Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Dhahran

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,317 in Dhahran, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Dhahran
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Dhahran Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Dhahran

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Dhahran

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,317 in Dhahran.

Cebu $918
Dhahran $1,317

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,671 in Dhahran.

Cebu $1,409
Dhahran $1,671

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,026 in Dhahran.

Cebu $1,900
Dhahran $2,026

Living in Cebu costs roughly 30% less than in Dhahran, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Dhahran 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$5.30 SAR 19.90

-41.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$39.17 SAR 147

-38.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$6.35 SAR 23.81

-38.27%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 SAR 6.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.96

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$4.01 SAR 15.03

-37.41%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.74 SAR 2.76

114.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.19 SAR 0.70

178.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.65 SAR 6.18

16.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.97 SAR 3.62

40.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.97 SAR 7.41

-48.73%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$3.87 SAR 14.54

-47.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$8.59 SAR 32.23

14.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$10.92 SAR 40.97

-59.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$13.89 SAR 52.1

-45.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.15 SAR 8.07

53.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.39 SAR 5.21

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.78 SAR 6.69

30.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.80 SAR 6.74

-16.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.50 SAR 5.61

57.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.96 SAR 3.61

97.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.97 SAR 7.39

-39.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.85 SAR 3.19

-25.88%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.81 SAR 18.03

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.15

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 SAR 9.22

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$5.57 SAR 20.92

-46.14%

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

$0.83 SAR 3.11

-69.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$1.36 SAR 5.12

-43.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$3.25 SAR 12.21

-92.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$9.52 SAR 35.73

-53.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.65 SAR 2.44

101.54%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$53.2K SAR 199.7K

-60.09%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$20.7K SAR 77.6K

-7.45%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$59.0 SAR 221

103.75%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$42.19 SAR 158

-66.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$64.9 SAR 244

-57.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$195 SAR 731

-83.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$93.5 SAR 351

-92.89%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$10.56 SAR 39.62

-46.50%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$65.3 SAR 245

321.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$13.3K SAR 49.8K

-40.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$50.6 SAR 190

-2.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$41.79 SAR 157

-39.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$76.9 SAR 289

0.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$90.4 SAR 339

-36.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$361 SAR 1,355

38.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$453 SAR 1,700

-31.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$2,785 SAR 10.5K

-87.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

4.5

60.00%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dhahran: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Dhahran

$453 34.4% 46.7% $144

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Dhahran

$231 17.6% 12.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Dhahran

$166 12.6% 2.7% $4.3

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Dhahran

$117 8.9% 24.4% $23

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Dhahran

$113 8.6% 28.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Dhahran

$216 16.4% 395% $172

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Dhahran

$21 * 1.6% 34.5% $5.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $361 in Dhahran. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dhahran pays 705% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $39.00 in Dhahran for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $231 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇸🇦 Dhahran

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

04:03 4:03 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

120,521

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Dhahran 7,900 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Dhahran

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 Dhahran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 44% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 705% lower in Dhahran. 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 $361 in Dhahran. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Dhahran. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $1,317 in Dhahran – a 44% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,317 in Dhahran, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Dhahran. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Cebu and Dhahran 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Dhahran. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.