Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Kirkuk

For one person, living is cheaper in Kirkuk: $540 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Kirkuk
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Kirkuk Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Kirkuk

🇮🇶 Iraq

$540

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Kirkuk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $540 in Kirkuk.

Cebu $918
Kirkuk $540

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $868 in Kirkuk.

Cebu $1,409
Kirkuk $868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,197 in Kirkuk.

Cebu $1,900
Kirkuk $1,197

Living in Cebu is roughly 70% more expensive than in Kirkuk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Kirkuk 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱195

$3.58 IQD 5,403

-13.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$23.24 IQD 35.1K

4.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$5.40 IQD 8,162

-27.41%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.46 IQD 3,716

2.03%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.36 IQD 537

341.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.45

$0.16 IQD 238

231.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.62 IQD 3,963

-32.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.37 IQD 5,087

-35.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$0.95 IQD 1,433

102.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.5

$0.60 IQD 911

126.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.6

$1.31 IQD 1,984

-22.90%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.27 IQD 1,915

59.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$3.42 IQD 5,160

188.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$3.13 IQD 4,735

40.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$11.18 IQD 16.9K

-32.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$0.79 IQD 1,198

317.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$0.83 IQD 1,254

67.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$0.80 IQD 1,209

191.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.60 IQD 906

150.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.48 IQD 730

391.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.48 IQD 730

295.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.57 IQD 854

108.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.73

$0.32 IQD 477

96.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$1.61 IQD 2,430

86.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱380

$11.55 IQD 17.4K

-47.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.29 IQD 1,950

-4.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.61 IQD 2,434

8.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.87

$0.32 IQD 482

-21.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$20.32 IQD 30.7K

-37.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.64

$2.01 IQD 3,034

-61.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.54

$1.34 IQD 2,028

-82.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$6.42 IQD 9,693

-30.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.47 IQD 712

178.72%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

26.87%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

16.46%

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

$120 ₱7,573

$51.6 IQD 78.0K

132.91%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$17.64 IQD 26.6K

-20.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,735

$36.97 IQD 55.9K

-25.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,036

$9.82 IQD 14.8K

229.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$9.80 IQD 14.8K

-42.35%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$143 IQD 215.9K

92.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.8K

$2,984 IQD 4.5M

165.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,107

$25.27 IQD 38.2K

95.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,590

$16.32 IQD 24.7K

54.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,848

$58.3 IQD 88.1K

31.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,603

$29.54 IQD 44.6K

93.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$162 IQD 245.2K

207.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.5K

$78.1 IQD 118.1K

295.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$198 IQD 299.8K

443.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.8K

$201 IQD 304.3K

205.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.8K

$490 IQD 740.7K

488.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$259 IQD 391.8K

639.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$379 IQD 572.3K

-8.66%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Kirkuk: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Kirkuk

$78 14.5% 74.7% $231

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Kirkuk

$142 26.2% 31.2% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Kirkuk

$106 19.7% 34.3% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Kirkuk

$58 10.8% 38% $36

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Kirkuk

$96 17.8% 9% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Kirkuk

$29 5.4% 32.6% $14

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Kirkuk

$30 5.6% 94.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $162 in Kirkuk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kirkuk pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $23.00 in Kirkuk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $142 per month, with Kirkuk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇶 Kirkuk

🕒 Local time

16:12 4:12 PM

11:12 11:12 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

850,787

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.88 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.93 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.88 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Kirkuk 8,400 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Kirkuk

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 Kirkuk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kirkuk is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 70% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Kirkuk. 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: $500 in Cebu versus $162 in Kirkuk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $540 in Kirkuk – a 70% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kirkuk runs roughly 61% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Kirkuk gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Kirkuk is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cebu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Kirkuk 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 Kirkuk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.