Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Halabjah

For one person, living is cheaper in Halabjah: $634 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Halabjah
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Halabjah Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Halabjah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Halabjah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $634 in Halabjah.

Cebu $934
Halabjah $634

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Cebu versus $962 in Halabjah.

Cebu $1,423
Halabjah $962

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,913 in Cebu versus $1,291 in Halabjah.

Cebu $1,913
Halabjah $1,291

Living in Cebu is roughly 47% more expensive than in Halabjah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 31% lower, Halabjah 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ₱243

$3.24 IQD 4,895

16.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.33 ₱1,493

$16.71 IQD 25.2K

39.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.94 ₱252

$6.77 IQD 10.2K

-41.80%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₱163

$1.68 IQD 2,542

51.19%

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

$1.57 ₱100

$0.35 IQD 536

348.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₱29.87

$0.22 IQD 333

113.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ₱113

$2.28 IQD 3,445

-22.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₱142

$3.27 IQD 4,939

-32.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱121

$0.51 IQD 770

272.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱87.3

$0.69 IQD 1,046

97.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.9

$1.31 IQD 1,973

-28.24%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$1.34 IQD 2,027

48.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 ₱621

$3.29 IQD 4,978

194.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 ₱276

$1.69 IQD 2,548

155.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 ₱481

$8.54 IQD 12.9K

-12.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱212

$0.68 IQD 1,032

386.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ₱87.6

$0.96 IQD 1,450

42.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱150

$0.69 IQD 1,040

239.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱95.5

$0.69 IQD 1,036

115.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱147

$0.55 IQD 834

318.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ₱120

$0.59 IQD 896

216.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱70.4

$0.55 IQD 831

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱40.42

$0.57 IQD 867

10.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 ₱183

$1.63 IQD 2,456

75.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.08 ₱389

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

-47.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.6

$1.66 IQD 2,509

-23.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱110

$0.84 IQD 1,271

104.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱14.01

$0.32 IQD 482

-31.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱790

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱47.60

$1.35 IQD 2,041

-45.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.10

$1.30 IQD 1,969

-83.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 ₱274

$2.02 IQD 3,052

111.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱83.8

$0.58 IQD 881

125.86%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$16.2K IQD 24.5M

27.87%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$8,168 IQD 12.3M

133.19%

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

$118 ₱7,577

$132 IQD 199.2K

-10.17%

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

$15.76 ₱1,009

$9.67 IQD 14.6K

62.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.33 ₱1,813

$25.32 IQD 38.3K

11.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.94 ₱2,108

$37.13 IQD 56.1K

-11.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.49 ₱415

Cinema Ticket

$5.45 ₱349

$10.17 IQD 15.4K

-46.41%

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

$276 ₱17.6K

$144 IQD 217.4K

91.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,789 ₱498.4K

$3,251 IQD 4.9M

139.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.18 ₱3,083

$6.72 IQD 10.2K

616.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.47 ₱1,566

$34.06 IQD 51.5K

-28.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 ₱4,817

$59.6 IQD 90.1K

26.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ₱3,713

$41.04 IQD 62.0K

41.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 ₱30.5K

$186 IQD 281.7K

155.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.6K

$123 IQD 185.5K

162.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 ₱61.6K

$363 IQD 548.0K

165.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₱40.0K

$311 IQD 470.0K

101.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,551 ₱291.2K

$840 IQD 1.3M

441.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,028 ₱193.8K

$446 IQD 674.5K

578.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$333 ₱21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

4.12

74.76%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Halabjah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$322 34.5%

Halabjah

$123 19.4% 61.8% $199

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$204 21.8%

Halabjah

$127 20.1% 37.6% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.4%

Halabjah

$167 26.3% 2.6% $4.3

Eating Out

Cebu

$94 10.1%

Halabjah

$87 13.7% 7.9% $7.4

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$93 9.9%

Halabjah

$64 10% 31.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Halabjah

$57 9.1% 31% $14

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.6%

Halabjah

$9.1 * 1.4% 39.3% $5.9

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 $477 in Cebu and $186 in Halabjah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23 in Cebu vs $17 in Halabjah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $127 per month, with Halabjah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇶 Halabjah

🕒 Local time

02:34 2:34 AM

21:34 9:34 PM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.23 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,682 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Halabjah 8,260 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Halabjah

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 Halabjah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Halabjah is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 47% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,401 in Cebu and $950 in Halabjah to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $477 in Cebu versus $186 in Halabjah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $634 in Halabjah – a 47% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Halabjah 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.