Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and As Samawah

For one person, living is cheaper in As Samawah: $644 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
31

Cost of Living Index in As Samawah
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As Samawah Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

As Samawah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$644

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in As Samawah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $644 in As Samawah.

Cebu $918
As Samawah $644

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,050 in As Samawah.

Cebu $1,409
As Samawah $1,050

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,456 in As Samawah.

Cebu $1,900
As Samawah $1,456

Living in Cebu is roughly 43% more expensive than in As Samawah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, As Samawah 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$4.36 IQD 6,593

-29.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$29.34 IQD 44.3K

-17.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$6.51 IQD 9,844

-39.78%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.79 IQD 4,215

-10.04%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.31 IQD 474

412.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.16 IQD 237

231.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$3.21 IQD 4,850

-44.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.39 IQD 5,118

-35.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$0.94 IQD 1,422

104.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.63 IQD 959

115.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.35 IQD 2,046

-25.19%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.56 IQD 2,356

30.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$1.29 IQD 1,953

664.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$4.21 IQD 6,360

4.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$11.93 IQD 18.0K

-36.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$0.97 IQD 1,464

240.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$0.98 IQD 1,482

41.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$0.83 IQD 1,251

180.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.42 IQD 640

257.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.51 IQD 776

362.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.55 IQD 836

245.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.55 IQD 826

116.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.62 IQD 939

1.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$1.69 IQD 2,552

77.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$6.42 IQD 9,703

-6.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.89 IQD 2,858

-34.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.90 IQD 2,875

-7.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.47 IQD 709

-46.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$19.97 IQD 30.2K

-36.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$2.03 IQD 3,070

-62.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$1.35 IQD 2,034

-82.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$2.72 IQD 4,106

63.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.57 IQD 862

129.82%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

28.52%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

14.63%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$71.3 IQD 107.8K

68.53%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$16.32 IQD 24.7K

-14.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$16.39 IQD 24.8K

68.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$36.23 IQD 54.7K

-10.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$16.66 IQD 25.2K

-60.08%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$7.97 IQD 12.0K

-29.11%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$50.2 IQD 75.9K

447.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$1,315 IQD 2.0M

502.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$24.56 IQD 37.1K

100.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$27.74 IQD 41.9K

-9.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$58.2 IQD 88.0K

32.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$41.02 IQD 62.0K

39.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$175 IQD 264.3K

185.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$133 IQD 201.6K

131.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$168 IQD 254.3K

540.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$308 IQD 465.6K

99.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$794 IQD 1.2M

263.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$623 IQD 942.0K

207.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

4.12

74.76%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for As Samawah: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

As Samawah

$133 20.7% 56.8% $175

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

As Samawah

$143 22.2% 30.7% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

As Samawah

$104 16.2% 35.7% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

As Samawah

$68 10.6% 27.4% $26

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

As Samawah

$113 17.5% 27.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

As Samawah

$52 8.1% 19.6% $8.6

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

As Samawah

$31 4.8% 96.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $175 in As Samawah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $29.00 in As Samawah. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $143, with As Samawah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇶 As Samawah

🕒 Local time

05:29 5:29 AM

00:29 12:29 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

250,000

💱 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 = 5.89 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 = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 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 = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu As Samawah 8,340 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
As Samawah

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 As Samawah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

As Samawah is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 43% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $966 in As Samawah 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 $175 in As Samawah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in As Samawah runs roughly 58% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $275 in Cebu versus $50.2 in As Samawah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though As Samawah gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, As Samawah is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cebu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and As Samawah 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 As Samawah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.