Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Sakakah

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,188 in Sakakah, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Sakakah
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Sakakah Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Sakakah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,188

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Sakakah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,188 in Sakakah.

Cebu $918
Sakakah $1,188

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,756 in Sakakah.

Cebu $1,409
Sakakah $1,756

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,324 in Sakakah.

Cebu $1,900
Sakakah $2,324

Living in Cebu costs roughly 23% less than in Sakakah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Sakakah 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$5.73 SAR 21.49

-46.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$37.30 SAR 140

-35.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$8.20 SAR 30.76

-52.20%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 SAR 8.18

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.16

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$3.50 SAR 13.13

-28.29%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.68 SAR 2.55

133.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.32 SAR 1.19

65.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.72 SAR 6.46

11.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.31 SAR 4.91

3.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$2.33 SAR 8.75

-56.65%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.35 SAR 8.80

-13.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$7.41 SAR 27.81

33.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$8.08 SAR 30.31

-45.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$12.76 SAR 47.89

-40.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.23 SAR 8.36

47.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.76 SAR 6.60

-21.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.59 SAR 5.98

46.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.58 SAR 5.93

-5.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.17 SAR 4.39

101.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.28 SAR 4.80

48.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.21 SAR 4.55

-1.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.54 SAR 2.01

16.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.98 SAR 11.18

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 SAR 6.54

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 SAR 7.89

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$6.72 SAR 25.22

-55.36%

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

$1.09 SAR 4.08

-77.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$37.36 SAR 140

-66.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$2.62 SAR 9.84

-70.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$1.88 SAR 7.07

-87.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$13.31 SAR 49.96

-66.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.60 SAR 2.26

118.33%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$44.8K SAR 168.1K

-52.57%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$21.2K SAR 79.4K

-9.56%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$105 SAR 393

14.89%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$32.57 SAR 122

-57.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$66.0 SAR 248

-58.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$80.3 SAR 301

-59.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$13.30 SAR 49.89

-57.52%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$417 SAR 1,565

-33.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$8,055 SAR 30.2K

-1.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$43.19 SAR 162

14.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$55.4 SAR 208

-54.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$97.4 SAR 366

-21.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$85.7 SAR 321

-33.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$573 SAR 2,150

-12.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$378 SAR 1,417

-18.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$821 SAR 3,081

31.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$566 SAR 2,123

8.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$2,363 SAR 8,868

22.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,366 SAR 5,125

40.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$949 SAR 3,562

-63.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

5.54

29.96%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sakakah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Sakakah

$378 31.8% 22.3% $69

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Sakakah

$203 17.1% 1.3% $2.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Sakakah

$203 17.1% 25.6% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Sakakah

$127 10.7% 35% $33

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Sakakah

$116 9.8% 31.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Sakakah

$107 9% 145% $63

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Sakakah

$54 4.5% 245% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $573 in Sakakah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sakakah pays 174% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $37.00 in Sakakah. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $203, with Sakakah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇸🇦 Sakakah

🕒 Local time

14:25 2:25 PM

09:25 9:25 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

242,813

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Sakakah 8,840 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Sakakah

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 Sakakah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 29% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 174% lower in Sakakah. 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 $573 in Sakakah. 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 $1,188 in Sakakah – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 196% less than in Sakakah. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,188 in Sakakah, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Sakakah. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Cebu and Sakakah 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Sakakah. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.