For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,683 in Dukhan, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
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 Dukhan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,683 in Dukhan.
Cebu $918
Dukhan $1,683
Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $2,331 in Dukhan.
Cebu $1,409
Dukhan $2,331
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,979 in Dukhan.
Cebu $1,900
Dukhan $2,979
🌍
Living in Cebu costs roughly 45% less than in Dukhan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.
📊
The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 32% below, Dukhan is 25% above.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Dukhan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.09₱194
$9.55QAR 34.75
-67.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.22₱1,525
$69.7QAR 254
-65.26%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$3.92₱247
$8.09QAR 29.43
-51.55%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.5 liter draught)
-
$12.07QAR 43.94
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
-
$13.42QAR 48.86
-
Cappuccino
$2.51₱158
$5.93QAR 21.57
-57.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59₱100
$0.92QAR 3.34
72.83%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53₱33.43
$0.40QAR 1.47
32.50%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$1.78₱112
-
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17₱137
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Dukhan
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.92₱121
$2.16QAR 7.87
-11.11%
White Bread(500g)
$1.36₱85.4
$1.42QAR 5.17
-4.23%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$1.01₱63.5
$1.94QAR 7.04
-47.94%
Eggs
$2.03₱128
$3.38QAR 12.32
-39.94%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$9.86₱621
$11.21QAR 40.79
-12.04%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$4.39₱277
$7.96QAR 28.96
-44.85%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$7.60₱479
$11.35QAR 41.30
-33.04%
Apples(1kg)
$3.30₱208
$2.26QAR 8.23
46.02%
Banana(1kg)
$1.39₱87.8
$1.87QAR 6.80
-25.67%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.33₱147
$1.56QAR 5.68
49.36%
Tomato(1kg)
$1.50₱94.3
$1.20QAR 4.37
25.00%
Potato(1kg)
$2.36₱149
$0.92QAR 3.34
156.52%
Onion(1kg)
$1.90₱119
$0.94QAR 3.44
102.13%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.19₱74.9
$1.45QAR 5.28
-17.93%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63₱39.71
$0.52QAR 1.89
21.15%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine(Mid-Range)
-
$9.45QAR 34.40
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.92QAR 6.99
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.22QAR 8.08
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00₱189
$6.51QAR 23.68
-53.92%
Wine(Bottle)
$6.03₱379
-
-
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23₱77.7
-
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75₱110
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Dukhan
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.25₱15.86
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$12.64₱796
-
-
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$0.77₱48.62
$1.88QAR 6.83
-59.04%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.23₱14.53
$2.00QAR 7.29
-88.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$4.46₱281
$13.63QAR 49.63
-67.28%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.31₱82.8
$0.56QAR 2.02
133.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K₱1.3M
$28.3KQAR 103.0K
-24.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.1K₱1.2M
$22.8KQAR 83.2K
-16.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Dukhan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$120₱7,569
$87.0QAR 317
38.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.00₱882
$34.31QAR 125
-59.20%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.54₱1,734
$85.3QAR 310
-67.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Dukhan
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$32.33₱2,035
-
-
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.65₱419
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.65₱356
$12.59QAR 45.84
-55.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Dukhan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$275₱17.3K
$658QAR 2,395
-58.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$7,918₱498.5K
$9,629QAR 35.1K
-17.77%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Dukhan
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.33₱3,106
$61.1QAR 222
-19.22%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.24₱1,589
$53.1QAR 193
-52.46%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$77.0₱4,846
$101QAR 368
-23.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.2₱3,601
$85.6QAR 311
-33.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Dukhan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$500₱31.5K
$1,346QAR 4,900
-62.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$309₱19.4K
$911QAR 3,317
-66.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,078₱67.9K
$1,674QAR 6,095
-35.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$615₱38.7K
$1,124QAR 4,092
-45.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$2,886₱181.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$1,917₱120.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Dukhan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$346₱21.8K
$4,094QAR 14.9K
-91.55%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
7.2
5.92
21.62%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026
Last update for Dukhan: October 11, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$309 33.6%
Dukhan
$911 54.1% ↑ 195%$602
🛒Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$206 22.4%
Dukhan
$216 12.8% ↑ 4.9%$10
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$162 17.6%
Dukhan
$207 12.3% ↑ 27.7%$45
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94 10.2%
Dukhan
$135 8.1% ↑ 44.2%$41
🍽Eating Out
Cebu
$88 9.6%
Dukhan
$177 10.5% ↑ 101%$89
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44 4.8%
Dukhan
$25 * 1.5% ↓ 42.3%$18
🚌Getting Around
Cebu
$16 1.7%
Dukhan
$12 * 0.7% ↓ 23.6%$3.7
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$615 32.4%
Dukhan
$1.1K 37.7% ↑ 82.7%$509
🛒Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$483 25.4%
Dukhan
$528 17.7% ↑ 9.4%$45
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$176 9.3%
Dukhan
$241 8.1% ↑ 37.1%$65
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$209 11%
Dukhan
$301 10.1% ↑ 44.2%$92
🍽Eating Out
Cebu
$292 15.4%
Dukhan
$711 23.9% ↑ 143%$419
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$94 4.9%
Dukhan
$50 * 1.7% ↓ 46.3%$44
🚌Getting Around
Cebu
$32 1.7%
Dukhan
$24 * 0.8% ↓ 24.8%$7.9
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 $1,346 in Dukhan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Dukhan pays 1083% 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 $70.0 in Dukhan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $216 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.
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 Dukhan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dukhan cheaper than Cebu?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 83% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cebu or Dukhan?
On paper, salaries run 1083% lower in Dukhan. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Cebu and Dukhan?
Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $1,346 in Dukhan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Cebu and in Dukhan?
Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Dukhan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Dukhan?
All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $1,683 in Dukhan – a 83% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Cebu or in Dukhan?
At $918 in Cebu versus $1,683 in Dukhan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Dukhan. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Cebu or Dukhan more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Dukhan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Cebu or Dukhan?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Dukhan are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Dukhan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.