Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Isfahan and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Isfahan: $475 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Isfahan
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Isfahan Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Isfahan

🇮🇷 Iran

$475

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Isfahan and in Cebu

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Isfahan and in Cebu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $475 in Isfahan versus $934 in Cebu.

Isfahan $475
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $801 in Isfahan versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Isfahan $801
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,127 in Isfahan versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Isfahan $1,127
Cebu $1,896

Living in Isfahan costs roughly 49% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Isfahan 65% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 $2.96

$3.03 ₱191

-2.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.39 $12.39

$23.48 ₱1,476

-47.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.99 $2.99

$4.09 ₱257

-26.89%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 $0.78

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

Cappuccino

$0.98 $0.98

$2.52 ₱158

-61.11%

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

$0.48 $0.48

$1.54 ₱97.2

-68.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 $0.49

$0.49 ₱31.06

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱113

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

Milk (1 liter)

$0.48 $0.48

$1.95 ₱122

-75.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.43 $0.43

$1.43 ₱89.9

-69.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.02 ₱64.0

85.29%

Eggs

$1.45 $1.45

$2.06 ₱129

-29.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$9.81 ₱617

-70.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$4.61 ₱290

-48.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.55 $10.55

$7.70 ₱484

37.01%

Apples (1kg)

$0.71 $0.71

$3.31 ₱208

-78.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.45 ₱91.2

-10.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.36 ₱148

-56.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 $0.60

$1.54 ₱96.6

-61.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 $0.55

$2.36 ₱148

-76.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 $0.49

$1.99 ₱125

-75.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 $0.55

$1.15 ₱72.3

-52.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 $0.21

$0.67 ₱42.26

-68.66%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.48 $0.48

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 $0.50

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 $0.83

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.08 $2.08

$3.00 ₱189

-30.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱399

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱82.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 $0.31

$0.25 ₱15.82

24.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.62 $12.62

$12.65 ₱796

-0.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 $0.51

$0.74 ₱46.44

-31.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 $0.29

$0.21 ₱13.15

38.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 $1.95

$4.33 ₱272

-54.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.33 ₱83.7

-30.08%

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

$67.3K $67.3K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

209.15%

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

$59.0K $59.0K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

204.20%

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

$10.18 $10.18

$121 ₱7,583

-91.56%

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

$2.00 $2.00

$14.45 ₱909

-86.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.35 $7.35

$28.29 ₱1,779

-74.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.71 $13.71

$32.68 ₱2,055

-58.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.36 $13.36

$6.39 ₱402

109.08%

Cinema Ticket

$1.02 $1.02

$5.46 ₱343

-81.32%

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

$71.9 $71.9

$273 ₱17.2K

-73.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$528 $528

$8,156 ₱512.9K

-93.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.34 $18.34

$49.57 ₱3,117

-63.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.42 $24.42

$24.87 ₱1,564

-1.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.4 $85.4

$76.6 ₱4,817

11.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.85 $36.85

$59.3 ₱3,727

-37.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 $290

$506 ₱31.8K

-42.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 $194

$309 ₱19.5K

-37.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,345 $1,345

$1,052 ₱66.1K

27.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$456 $456

$619 ₱38.9K

-26.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,175 $1,175

$2,915 ₱183.4K

-59.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$749 $749

$1,867 ₱117.4K

-59.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$205 $205

$341 ₱21.5K

-39.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.8

7.2

272.22%

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

Last update for Isfahan: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Isfahan

$194 41.5%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 59.6% $116

Groceries & Markets

Isfahan

$100 21.4%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 110% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Isfahan

$74 15.9%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 27.4% $20

Eating Out

Isfahan

$48 10.3%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 82.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Isfahan

$20 4.2%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 736% $144

Getting Around

Isfahan

$16 3.4%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 2.4% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Isfahan

$16 3.4%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 177% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $290 in Isfahan and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 67% 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: $12.00 in Isfahan vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $100 vs $210 per month, with Isfahan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Isfahan

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

08:56 8:56 AM

13:26 1:26 PM

4 h 30 min ahead of Isfahan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,961,260

964,169

💱 Currency

USD USD

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

PHP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Isfahan Cebu 7,740 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Isfahan
Cebu

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Isfahan vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Isfahan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 96% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 67% lower in Cebu. 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: $290 in Isfahan versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $475 per month in Isfahan versus $934 in Cebu – a 96% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Isfahan runs roughly 0% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Isfahan gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Isfahan 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, Isfahan and Cebu 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 Isfahan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.