Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Sulaymaniyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $773 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
Learn more

Sulaymaniyah Living Index

Jump to prices

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$773

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Sulaymaniyah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $773 in Sulaymaniyah.

Cebu $934
Sulaymaniyah $773

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $1,194 in Sulaymaniyah.

Cebu $1,415
Sulaymaniyah $1,194

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $1,615 in Sulaymaniyah.

Cebu $1,896
Sulaymaniyah $1,615

Living in Cebu is roughly 21% more expensive than in Sulaymaniyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Sulaymaniyah 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱190

$5.07 IQD 7,660

-40.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,473

$22.93 IQD 34.6K

2.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱256

$7.04 IQD 10.6K

-41.90%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$2.88 IQD 4,344

-12.50%

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

$1.54 ₱96.9

$0.50 IQD 759

208.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.98

$0.25 IQD 378

96.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

$3.93 IQD 5,943

-54.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$2.27 IQD 3,427

-0.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.28 IQD 1,935

52.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.7

$1.01 IQD 1,519

41.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱63.8

$1.86 IQD 2,812

-45.16%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$1.77 IQD 2,672

16.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱615

$4.96 IQD 7,490

97.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱289

$4.22 IQD 6,382

9.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱483

$15.30 IQD 23.1K

-49.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱207

$1.28 IQD 1,935

158.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱90.9

$1.28 IQD 1,937

13.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.15 IQD 1,737

105.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.4

$0.68 IQD 1,025

126.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$0.56 IQD 847

321.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$0.73 IQD 1,096

172.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

$0.73 IQD 1,101

57.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.15

$0.50 IQD 752

34.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

$2.28 IQD 3,444

31.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

$11.23 IQD 17.0K

-43.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

$1.95 IQD 2,949

-32.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

$1.42 IQD 2,141

21.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

$0.60 IQD 902

-58.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

$22.68 IQD 34.3K

-44.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

$2.22 IQD 3,361

-66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$2.34 IQD 3,531

-91.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

$5.50 IQD 8,306

-21.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$0.69 IQD 1,045

92.75%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$20.9K IQD 31.5M

4.27%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$18.9K IQD 28.6M

2.41%

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

$121 ₱7,563

$100 IQD 151.7K

20.14%

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

$14.45 ₱907

$11.49 IQD 17.4K

25.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,774

$28.04 IQD 42.4K

0.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

$39.70 IQD 60.0K

-17.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

$20.09 IQD 30.4K

-68.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

$7.58 IQD 11.5K

-27.97%

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

$273 ₱17.1K

$173 IQD 261.0K

58.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

$2,946 IQD 4.5M

176.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

$18.91 IQD 28.6K

162.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

$25.19 IQD 38.1K

-1.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

$43.24 IQD 65.3K

77.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,717

$38.64 IQD 58.4K

53.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.7K

$215 IQD 324.7K

135.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$175 IQD 264.2K

76.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.0K

$492 IQD 743.9K

113.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

$363 IQD 548.8K

70.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

$786 IQD 1.2M

270.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

$630 IQD 952.4K

196.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

$584 IQD 882.1K

-41.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

5.77

24.78%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Sulaymaniyah

$175 22.5% 43.5% $135

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Sulaymaniyah

$188 24.2% 10.4% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Sulaymaniyah

$140 18% 14.3% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Sulaymaniyah

$57 7.3% 40.1% $38

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Sulaymaniyah

$123 15.9% 39.6% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Sulaymaniyah

$55 7.1% 25.8% $11

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Sulaymaniyah

$39 5% 152% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $215 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sulaymaniyah pays 71% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Cebu vs $23.00 in Sulaymaniyah. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $188, with Sulaymaniyah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🕒 Local time

19:22 7:22 PM

14:22 2:22 PM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

823,199

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.91 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.28 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.91 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Sulaymaniyah 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Sulaymaniyah

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 Sulaymaniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sulaymaniyah is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 21% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 71% lower in Sulaymaniyah. 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: $506 in Cebu versus $215 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $773 in Sulaymaniyah – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sulaymaniyah runs roughly 79% 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 Sulaymaniyah gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Sulaymaniyah 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 Sulaymaniyah 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 Sulaymaniyah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.