Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Basra

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $750 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index

Jump to prices

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Basra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $750 in Basra.

Cebu $934
Basra $750

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $1,357 in Basra.

Cebu $1,415
Basra $1,357

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $1,964 in Basra.

Cebu $1,896
Basra $1,964

Living in Cebu is roughly 24% more expensive than in Basra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Basra 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱190

$4.46 IQD 6,745

-32.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,473

$30.01 IQD 45.3K

-21.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱256

$7.50 IQD 11.3K

-45.47%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$2.64 IQD 3,982

-4.55%

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

$1.54 ₱96.9

$0.43 IQD 650

258.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.98

$0.32 IQD 483

53.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

$3.71 IQD 5,603

-51.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$4.27 IQD 6,450

-47.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.11 IQD 1,679

75.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.7

$0.68 IQD 1,034

110.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱63.8

$1.40 IQD 2,120

-27.14%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$1.81 IQD 2,732

13.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱615

$7.57 IQD 11.4K

29.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱289

$6.27 IQD 9,479

-26.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱483

$13.99 IQD 21.1K

-44.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱207

$1.03 IQD 1,551

221.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱90.9

$1.31 IQD 1,981

10.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.03 IQD 1,553

129.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.4

$0.64 IQD 973

140.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$0.72 IQD 1,094

227.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$0.67 IQD 1,009

197.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

$0.93 IQD 1,404

23.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.15

$0.41 IQD 624

63.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

$2.12 IQD 3,204

41.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

$12.11 IQD 18.3K

-47.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

$1.62 IQD 2,453

-19.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

$1.96 IQD 2,960

-11.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

$0.55 IQD 830

-54.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

$19.42 IQD 29.3K

-34.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

$2.24 IQD 3,384

-66.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$2.33 IQD 3,518

-90.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

$7.46 IQD 11.3K

-41.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$0.61 IQD 917

118.03%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$13.2K IQD 20.0M

64.43%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$22.5K IQD 34.0M

-13.80%

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

$121 ₱7,563

$50.3 IQD 76.1K

139.53%

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

$14.45 ₱907

$25.65 IQD 38.8K

-43.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,774

$38.51 IQD 58.2K

-26.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

$36.03 IQD 54.4K

-9.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

$13.80 IQD 20.9K

-53.70%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

$7.61 IQD 11.5K

-28.25%

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

$273 ₱17.1K

$128 IQD 192.9K

114.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

$3,814 IQD 5.8M

113.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

$49.10 IQD 74.2K

0.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

$20.77 IQD 31.4K

19.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

$77.6 IQD 117.3K

-1.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,717

$42.13 IQD 63.7K

40.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.7K

$462 IQD 698.8K

9.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$151 IQD 227.9K

105.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.0K

$848 IQD 1.3M

24.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

$623 IQD 941.2K

-0.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

$1,615 IQD 2.4M

80.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

$800 IQD 1.2M

133.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

$749 IQD 1.1M

-54.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

3.33

116.22%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Basra: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Basra

$151 20% 51.3% $159

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Basra

$196 26% 7% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Basra

$115 15.2% 29.9% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Basra

$85 11.3% 9.8% $9.3

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Basra

$120 15.9% 35.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Basra

$51 6.8% 17.6% $7.7

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Basra

$35 4.7% 130% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $462 in Basra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basra pays 120% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Cebu vs $30.00 in Basra. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $196, with Basra cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇶 Basra

🕒 Local time

13:17 1:17 PM

08:17 8:17 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

2,150,000

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,695 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Basra 8,100 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Basra

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 Basra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu and Basra differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($934 vs $750 including rent). Basra is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 120% lower in Basra. 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: $506 in Cebu versus $462 in Basra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Basra – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $23.00 in Cebu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Basra gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Basra 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 Basra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.