For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,360 in Jeddah, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses 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 Jeddah and in Cebu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,360 in Jeddah versus $934 in Cebu.
Jeddah $1,360
Cebu $934
Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,168 in Jeddah versus $1,415 in Cebu.
Jeddah $2,168
Cebu $1,415
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,975 in Jeddah versus $1,896 in Cebu.
Jeddah $2,975
Cebu $1,896
🌍
Living in Jeddah is roughly 46% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.
📊
The two cities straddle the global median: Jeddah is 2% above, Cebu is 30% below.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Jeddah
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.04SAR 22.68
$3.03₱190
99.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.8SAR 300
$23.48₱1,473
239.78%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$8.75SAR 32.85
$4.09₱256
113.94%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$2.43SAR 9.11
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63SAR 9.88
-
-
Cappuccino
$3.77SAR 14.16
$2.52₱158
49.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.97SAR 3.65
$1.54₱96.9
-37.01%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.24SAR 0.90
$0.49₱30.98
-51.02%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.79₱112
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.26₱142
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Jeddah
Cebu
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.67SAR 6.28
$1.95₱122
-14.36%
White Bread(500g)
$1.33SAR 4.99
$1.43₱89.7
-6.99%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$2.37SAR 8.89
$1.02₱63.8
132.35%
Eggs
$2.48SAR 9.31
$2.06₱129
20.39%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$6.36SAR 23.89
$9.81₱615
-35.17%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$8.00SAR 30.02
$4.61₱289
73.54%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$13.31SAR 49.98
$7.70₱483
72.86%
Apples(1kg)
$2.10SAR 7.90
$3.31₱207
-36.56%
Banana(1kg)
$1.77SAR 6.63
$1.45₱90.9
22.07%
Oranges(1kg)
$1.54SAR 5.80
$2.36₱148
-34.75%
Tomato(1kg)
$1.69SAR 6.36
$1.54₱96.4
9.74%
Potato(1kg)
$1.13SAR 4.26
$2.36₱148
-52.12%
Onion(1kg)
$1.29SAR 4.85
$1.99₱125
-35.18%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.12SAR 4.22
$1.15₱72.1
-2.61%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.50SAR 1.87
$0.67₱42.15
-25.37%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine(Mid-Range)
$4.23SAR 15.90
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.84SAR 6.92
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.58SAR 9.70
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$6.86SAR 25.77
$3.00₱188
128.67%
Wine(Bottle)
-
$6.35₱398
-
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.31₱81.9
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.73₱108
-
🚌 Getting Around
Jeddah
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.89SAR 3.35
$0.25₱15.78
256.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$55.5SAR 208
$12.65₱793
338.34%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$3.11SAR 11.69
$0.74₱46.32
320.27%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$1.77SAR 6.65
$0.21₱13.11
742.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$14.12SAR 53.0
$4.33₱271
226.10%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$0.59SAR 2.21
$1.33₱83.5
-55.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$47.7KSAR 179.0K
$21.8K₱1.4M
119.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.4KSAR 80.4K
$19.4K₱1.2M
10.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jeddah
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$90.3SAR 339
$121₱7,563
-25.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$39.04SAR 147
$14.45₱907
170.17%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67.9SAR 255
$28.29₱1,774
139.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Jeddah
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$79.6SAR 299
$32.68₱2,050
143.67%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$38.23SAR 144
$6.39₱401
498.28%
Cinema Ticket
$12.04SAR 45.22
$5.46₱342
120.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Jeddah
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$757SAR 2,841
$273₱17.1K
176.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$16.3KSAR 61.1K
$8,156₱511.5K
99.48%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Jeddah
Cebu
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$73.8SAR 277
$49.57₱3,109
48.82%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.0SAR 210
$24.87₱1,560
125.29%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$101SAR 380
$76.6₱4,804
32.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$94.3SAR 354
$59.3₱3,717
59.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Jeddah
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$790SAR 2,966
$506₱31.7K
56.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$535SAR 2,009
$309₱19.4K
72.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,418SAR 5,323
$1,052₱66.0K
34.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$817SAR 3,070
$619₱38.8K
32.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$1,777SAR 6,673
$2,915₱182.9K
-39.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$1,143SAR 4,291
$1,867₱117.1K
-38.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Jeddah
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$1,646SAR 6,180
$341₱21.4K
382.53%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
5.39
7.2
-25.14%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Jeddah: October 4, 2026
Last update for Cebu: 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
Jeddah
$535 38.8%
Cebu
$309 33.5% ↓ 42.2%$226
🛒Groceries & Markets
Jeddah
$201 14.6%
Cebu
$210 22.7% ↑ 4.9%$9.8
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jeddah
$197 14.3%
Cebu
$163 17.7% ↓ 17.2%$34
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Jeddah
$146 10.6%
Cebu
$95 10.2% ↓ 35.4%$52
🍽Eating Out
Jeddah
$125 9%
Cebu
$88 9.6% ↓ 29.1%$36
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Jeddah
$104 7.5%
Cebu
$44 4.7% ↓ 58%$60
🚌Getting Around
Jeddah
$71 5.2%
Cebu
$15 1.7% ↓ 78.3%$56
🏠Accommodation & Living
Jeddah
$817 28.1%
Cebu
$619 32.4% ↓ 24.3%$198
🛒Groceries & Markets
Jeddah
$491 16.9%
Cebu
$493 25.8% ↑ 0.3%$1.3
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jeddah
$236 8.1%
Cebu
$178 9.3% ↓ 24.8%$59
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Jeddah
$325 11.2%
Cebu
$210 11% ↓ 35.4%$115
🍽Eating Out
Jeddah
$649 22.3%
Cebu
$288 15.1% ↓ 55.6%$361
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Jeddah
$246 8.4%
Cebu
$94 4.9% ↓ 61.9%$152
🚌Getting Around
Jeddah
$144 4.9%
Cebu
$31 1.6% ↓ 78.2%$112
Cost Breakdown
🏠A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $790 in Jeddah and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Jeddah pays 383% 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: $80.0 in Jeddah vs $23.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $201 vs $210, with Jeddah cheaper for home cooking.
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
Jeddah vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cebu cheaper than Jeddah?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and utilities. The 46% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Jeddah or Cebu?
Average pay runs 383% higher in Jeddah, 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 Jeddah and Cebu?
Rent for a central apartment: $790 in Jeddah versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Jeddah and in Cebu?
All in, you'll spend $1,360 per month in Jeddah versus $934 in Cebu – a 46% 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 Cebu runs roughly 338% less than in Jeddah. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Jeddah or in Cebu?
At $934 in Cebu versus $1,360 in Jeddah, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Jeddah. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Jeddah or Cebu more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Jeddah, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Jeddah or Cebu?
Safety-wise, Jeddah 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Jeddah. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.