Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mashhad and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $485 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
Learn more

Mashhad Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Mashhad

🇮🇷 Iran

$485

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/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: $485 in Mashhad versus $934 in Cebu.

Mashhad $485
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $770 in Mashhad versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Mashhad $770
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,055 in Mashhad versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Mashhad $1,055
Cebu $1,896

Living in Mashhad costs roughly 48% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mashhad 64% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 $3.03

$3.03 ₱190

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.20 $18.20

$23.48 ₱1,473

-22.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 $4.89

$4.09 ₱256

19.56%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.59 $0.59

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

Cappuccino

$1.09 $1.09

$2.52 ₱158

-56.75%

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

$0.43 $0.43

$1.54 ₱96.9

-72.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 $0.26

$0.49 ₱30.98

-46.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 $0.62

$1.95 ₱122

-68.21%

White Bread (500g)

$0.19 $0.19

$1.43 ₱89.7

-86.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.02 ₱63.8

99.02%

Eggs

$1.10 $1.10

$2.06 ₱129

-46.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$9.81 ₱615

-77.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$4.61 ₱289

-39.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.45 $10.45

$7.70 ₱483

35.71%

Apples (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$3.31 ₱207

-71.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.45 ₱90.9

4.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.78 $0.78

$2.36 ₱148

-66.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.57 $0.57

$1.54 ₱96.4

-62.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.53 $0.53

$2.36 ₱148

-77.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 $0.47

$1.99 ₱125

-76.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 $0.48

$1.15 ₱72.1

-58.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.29 $0.29

$0.67 ₱42.15

-56.72%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.88 $0.88

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 $0.74

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 $0.97

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.00 ₱188

1.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.02 $0.02

$0.25 ₱15.78

-92.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$3.72 $3.72

$12.65 ₱793

-70.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.19 $0.19

$0.74 ₱46.32

-74.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 $0.49

$0.21 ₱13.11

133.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 $1.96

$4.33 ₱271

-54.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.33 ₱83.5

-38.35%

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

$60.2K $60.2K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

176.65%

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

$66.2K $66.2K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

241.10%

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

$13.58 $13.58

$121 ₱7,563

-88.74%

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

$2.67 $2.67

$14.45 ₱907

-81.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.42 $27.42

$28.29 ₱1,774

-3.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.38 $19.38

$32.68 ₱2,050

-40.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.98 $14.98

$6.39 ₱401

134.43%

Cinema Ticket

$2.03 $2.03

$5.46 ₱342

-62.82%

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

$40.02 $40.02

$273 ₱17.1K

-85.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$622 $622

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-92.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.92 $19.92

$49.57 ₱3,109

-59.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.69 $38.69

$24.87 ₱1,560

55.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.5 $93.5

$76.6 ₱4,804

22.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.6 $68.6

$59.3 ₱3,717

15.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$213 $213

$506 ₱31.7K

-57.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 $148

$309 ₱19.4K

-52.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$400 $400

$1,052 ₱66.0K

-62.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$272 $272

$619 ₱38.8K

-56.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,125 $1,125

$2,915 ₱182.9K

-61.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$689 $689

$1,867 ₱117.1K

-63.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$252 $252

$341 ₱21.4K

-25.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.5

7.2

198.61%

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

Last update for Mashhad: 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

Mashhad

$148 31.1%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 109% $161

Groceries & Markets

Mashhad

$100 21%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 110% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Mashhad

$99 20.9%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 4.7% $4.7

Eating Out

Mashhad

$55 11.5%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 61.3% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mashhad

$44 9.2%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 274% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Mashhad

$23 4.9%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 86% $20

Getting Around

Mashhad

$6.4 1.4%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 140% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $213 in Mashhad and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 35% 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: $18.00 in Mashhad vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $100 vs $210 per month, with Mashhad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Mashhad

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

09:51 9:51 AM

14:21 2:21 PM

4 h 30 min ahead of Mashhad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,001,184

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 = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

PHP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mashhad Cebu 7,040 km ≈ 9 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 March 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, eating out, and utilities. The 93% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 35% 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: $213 in Mashhad versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $485 per month in Mashhad versus $934 in Cebu – a 93% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Mashhad runs roughly 240% 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 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 93% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.