Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Islamabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Islamabad: $608 a month against $943 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Islamabad
Learn more

Islamabad Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$943

/mo nomad

Islamabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Islamabad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $943 in Cebu versus $608 in Islamabad.

Cebu $943
Islamabad $608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,437 in Cebu versus $950 in Islamabad.

Cebu $1,437
Islamabad $950

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,930 in Cebu versus $1,292 in Islamabad.

Cebu $1,930
Islamabad $1,292

Living in Cebu is roughly 55% more expensive than in Islamabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Islamabad 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 ₱244

$3.57 PKR 986

8.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.22 ₱1,462

$24.14 PKR 6,678

-3.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.90 ₱246

$5.37 PKR 1,484

-27.37%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.73 PKR 1,031

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 PKR 1,948

Cappuccino

$2.56 ₱161

$2.67 PKR 739

-4.12%

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

$1.60 ₱101

$0.35 PKR 95.7

357.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.02

$0.24 PKR 66.6

112.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 ₱111

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ₱136

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 ₱125

$0.99 PKR 273

101.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.3

$0.74 PKR 203

85.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ₱59.8

$1.29 PKR 358

-26.36%

Eggs

$2.02 ₱127

$1.32 PKR 366

53.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 ₱606

$5.97 PKR 1,653

61.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 ₱274

$3.03 PKR 838

43.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱485

$5.52 PKR 1,528

39.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱207

$1.35 PKR 374

144.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 ₱79.7

$0.86 PKR 239

47.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$1.04 PKR 287

125.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 ₱95.3

$0.55 PKR 151

174.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 ₱141

$0.30 PKR 83.3

643.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 ₱122

$0.40 PKR 110

382.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ₱74.4

$0.28 PKR 77.1

321.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ₱40.92

$0.43 PKR 118

51.16%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.00 PKR 552

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 PKR 347

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 PKR 729

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 ₱182

$2.36 PKR 652

22.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱400

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱80.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₱103

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.42

$0.17 PKR 46.19

35.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.24 ₱770

$21.61 PKR 5,977

-43.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 ₱51.5

$1.28 PKR 355

-35.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.56

$0.70 PKR 194

-71.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.32 ₱272

$1.65 PKR 456

161.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ₱86.7

$1.33 PKR 369

3.76%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$54.3K PKR 15.0M

-60.94%

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

$19.3K ₱1.2M

$23.1K PKR 6.4M

-16.67%

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

$124 ₱7,814

$103 PKR 28.4K

20.70%

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

$15.93 ₱1,003

$6.17 PKR 1,707

158.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 ₱1,767

$17.36 PKR 4,802

61.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.41 ₱2,103

$33.65 PKR 9,308

-0.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.40 ₱403

$8.62 PKR 2,384

-25.75%

Cinema Ticket

$5.85 ₱368

$4.97 PKR 1,376

17.71%

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

$271 ₱17.0K

$326 PKR 90.2K

-17.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,060 ₱507.3K

$22.4K PKR 6.2M

-64.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.31 ₱3,041

$25.82 PKR 7,142

87.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.56 ₱1,546

$34.52 PKR 9,548

-28.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 ₱4,855

$95.6 PKR 26.4K

-19.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.5 ₱3,557

$41.07 PKR 11.4K

37.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 ₱31.2K

$248 PKR 68.5K

99.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.2K

$139 PKR 38.5K

131.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$990 ₱62.3K

$549 PKR 151.7K

80.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₱39.5K

$280 PKR 77.5K

124.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,459 ₱280.6K

$1,655 PKR 457.9K

169.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,030 ₱190.7K

$825 PKR 228.1K

267.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$343 ₱21.6K

$384 PKR 106.1K

-10.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

13.08

-44.95%

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

Last update for Cebu: November 2, 2026

Last update for Islamabad: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$322 34.1%

Islamabad

$139 22.9% 56.7% $183

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 21.8%

Islamabad

$104 17.1% 49.4% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$168 17.8%

Islamabad

$126 20.8% 24.8% $42

Eating Out

Cebu

$95 10.1%

Islamabad

$79 13% 16.8% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$93 9.9%

Islamabad

$89 14.6% 4.6% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$45 4.8%

Islamabad

$44 7.2% 3.3% $1.5

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.6%

Islamabad

$27 4.5% 80.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $495 in Cebu and $248 in Islamabad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Islamabad pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23 in Cebu vs $24 in Islamabad. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $104, with Islamabad cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇵🇰 Islamabad

🕒 Local time

08:51 8:51 AM

05:51 5:51 AM

3 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

1,009,832 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 62.95 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.66 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Islamabad 5,780 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Islamabad

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 Islamabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Islamabad is about 36% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Cebu. 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: $495 in Cebu versus $248 in Islamabad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $943 per month in Cebu versus $608 in Islamabad – Islamabad is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 43% less than in Islamabad. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Islamabad are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.