Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Taif

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,239 in Taif, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Taif
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Taif Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Taif

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,239

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Taif

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,239 in Taif.

Cebu $918
Taif $1,239

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,827 in Taif.

Cebu $1,409
Taif $1,827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,416 in Taif.

Cebu $1,900
Taif $2,416

Living in Cebu costs roughly 26% less than in Taif, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Taif 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$5.28 SAR 19.82

-41.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$37.38 SAR 140

-35.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.31 SAR 27.41

-46.37%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 SAR 7.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 SAR 5.11

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.23 SAR 8.37

12.56%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.70 SAR 2.64

127.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.17 SAR 0.64

211.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.75 SAR 6.57

9.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.26 SAR 0.97

423.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$2.34 SAR 8.80

-56.84%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.74 SAR 10.26

-25.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$5.97 SAR 22.40

65.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$7.11 SAR 26.68

-38.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$9.46 SAR 35.50

-19.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.38 SAR 8.94

38.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.72 SAR 6.45

-19.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.84 SAR 6.90

26.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.83 SAR 6.86

-18.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.31 SAR 4.92

80.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.42 SAR 5.33

33.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.94 SAR 3.54

26.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.82 SAR 3.07

-23.17%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.20 SAR 11.99

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 SAR 5.32

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 SAR 7.50

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$7.36 SAR 27.63

-59.24%

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

$1.07 SAR 4.03

-76.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$36.19 SAR 136

-65.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$1.30 SAR 4.86

-40.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$2.05 SAR 7.68

-88.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$9.42 SAR 35.34

-52.65%

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

$44.6K SAR 167.3K

-52.35%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$20.8K SAR 78.1K

-8.02%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$138 SAR 519

-13.00%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$28.04 SAR 105

-50.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$67.4 SAR 253

-59.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$145 SAR 543

-77.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$13.23 SAR 49.64

-49.74%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$19.68 SAR 73.9

-71.29%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$185 SAR 693

49.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$3,342 SAR 12.5K

136.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$42.10 SAR 158

17.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$55.3 SAR 208

-54.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$95.5 SAR 358

-19.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$86.4 SAR 324

-33.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$583 SAR 2,187

-14.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$368 SAR 1,380

-16.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$803 SAR 3,012

34.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$566 SAR 2,124

8.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$2,395 SAR 8,986

20.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,368 SAR 5,132

40.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$1,567 SAR 5,880

-77.92%

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 Taif: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Taif

$368 29.7% 19.1% $59

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Taif

$181 14.6% 11.9% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Taif

$234 18.9% 44.4% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Taif

$126 10.2% 33.9% $32

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Taif

$94 7.6% 7% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Taif

$184 14.9% 322% $140

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Taif

$52 4.2% 234% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $583 in Taif. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taif pays 353% 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 Taif. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $181, with Taif cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇸🇦 Taif

🕒 Local time

10:06 10:06 AM

05:06 5:06 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

579,970

💱 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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Between locations

Cebu Taif 8,930 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Taif

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 Taif: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 35% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 353% lower in Taif. 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 $583 in Taif. 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 $1,239 in Taif – a 35% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 186% less than in Taif. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,239 in Taif, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Taif. 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 Taif, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Taif 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 35% less than in Taif. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.