For one person, living is cheaper in Tabriz: $406 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
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 Tabriz actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $406 in Tabriz.
Cebu $934
Tabriz $406
Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $686 in Tabriz.
Cebu $1,415
Tabriz $686
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $966 in Tabriz.
Cebu $1,896
Tabriz $966
🌍
Living in Cebu is roughly 130% more expensive than in Tabriz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.
📊
Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu30% lower, Tabriz70% lower.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Tabriz
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.03₱191
$2.96$2.96
2.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.48₱1,476
$14.87$14.87
57.90%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$4.09₱257
$3.95$3.95
3.54%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.07$1.07
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.08$1.08
-
Cappuccino
$2.52₱158
$1.37$1.37
83.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54₱97.2
$0.56$0.56
175.00%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49₱31.06
$0.59$0.59
-16.95%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$1.79₱113
-
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26₱142
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Tabriz
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.95₱122
$0.56$0.56
248.21%
White Bread(500g)
$1.43₱89.9
$0.38$0.38
276.32%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$1.02₱64.0
$3.67$3.67
-72.21%
Eggs
$2.06₱129
$0.84$0.84
145.24%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$9.81₱617
$4.84$4.84
102.69%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$4.61₱290
$2.91$2.91
58.42%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$7.70₱484
$9.43$9.43
-18.35%
Apples(1kg)
$3.31₱208
$0.95$0.95
248.42%
Banana(1kg)
$1.45₱91.2
$1.28$1.28
13.28%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.36₱148
$0.80$0.80
195.00%
Tomato(1kg)
$1.54₱96.6
$0.57$0.57
170.18%
Potato(1kg)
$2.36₱148
$0.53$0.53
345.28%
Onion(1kg)
$1.99₱125
$0.51$0.51
290.20%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.15₱72.3
$0.42$0.42
173.81%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.67₱42.26
$0.20$0.20
235.00%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine(Mid-Range)
-
$0.61$0.61
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.40$0.40
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.49$1.49
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00₱189
$2.14$2.14
40.19%
Wine(Bottle)
$6.35₱399
-
-
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.31₱82.1
-
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73₱109
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Tabriz
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.25₱15.82
$0.10$0.10
150.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$12.65₱796
$12.39$12.39
2.10%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$0.74₱46.44
$0.39$0.39
89.74%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.21₱13.15
$0.17$0.17
23.53%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$4.33₱272
$3.88$3.88
11.60%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.33₱83.7
$0.09$0.09
1377.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K₱1.4M
$71.7K$71.7K
-69.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.4K₱1.2M
$54.4K$54.4K
-64.34%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Tabriz
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$121₱7,583
$14.37$14.37
739.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.45₱909
$1.99$1.99
626.13%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.29₱1,779
$5.39$5.39
424.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Tabriz
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$32.68₱2,055
$14.69$14.69
122.46%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.39₱402
$25.17$25.17
-74.61%
Cinema Ticket
$5.46₱343
$1.51$1.51
261.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Tabriz
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$273₱17.2K
$60.0$60.0
356.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$8,156₱512.9K
$554$554
1372.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Tabriz
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.57₱3,117
$15.65$15.65
216.74%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.87₱1,564
$10.69$10.69
132.65%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$76.6₱4,817
$75.3$75.3
1.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$59.3₱3,727
$49.44$49.44
19.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Tabriz
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$506₱31.8K
$153$153
231.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$309₱19.5K
$118$118
161.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,052₱66.1K
$364$364
188.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$619₱38.9K
$239$239
158.51%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$2,915₱183.4K
$880$880
231.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$1,867₱117.4K
$843$843
121.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Tabriz
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$341₱21.5K
$236$236
44.57%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
7.2
22.5
-68.00%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026
Last update for Tabriz: October 5, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$309 33.5%
Tabriz
$118 29.1% ↓ 61.7%$191
🛒Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$210 22.7%
Tabriz
$110 27.1% ↓ 47.7%$100
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$163 17.7%
Tabriz
$22 5.4% ↓ 86.7%$142
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$95 10.2%
Tabriz
$68 16.7% ↓ 28.2%$27
🍽Eating Out
Cebu
$88 9.6%
Tabriz
$57 13.9% ↓ 36%$32
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44 4.7%
Tabriz
$18 4.4% ↓ 59.4%$26
🚌Getting Around
Cebu
$15 1.7%
Tabriz
$14 3.5% ↓ 9.1%$1.4
🏠Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$619 32.4%
Tabriz
$239 25.1% ↓ 61.3%$380
🛒Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$493 25.8%
Tabriz
$265 27.7% ↓ 46.3%$228
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$178 9.3%
Tabriz
$24 2.5% ↓ 86.7%$154
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$210 11%
Tabriz
$151 15.8% ↓ 28.2%$59
🍽Eating Out
Cebu
$288 15.1%
Tabriz
$187 19.6% ↓ 35.2%$101
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$94 4.9%
Tabriz
$61 6.4% ↓ 35.3%$33
🚌Getting Around
Cebu
$31 1.6%
Tabriz
$28 3% ↓ 9.9%$3.1
Cost Breakdown
🏠A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $153 in Tabriz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Cebu pays 45% 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: $23.00 in Cebu vs $15.00 in Tabriz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $110 per month, with Tabriz cheaper across the board.
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 Tabriz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tabriz cheaper than Cebu?
Tabriz is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 130% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cebu or Tabriz?
Average pay runs 45% higher in Cebu, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Cebu and Tabriz?
Rent for a central apartment: $506 in Cebu versus $153 in Tabriz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Tabriz?
All in, you'll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $406 in Tabriz – a 130% 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 Tabriz runs roughly 2% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $800 enough for either Cebu or Tabriz?
Either city works on $800 a month, though Tabriz gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is Cebu or Tabriz more family-friendly?
For families, Tabriz 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 Tabriz?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Tabriz 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 Tabriz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 130% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.