Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Misrata

For one person, living is cheaper in Misrata: $440 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Misrata
🇱🇾 Libya
$440
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Misrata

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $440 in Misrata.

  • Cebu $918
  • Misrata $440

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $708 in Misrata.

  • Cebu $1,409
  • Misrata $708

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $977 in Misrata.

  • Cebu $1,900
  • Misrata $977

Living in Cebu is roughly 109% more expensive than in Misrata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Misrata 67% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Misrata
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.09 ₱194
$2.57 LYD 16.49
20.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.22 ₱1,525
$7.93 LYD 50.8
205.42%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.92 ₱247
$2.58 LYD 16.50
51.94%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$0.63 LYD 4.07
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.45 LYD 2.88
-
Cappuccino
$2.51 ₱158
$0.44 LYD 2.81
470.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 ₱100
$0.46 LYD 2.94
245.65%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 ₱33.43
$0.11 LYD 0.70
381.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.78 ₱112
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 ₱137
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Misrata
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.92 ₱121
$0.90 LYD 5.79
113.33%
White Bread (500g)
$1.36 ₱85.4
$0.20 LYD 1.28
580.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.01 ₱63.5
$0.96 LYD 6.17
5.21%
Eggs
$2.03 ₱128
$1.22 LYD 7.79
66.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.86 ₱621
$4.02 LYD 25.76
145.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.39 ₱277
$3.41 LYD 21.88
28.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.60 ₱479
$8.66 LYD 55.5
-12.24%
Apples (1kg)
$3.30 ₱208
$2.31 LYD 14.77
42.86%
Banana (1kg)
$1.39 ₱87.8
$1.46 LYD 9.38
-4.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.33 ₱147
$0.74 LYD 4.72
214.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ₱94.3
$0.60 LYD 3.85
150.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.36 ₱149
$0.72 LYD 4.61
227.78%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 ₱119
$0.50 LYD 3.22
280.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 ₱74.9
$0.40 LYD 2.55
197.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63 ₱39.71
$0.17 LYD 1.12
270.59%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$2.20 LYD 14.08
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.69 LYD 4.45
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.83 LYD 5.30
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00 ₱189
$1.91 LYD 12.27
57.07%
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
Misrata
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 ₱15.86
$0.64 LYD 4.09
-60.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.64 ₱796
$38.98 LYD 250
-67.57%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.77 ₱48.62
$0.79 LYD 5.09
-2.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.23 ₱14.53
$0.49 LYD 3.16
-53.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.46 ₱281
$2.34 LYD 15.02
90.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ₱82.8
$0.02 LYD 0.13
6450.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ₱1.3M
$23.2K LYD 148.9K
-8.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.1K ₱1.2M
$19.6K LYD 125.6K
-2.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Misrata
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 ₱7,569
$63.2 LYD 405
90.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.00 ₱882
$6.23 LYD 39.94
124.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.54 ₱1,734
$26.42 LYD 169
4.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Misrata
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.33 ₱2,035
$14.26 LYD 91.4
126.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.65 ₱419
$7.77 LYD 49.79
-14.41%
Cinema Ticket
$5.65 ₱356
$4.56 LYD 29.21
23.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Misrata
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$275 ₱17.3K
$25.48 LYD 163
980.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,918 ₱498.5K
$824 LYD 5,282
860.72%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Misrata
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.33 ₱3,106
$23.01 LYD 147
114.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.24 ₱1,589
$17.16 LYD 110
47.09%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.0 ₱4,846
$46.94 LYD 301
63.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.2 ₱3,601
$41.91 LYD 269
36.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Misrata
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$500 ₱31.5K
$147 LYD 944
239.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ₱19.4K
$73.7 LYD 472
319.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 ₱67.9K
$321 LYD 2,057
235.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$615 ₱38.7K
$218 LYD 1,398
182.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,886 ₱181.7K
$505 LYD 3,237
471.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,917 ₱120.7K
$102 LYD 653
1779.72%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Misrata
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$346 ₱21.8K
$396 LYD 2,535
-12.55%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
20
-64.00%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Misrata: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$309
Misrata
$74 76.1% $235
Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$206
Misrata
$108 47.6% $98
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$162
Misrata
$96 40.7% $66
Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94
Misrata
$58 38.2% $36
Eating Out
Cebu
$88
Misrata
$36 59.4% $52
Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44
Misrata
$23 46.4% $20
Getting Around
Cebu
$16
Misrata
$45 188% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $147 in Misrata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Misrata pays 14% 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 $8.00 in Misrata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $108 per month, with Misrata cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cebu
🇱🇾 Misrata
🕒 Local time
08:21 8:21 AM
02:21 2:21 AM
6 h behind Cebu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
964,169
600,000
💱 Currency
Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د
Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

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).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.2 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cebu Misrata 11,110 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cebu
  • Misrata

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 Misrata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Misrata cheaper than Cebu?
Misrata is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 109% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cebu or Misrata?
On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Misrata. 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 Misrata?
Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $147 in Misrata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Misrata?
All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $440 in Misrata – a 109% 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 Misrata runs roughly 208% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,000 enough for either Cebu or Misrata?
Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Misrata gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is Cebu or Misrata more family-friendly?
For families, Misrata 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.
Which city is safer, Cebu or Misrata?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Misrata 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 Misrata gentler on the wallet – expenses run 109% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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