Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mashhad and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $745 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Mashhad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$745

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mashhad 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 Mashhad and in Cebu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $745 in Mashhad versus $918 in Cebu.

Mashhad $745
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,114 in Mashhad versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Mashhad $1,114
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,483 in Mashhad versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Mashhad $1,483
Cebu $1,900

Living in Mashhad costs roughly 19% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mashhad 45% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.17 IQD 6,301

$3.09 ₱194

34.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.37 IQD 44.4K

$24.22 ₱1,525

21.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.73 IQD 10.2K

$3.92 ₱247

71.68%

Cappuccino

$2.67 IQD 4,034

$2.51 ₱158

6.37%

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

$0.33 IQD 492

$1.59 ₱100

-79.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 IQD 333

$0.53 ₱33.43

-58.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 IQD 4,921

$1.78 ₱112

83.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 IQD 5,091

$2.17 ₱137

55.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 IQD 1,346

$1.92 ₱121

-53.65%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 IQD 1,035

$1.36 ₱85.4

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 IQD 2,005

$1.01 ₱63.5

31.68%

Eggs

$0.82 IQD 1,242

$2.03 ₱128

-59.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.36 IQD 5,071

$9.86 ₱621

-65.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.97 IQD 2,981

$4.39 ₱277

-55.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.09 IQD 4,668

$7.60 ₱479

-59.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,521

$3.30 ₱208

-69.39%

Banana (1kg)

$0.92 IQD 1,385

$1.39 ₱87.8

-33.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.91 IQD 1,373

$2.33 ₱147

-60.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,026

$1.50 ₱94.3

-54.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 845

$2.36 ₱149

-76.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 900

$1.90 ₱119

-68.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.29 IQD 432

$1.19 ₱74.9

-75.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 IQD 322

$0.63 ₱39.71

-66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.83 IQD 1,254

$3.00 ₱189

-72.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.88 IQD 17.9K

$6.03 ₱379

97.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 IQD 2,989

$1.23 ₱77.7

60.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 IQD 2,965

$1.75 ₱110

12.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 IQD 690

$0.25 ₱15.86

84.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.64 IQD 32.7K

$12.64 ₱796

71.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 IQD 3,031

$0.77 ₱48.62

161.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 IQD 1,965

$0.23 ₱14.53

465.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.39 IQD 9,659

$4.46 ₱281

43.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.53 IQD 805

$1.31 ₱82.8

-59.54%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-20.95%

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

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

-12.67%

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

$192 IQD 289.6K

$120 ₱7,569

59.43%

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

$17.37 IQD 26.2K

$14.00 ₱882

24.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.33 IQD 54.9K

$27.54 ₱1,734

31.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.10 IQD 51.5K

$32.33 ₱2,035

5.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 IQD 15.1K

$5.65 ₱356

77.35%

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

$147 IQD 221.6K

$275 ₱17.3K

-46.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,968 IQD 4.5M

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-62.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.05 IQD 37.9K

$49.33 ₱3,106

-49.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.34 IQD 42.8K

$25.24 ₱1,589

12.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.1 IQD 90.8K

$77.0 ₱4,846

-21.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.28 IQD 62.4K

$57.2 ₱3,601

-27.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$150 IQD 226.4K

$500 ₱31.5K

-70.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$118 IQD 178.6K

$309 ₱19.4K

-61.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 IQD 606.7K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-62.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$286 IQD 432.6K

$615 ₱38.7K

-53.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$717 IQD 1.1M

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-75.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$639 IQD 965.4K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-66.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

7.2

-42.78%

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

Last update for Mashhad: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mashhad

$245 32.9%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 34.1% $84

Accommodation & Living

Mashhad

$118 15.9%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 161% $191

Groceries & Markets

Mashhad

$115 15.5%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 78.6% $91

Eating Out

Mashhad

$111 14.9%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 20.3% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Mashhad

$70 9.3%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 34.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Mashhad

$54 7.3%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 19.4% $11

Getting Around

Mashhad

$32 4.3%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 51.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $150 in Mashhad and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $29.00 in Mashhad vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $115 vs $206, with Mashhad cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Mashhad

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

02:55 2:55 AM

5 h ahead of Mashhad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

964,169

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mashhad Cebu 8,640 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mashhad
Cebu

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

Mashhad vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mashhad is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and clothing. The 23% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,118 in Mashhad and $1,377 in Cebu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $150 in Mashhad versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $745 per month in Mashhad versus $918 in Cebu – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Mashhad runs roughly 71% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Mashhad gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Mashhad 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, Mashhad 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 Mashhad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.