Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qatif and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,102 in Qatif, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Qatif
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Qatif Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Qatif

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,102

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,102 in Qatif versus $918 in Cebu.

Qatif $1,102
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,642 in Qatif versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Qatif $1,642
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,183 in Qatif versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Qatif $2,183
Cebu $1,900

Living in Qatif is roughly 20% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Qatif 18% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.48 SAR 13.07

$3.09 ₱194

12.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.45 SAR 129

$24.22 ₱1,525

42.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.59 SAR 24.75

$3.92 ₱247

68.11%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.82 SAR 6.84

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 SAR 8.60

Cappuccino

$3.15 SAR 11.81

$2.51 ₱158

25.50%

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

$0.78 SAR 2.92

$1.59 ₱100

-50.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 SAR 0.76

$0.53 ₱33.43

-62.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 SAR 6.78

$1.92 ₱121

-5.73%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 SAR 3.63

$1.36 ₱85.4

-28.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 SAR 6.96

$1.01 ₱63.5

84.16%

Eggs

$2.12 SAR 7.94

$2.03 ₱128

4.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.96 SAR 22.35

$9.86 ₱621

-39.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 SAR 29.16

$4.39 ₱277

76.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.73 SAR 47.77

$7.60 ₱479

67.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 SAR 8.25

$3.30 ₱208

-33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 SAR 6.36

$1.39 ₱87.8

22.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.94

$2.33 ₱147

-32.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 SAR 2.59

$1.50 ₱94.3

-54.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 SAR 4.19

$2.36 ₱149

-52.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 SAR 4.32

$1.90 ₱119

-39.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 SAR 3.66

$1.19 ₱74.9

-18.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 SAR 2.06

$0.63 ₱39.71

-12.70%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.71 SAR 10.18

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SAR 5.42

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 SAR 7.98

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.24 SAR 23.42

$3.00 ₱189

108.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 SAR 4.13

$0.25 ₱15.86

340.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.81 SAR 138

$12.64 ₱796

191.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 SAR 9.09

$0.77 ₱48.62

214.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 SAR 2.07

$0.23 ₱14.53

139.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.11 SAR 49.19

$4.46 ₱281

193.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.62 SAR 2.34

$1.31 ₱82.8

-52.67%

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

$35.9K SAR 134.6K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

68.86%

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

$20.7K SAR 77.8K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

8.31%

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

$107 SAR 400

$120 ₱7,569

-11.27%

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

$32.52 SAR 122

$14.00 ₱882

132.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.1 SAR 218

$27.54 ₱1,734

110.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.9 SAR 307

$32.33 ₱2,035

153.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.75 SAR 81.6

$6.65 ₱419

227.07%

Cinema Ticket

$13.33 SAR 50.0

$5.65 ₱356

135.93%

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

$268 SAR 1,005

$275 ₱17.3K

-2.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,092 SAR 30.4K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

2.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.99 SAR 120

$49.33 ₱3,106

-35.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.32 SAR 80.0

$25.24 ₱1,589

-15.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 SAR 364

$77.0 ₱4,846

25.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 SAR 338

$57.2 ₱3,601

57.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$575 SAR 2,159

$500 ₱31.5K

15.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 SAR 1,375

$309 ₱19.4K

18.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 SAR 3,121

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-22.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$573 SAR 2,151

$615 ₱38.7K

-6.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$976 SAR 3,663

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-66.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$790 SAR 2,963

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-58.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,275 SAR 8,537

$346 ₱21.8K

557.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

7.2

-23.61%

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

Last update for Qatif: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Qatif

$367 33.3%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 15.7% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Qatif

$197 17.9%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 18% $35

Groceries & Markets

Qatif

$186 16.9%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 10.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Qatif

$109 9.9%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 59.8% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Qatif

$108 9.8%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 13.1% $14

Eating Out

Qatif

$89 8.1%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 1.2% $1.1

Getting Around

Qatif

$46 4.2%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 66.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $575 in Qatif and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Qatif pays 558% 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: $34.00 in Qatif vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $186 vs $206, with Qatif cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Qatif

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

18:11 6:11 PM

23:11 11:11 PM

5 h ahead of Qatif

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

87,332

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 = 1.41 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Qatif Cebu 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Qatif
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

Qatif vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in leisure, clothing, and utilities. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 558% higher in Qatif, 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: $575 in Qatif versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,102 per month in Qatif versus $918 in Cebu – a 20% 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 Qatif. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,102 in Qatif, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Qatif. 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 Qatif, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Qatif 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 20% less than in Qatif. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.