Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medina and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,364 in Medina, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Medina
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Medina Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Medina

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,364

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,364 in Medina versus $934 in Cebu.

Medina $1,364
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,816 in Medina versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Medina $1,816
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,268 in Medina versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Medina $2,268
Cebu $1,896

Living in Medina 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: Medina is 2% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.53 SAR 20.75

$3.03 ₱190

82.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.09 SAR 120

$23.48 ₱1,473

36.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.20 SAR 30.78

$4.09 ₱256

100.49%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 SAR 5.93

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 SAR 6.62

Cappuccino

$2.70 SAR 10.15

$2.52 ₱158

7.14%

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

$0.76 SAR 2.84

$1.54 ₱96.9

-50.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 SAR 0.95

$0.49 ₱30.98

-48.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 SAR 5.61

$1.95 ₱122

-23.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 SAR 3.44

$1.43 ₱89.7

-35.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 SAR 8.70

$1.02 ₱63.8

127.45%

Eggs

$2.09 SAR 7.84

$2.06 ₱129

1.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.44 SAR 20.44

$9.81 ₱615

-44.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.03 SAR 26.39

$4.61 ₱289

52.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.49 SAR 46.90

$7.70 ₱483

62.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 SAR 9.10

$3.31 ₱207

-26.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 SAR 7.42

$1.45 ₱90.9

36.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 SAR 8.60

$2.36 ₱148

-2.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

$1.54 ₱96.4

0.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 SAR 5.12

$2.36 ₱148

-42.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 SAR 5.14

$1.99 ₱125

-31.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 SAR 3.49

$1.15 ₱72.1

-19.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 SAR 2.68

$0.67 ₱42.15

5.97%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 SAR 5.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.54 SAR 28.32

$3.00 ₱188

151.33%

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)

$1.05 SAR 3.94

$0.25 ₱15.78

320.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.80 SAR 138

$12.65 ₱793

190.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 SAR 5.12

$0.74 ₱46.32

83.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 SAR 6.32

$0.21 ₱13.11

700.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 SAR 21.44

$4.33 ₱271

31.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.41

$1.33 ₱83.5

-51.88%

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

$41.8K SAR 157.0K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

92.08%

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

$20.7K SAR 77.5K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

6.46%

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

$149 SAR 558

$121 ₱7,563

23.26%

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

$27.41 SAR 103

$14.45 ₱907

89.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.7 SAR 341

$28.29 ₱1,774

220.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.9 SAR 296

$32.68 ₱2,050

141.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.01 SAR 33.83

$6.39 ₱401

41.00%

Cinema Ticket

$13.51 SAR 50.7

$5.46 ₱342

147.44%

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

$294 SAR 1,103

$273 ₱17.1K

7.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,483 SAR 20.6K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-32.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.85 SAR 138

$49.57 ₱3,109

-25.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 SAR 204

$24.87 ₱1,560

118.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 SAR 252

$76.6 ₱4,804

-12.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.0 SAR 263

$59.3 ₱3,717

18.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$570 SAR 2,139

$506 ₱31.7K

12.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 SAR 1,988

$309 ₱19.4K

71.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$779 SAR 2,926

$1,052 ₱66.0K

-25.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$573 SAR 2,151

$619 ₱38.8K

-7.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,309 SAR 8,670

$2,915 ₱182.9K

-20.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,356 SAR 5,091

$1,867 ₱117.1K

-27.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,244 SAR 4,671

$341 ₱21.4K

264.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

7.2

-42.08%

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

Last update for Medina: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medina

$529 39.2%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 41.6% $220

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medina

$267 19.7%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 38.8% $103

Groceries & Markets

Medina

$191 14.1%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 10.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Medina

$106 7.8%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 58.8% $62

Eating Out

Medina

$105 7.8%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 16% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Medina

$103 7.6%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 7.9% $8.1

Getting Around

Medina

$51 3.8%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 69.6% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $570 in Medina and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medina pays 265% 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: $32.00 in Medina vs $23.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $191 vs $210, with Medina cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Medina

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

07:57 7:57 AM

12:57 12:57 PM

5 h ahead of Medina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,100,093

964,169

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 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).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medina Cebu 8,960 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medina
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

Medina vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in utilities, leisure, and eating out. The 46% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 265% higher in Medina, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $570 in Medina versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,364 per month in Medina versus $934 in Cebu – a 46% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 191% less than in Medina. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,364 in Medina, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Medina. 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 Medina, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Medina 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Medina. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.