.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$53.8 SAR 202

-53.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$96.2 SAR 361

-19.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$86.4 SAR 324

-33.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$587 SAR 2,202

-14.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$377 SAR 1,416

-18.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$826 SAR 3,100

30.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$574 SAR 2,155

7.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$2,369 SAR 8,891

21.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,355 SAR 5,084

41.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

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 Arar: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Arar

$377 31.8% 22.2% $69

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Arar

$204 17.2% 1% $2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Arar

$202 17.1% 25.1% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Arar

$125 10.6% 33.2% $31

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Arar

$115 9.7% 30.7% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Arar

$108 9.1% 148% $65

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Arar

$53 4.5% 241% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $500 in Cebu versus $587 in Arar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cebu versus $37.00 in Arar. Groceries tell a different story – $206 in Cebu vs $204 in Arar – so Arar wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇸🇦 Arar

🕒 Local time

14:25 2:25 PM

09:25 9:25 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

167,057

💱 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 Arar 8,750 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Arar

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 Arar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $918 in Cebu, $1,185 in Arar – roughly 29% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,377 per month in Cebu and $1,778 in Arar. 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.

Public transport costs about 193% less in Cebu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $275 per month in Cebu and $421 in Arar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cebu, where all-in costs run around $918, than in Arar at $1,185. In Cebu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arar it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cebu has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $918 in Cebu to $1,185 in Arar. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Arar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.