Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Ha'il

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,040 in Ha'il, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Ha'il despite lower rent and utilities.

Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Ha'il
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,040
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Ha'il

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,040 in Ha'il.

  • Cebu $918
  • Ha'il $1,040

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,589 in Ha'il.

  • Cebu $1,409
  • Ha'il $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,139 in Ha'il.

  • Cebu $1,900
  • Ha'il $2,139

Living in Cebu costs roughly 12% less than in Ha'il, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Ha'il 23% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Ha'il
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.09 ₱194
$5.47 SAR 20.52
-43.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.22 ₱1,525
$37.36 SAR 140
-35.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.92 ₱247
$5.88 SAR 22.05
-33.33%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.18 SAR 4.43
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.33 SAR 8.73
-
Cappuccino
$2.51 ₱158
$2.60 SAR 9.76
-3.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 ₱100
$0.61 SAR 2.29
160.66%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 ₱33.43
$0.24 SAR 0.90
120.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.78 ₱112
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 ₱137
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Ha'il
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.92 ₱121
$1.72 SAR 6.47
11.63%
White Bread (500g)
$1.36 ₱85.4
$0.84 SAR 3.17
61.90%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.01 ₱63.5
$1.83 SAR 6.87
-44.81%
Eggs
$2.03 ₱128
$1.88 SAR 7.05
7.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.86 ₱621
$6.81 SAR 25.56
44.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.39 ₱277
$8.52 SAR 31.96
-48.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.60 ₱479
$8.55 SAR 32.10
-11.11%
Apples (1kg)
$3.30 ₱208
$1.57 SAR 5.88
110.19%
Banana (1kg)
$1.39 ₱87.8
$1.58 SAR 5.91
-12.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.33 ₱147
$1.31 SAR 4.90
77.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ₱94.3
$2.03 SAR 7.61
-26.11%
Potato (1kg)
$2.36 ₱149
$1.32 SAR 4.95
78.79%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 ₱119
$1.62 SAR 6.06
17.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 ₱74.9
$1.23 SAR 4.60
-3.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63 ₱39.71
$0.49 SAR 1.83
28.57%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$3.02 SAR 11.35
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.75 SAR 6.56
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.04 SAR 7.65
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00 ₱189
$6.73 SAR 25.25
-55.42%
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
Ha'il
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 ₱15.86
$1.05 SAR 3.93
-76.19%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.64 ₱796
$36.18 SAR 136
-65.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.77 ₱48.62
$2.68 SAR 10.07
-71.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.23 ₱14.53
$1.88 SAR 7.06
-87.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.46 ₱281
$13.58 SAR 50.9
-67.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ₱82.8
$0.61 SAR 2.27
114.75%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ₱1.3M
$44.7K SAR 167.8K
-52.51%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.1K ₱1.2M
$21.6K SAR 81.0K
-11.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Ha'il
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 ₱7,569
$52.7 SAR 198
128.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.00 ₱882
$21.32 SAR 80.0
-34.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.54 ₱1,734
$47.59 SAR 179
-42.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Ha'il
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.33 ₱2,035
$67.4 SAR 253
-52.01%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.65 ₱419
$26.99 SAR 101
-75.36%
Cinema Ticket
$5.65 ₱356
$14.85 SAR 55.7
-61.95%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Ha'il
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$275 ₱17.3K
$414 SAR 1,554
-33.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,918 ₱498.5K
$7,887 SAR 29.6K
0.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Ha'il
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.33 ₱3,106
$43.06 SAR 162
14.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.24 ₱1,589
$54.6 SAR 205
-53.81%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.0 ₱4,846
$96.6 SAR 363
-20.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.2 ₱3,601
$87.9 SAR 330
-34.91%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Ha'il
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$500 ₱31.5K
$245 SAR 918
104.24%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ₱19.4K
$366 SAR 1,373
-15.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 ₱67.9K
$362 SAR 1,359
197.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$615 ₱38.7K
$566 SAR 2,123
8.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,886 ₱181.7K
$2,369 SAR 8,890
21.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,917 ₱120.7K
$1,359 SAR 5,099
41.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Ha'il
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$346 ₱21.8K
$1,087 SAR 4,080
-68.18%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
5.54
29.96%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ha'il: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$309
Ha'il
$366 18.5% $57
Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$206
Ha'il
$180 12.7% $26
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$162
Ha'il
$122 24.9% $40
Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94
Ha'il
$127 35.2% $33
Eating Out
Cebu
$88
Ha'il
$96 8.8% $7.7
Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44
Ha'il
$97 123% $53
Getting Around
Cebu
$16
Ha'il
$52 237% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $245 in Ha'il. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ha'il pays 214% 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 $37.00 in Ha'il. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $180, with Ha'il cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cebu
🇸🇦 Ha'il
🕒 Local time
03:18 3:18 AM
22:18 10:18 PM
5 h behind Cebu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
964,169
310,897
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cebu Ha'il 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cebu
  • Ha'il

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 Ha'il: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ha'il cheaper than Cebu?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cebu or Ha'il?
On paper, salaries run 214% lower in Ha'il. 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 Ha'il?
Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $245 in Ha'il. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Ha'il?
All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $1,040 in Ha'il – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 186% less than in Ha'il. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,000 enough for either Cebu or Ha'il?
Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Cebu gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is Cebu or Ha'il more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ha'il, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Cebu or Ha'il?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Ha'il 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 13% less than in Ha'il. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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