Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Masjed Soleyman

For one person, living is cheaper in Masjed Soleyman: $520 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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 Masjed Soleyman
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Masjed Soleyman Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Masjed Soleyman

🇮🇷 Iran

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Masjed Soleyman

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $520 in Masjed Soleyman.

Cebu $918
Masjed Soleyman $520

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $845 in Masjed Soleyman.

Cebu $1,409
Masjed Soleyman $845

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,171 in Masjed Soleyman.

Cebu $1,900
Masjed Soleyman $1,171

Living in Cebu is roughly 77% more expensive than in Masjed Soleyman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Masjed Soleyman 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$2.67 $2.67

15.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$15.40 $15.40

57.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$4.03 $4.03

-2.73%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.75 $0.75

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 $1.24

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.26 $1.26

99.21%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.46 $0.46

245.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$1.06 $1.06

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$0.58 $0.58

231.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.52 $0.52

161.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$2.03 $2.03

-50.25%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.22 $1.22

66.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$4.06 $4.06

142.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$3.54 $3.54

24.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$10.12 $10.12

-24.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$1.01 $1.01

226.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.72 $1.72

-19.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$0.95 $0.95

145.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.61 $0.61

145.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.53 $0.53

345.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.43 $0.43

341.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.55 $0.55

116.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.26 $0.26

142.31%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 $0.60

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 $1.26

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$2.35 $2.35

27.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.16 $0.16

56.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$9.11 $9.11

38.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.46 $0.46

67.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.28 $0.28

-17.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$2.50 $2.50

78.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.09 $0.09

1355.56%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$45.2K $45.2K

-52.99%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$38.6K $38.6K

-50.38%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$11.29 $11.29

964.92%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$1.75 $1.75

700.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$3.17 $3.17

768.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$18.67 $18.67

73.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$14.65 $14.65

-54.61%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$1.74 $1.74

224.71%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$107 $107

157.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$2,699 $2,699

193.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$19.65 $19.65

151.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$26.85 $26.85

-6.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$110 $110

-30.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$79.3 $79.3

-27.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$278 $278

79.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$195 $195

58.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$898 $898

19.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$369 $369

66.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$1,300 $1,300

122.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$578 $578

231.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

24.3

-70.37%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Masjed Soleyman: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Masjed Soleyman

$195 37.5% 36.9% $114

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Masjed Soleyman

$114 22% 44.5% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Masjed Soleyman

$16 3.1% 90% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Masjed Soleyman

$106 20.4% 13.1% $12

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Masjed Soleyman

$55 10.5% 38.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Masjed Soleyman

$22 4.3% 49.2% $21

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Masjed Soleyman

$12 2.2% 25.4% $4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $278 in Masjed Soleyman. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $15.00 in Masjed Soleyman for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $114 per month, with Masjed Soleyman cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇷 Masjed Soleyman

🕒 Local time

15:57 3:57 PM

11:27 11:27 AM

4 h 30 min behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

100,497

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Masjed Soleyman 7,960 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Masjed Soleyman

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 Masjed Soleyman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Masjed Soleyman is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 77% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $780 in Masjed Soleyman 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: $500 in Cebu versus $278 in Masjed Soleyman. 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 $520 in Masjed Soleyman – a 77% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Masjed Soleyman runs roughly 39% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Masjed Soleyman gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Masjed Soleyman 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 Masjed Soleyman 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 Masjed Soleyman gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.