Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Erbil

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,096 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Erbil despite lower rent and utilities.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,096

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Erbil

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $1,096 in Erbil.

Cebu $934
Erbil $1,096

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $1,634 in Erbil.

Cebu $1,415
Erbil $1,634

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $2,173 in Erbil.

Cebu $1,896
Erbil $2,173

Living in Cebu costs roughly 15% less than in Erbil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Erbil 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱190

$7.75 IQD 11.7K

-60.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,473

$42.93 IQD 64.9K

-45.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱256

$8.55 IQD 12.9K

-52.16%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$3.92 IQD 5,918

-35.71%

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

$1.54 ₱96.9

$0.98 IQD 1,476

57.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.98

$0.42 IQD 635

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

$6.10 IQD 9,213

-70.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$4.68 IQD 7,074

-51.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.23 IQD 1,866

58.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.7

$0.82 IQD 1,244

74.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱63.8

$1.74 IQD 2,626

-41.38%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$1.80 IQD 2,716

14.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱615

$8.03 IQD 12.1K

22.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱289

$4.96 IQD 7,488

-7.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱483

$14.57 IQD 22.0K

-47.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱207

$1.09 IQD 1,642

203.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱90.9

$1.11 IQD 1,679

30.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.23 IQD 1,860

91.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.4

$0.76 IQD 1,151

102.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$0.73 IQD 1,104

223.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$0.73 IQD 1,100

172.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

$0.69 IQD 1,050

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.15

$0.60 IQD 903

11.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

$2.44 IQD 3,683

22.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

$12.42 IQD 18.8K

-48.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

$1.62 IQD 2,449

-19.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

$2.16 IQD 3,270

-19.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

$0.59 IQD 896

-57.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

$42.79 IQD 64.7K

-70.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

$1.94 IQD 2,934

-61.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$1.78 IQD 2,686

-88.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

$6.34 IQD 9,572

-31.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$0.68 IQD 1,029

95.59%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$17.7K IQD 26.7M

23.30%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$20.3K IQD 30.6M

-4.26%

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

$121 ₱7,563

$131 IQD 197.2K

-7.61%

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

$14.45 ₱907

$13.79 IQD 20.8K

4.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,774

$27.61 IQD 41.7K

2.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

$65.3 IQD 98.7K

-49.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

$14.26 IQD 21.6K

-55.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

$11.35 IQD 17.2K

-51.89%

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

$273 ₱17.1K

$326 IQD 493.1K

-16.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

$3,186 IQD 4.8M

155.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

$31.25 IQD 47.2K

58.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

$44.50 IQD 67.2K

-44.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

$68.7 IQD 103.8K

11.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,717

$69.0 IQD 104.3K

-14.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.7K

$463 IQD 700.1K

9.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$293 IQD 442.5K

5.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.0K

$725 IQD 1.1M

45.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

$439 IQD 662.8K

41.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

$1,110 IQD 1.7M

162.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

$645 IQD 975.2K

189.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

$590 IQD 891.2K

-42.17%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Erbil: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Erbil

$293 27% 5.4% $17

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Erbil

$199 18.4% 5.4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Erbil

$172 15.9% 5.3% $8.6

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Erbil

$96 8.9% 1.5% $1.5

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Erbil

$180 16.6% 104% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Erbil

$88 8.1% 102% $44

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Erbil

$56 5.2% 263% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $463 in Erbil. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Erbil pays 73% 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: $23.00 in Cebu vs $43.00 in Erbil. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $199, with Erbil cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇶 Erbil

🕒 Local time

16:14 4:14 PM

11:14 11:14 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

1,713,461

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Erbil 8,430 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Erbil

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 Erbil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 73% lower in Erbil. 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 $463 in Erbil. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $1,096 in Erbil – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 238% less than in Erbil. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,096 in Erbil, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Erbil. 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 Erbil, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Erbil 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 17% less than in Erbil. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.