Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Ba'qubah

For one person, living is cheaper in Ba'qubah: $524 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Ba'qubah
Learn more

Ba'qubah Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Ba'qubah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Ba'qubah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $524 in Ba'qubah.

Cebu $918
Ba'qubah $524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $826 in Ba'qubah.

Cebu $1,409
Ba'qubah $826

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,128 in Ba'qubah.

Cebu $1,900
Ba'qubah $1,128

Living in Cebu is roughly 75% more expensive than in Ba'qubah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Ba'qubah 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱195

$4.18 IQD 6,323

-26.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$13.31 IQD 20.1K

81.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$5.70 IQD 8,615

-31.23%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.01 IQD 1,520

148.51%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.47 IQD 707

238.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.45

$0.18 IQD 266

194.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.66 IQD 2,516

7.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$4.05 IQD 6,113

-46.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.03 IQD 1,559

86.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.5

$0.47 IQD 704

189.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.6

$1.03 IQD 1,552

-1.94%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.27 IQD 1,924

59.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$2.00 IQD 3,016

393.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$2.10 IQD 3,179

109.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$9.09 IQD 13.7K

-16.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$0.84 IQD 1,266

292.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$0.93 IQD 1,402

49.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$0.85 IQD 1,290

174.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.47 IQD 711

219.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.51 IQD 776

362.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.60 IQD 908

216.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.43 IQD 648

176.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.73

$0.15 IQD 220

320.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$2.20 IQD 3,326

36.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱380

$10.64 IQD 16.1K

-43.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.45 IQD 2,197

-15.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.80 IQD 2,722

-2.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.87

$0.43 IQD 644

-41.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$18.36 IQD 27.7K

-31.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.64

$1.61 IQD 2,427

-52.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.54

$1.57 IQD 2,368

-85.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$4.71 IQD 7,120

-5.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.31 IQD 473

322.58%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

29.37%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$17.4K IQD 26.3M

10.06%

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

$120 ₱7,573

$50.1 IQD 75.6K

140.17%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

15.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,735

$22.83 IQD 34.5K

20.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,036

$16.53 IQD 25.0K

95.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$3.36 IQD 5,078

68.15%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$22.77 IQD 34.4K

1109.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.8K

$555 IQD 838.8K

1326.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,107

$16.58 IQD 25.0K

197.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,590

$16.76 IQD 25.3K

50.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,848

$60.1 IQD 90.9K

27.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,603

$22.70 IQD 34.3K

151.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$178 IQD 268.4K

181.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.5K

$130 IQD 197.1K

136.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$371 IQD 560.2K

190.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.8K

$308 IQD 465.5K

99.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.8K

$704 IQD 1.1M

310.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$579 IQD 874.1K

231.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$627 IQD 946.7K

-44.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

2.53

184.58%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ba'qubah: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Ba'qubah

$130 24.9% 57.8% $178

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Ba'qubah

$122 23.3% 40.8% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Ba'qubah

$85 16.2% 47.5% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Ba'qubah

$52 10% 44.3% $42

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Ba'qubah

$82 15.6% 7.5% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Ba'qubah

$23 4.4% 46.7% $20

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Ba'qubah

$30 5.6% 89.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $178 in Ba'qubah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ba'qubah pays 81% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $13.00 in Ba'qubah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $122 per month, with Ba'qubah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇶 Ba'qubah

🕒 Local time

13:57 1:57 PM

08:57 8:57 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

268,866

💱 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 = 5.88 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 = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.93 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 = 1,701 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.88 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Ba'qubah 8,390 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Ba'qubah

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 Ba'qubah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ba'qubah is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 75% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 81% lower in Ba'qubah. 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 $178 in Ba'qubah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 69% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Ba'qubah – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $24.00 in Cebu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

For families, Ba'qubah 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 Ba'qubah 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 Ba'qubah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.