Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sanandaj and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanandaj: $400 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Sanandaj
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Sanandaj Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Sanandaj

🇮🇷 Iran

$400

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $400 in Sanandaj versus $918 in Cebu.

Sanandaj $400
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $660 in Sanandaj versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Sanandaj $660
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $920 in Sanandaj versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Sanandaj $920
Cebu $1,900

Living in Sanandaj costs roughly 56% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sanandaj 70% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 $3.32

$3.09 ₱194

7.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.92 $15.92

$24.22 ₱1,525

-34.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.77 $3.77

$3.92 ₱247

-3.83%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 $1.01

Cappuccino

$0.97 $0.97

$2.51 ₱158

-61.35%

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

$0.58 $0.58

$1.59 ₱100

-63.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 $1.08

$0.53 ₱33.43

103.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$1.92 ₱121

-61.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 $0.68

$1.36 ₱85.4

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.01 ₱63.5

94.06%

Eggs

$1.01 $1.01

$2.03 ₱128

-50.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$9.86 ₱621

-54.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.68 $2.68

$4.39 ₱277

-38.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.02 $10.02

$7.60 ₱479

31.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$3.30 ₱208

-66.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.39 ₱87.8

4.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.82 $0.82

$2.33 ₱147

-64.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.72 $0.72

$1.50 ₱94.3

-52.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 $0.72

$2.36 ₱149

-69.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 $0.79

$1.90 ₱119

-58.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 $0.62

$1.19 ₱74.9

-47.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 $0.34

$0.63 ₱39.71

-46.03%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.81 $0.81

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 $0.54

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 $1.32

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.60 $2.60

$3.00 ₱189

-13.33%

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)

$0.14 $0.14

$0.25 ₱15.86

-44.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.46 $9.46

$12.64 ₱796

-25.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 $0.41

$0.77 ₱48.62

-46.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 $0.31

$0.23 ₱14.53

34.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 $2.63

$4.46 ₱281

-41.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.10 $0.10

$1.31 ₱82.8

-92.37%

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

$47.7K $47.7K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

124.74%

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

$37.5K $37.5K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

96.00%

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

$9.84 $9.84

$120 ₱7,569

-91.82%

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

$3.08 $3.08

$14.00 ₱882

-78.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.42 $3.42

$27.54 ₱1,734

-87.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$5.84 $5.84

$32.33 ₱2,035

-81.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.07 $13.07

$6.65 ₱419

96.54%

Cinema Ticket

$1.02 $1.02

$5.65 ₱356

-81.95%

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

$107 $107

$275 ₱17.3K

-61.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,619 $2,619

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-66.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.74 $15.74

$49.33 ₱3,106

-68.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.24 $28.24

$25.24 ₱1,589

11.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.0 $63.0

$77.0 ₱4,846

-18.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.8 $71.8

$57.2 ₱3,601

25.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$156 $156

$500 ₱31.5K

-68.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$112 $112

$309 ₱19.4K

-63.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$333 $333

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-69.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$197 $197

$615 ₱38.7K

-67.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$791 $791

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-72.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$284 $284

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-85.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$258 $258

$346 ₱21.8K

-25.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

205.56%

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

Last update for Sanandaj: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sanandaj

$115 28.7%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 79.7% $91

Accommodation & Living

Sanandaj

$112 28.1%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 175% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Sanandaj

$80 20.1%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 16.8% $14

Eating Out

Sanandaj

$56 14.1%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 57.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sanandaj

$16 4.1%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 890% $145

Getting Around

Sanandaj

$12 3%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 29.6% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Sanandaj

$7.9 2%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 454% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $156 in Sanandaj and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 34% 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: $16.00 in Sanandaj vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $115 vs $206 per month, with Sanandaj cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Sanandaj

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

09:21 9:21 AM

13:51 1:51 PM

4 h 30 min ahead of Sanandaj

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

412,767

964,169

💱 Currency

USD USD

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

PHP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sanandaj Cebu 8,160 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sanandaj
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

Sanandaj vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sanandaj is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 130% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 34% 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: $156 in Sanandaj versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $400 per month in Sanandaj versus $918 in Cebu – a 130% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sanandaj runs roughly 34% 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 Sanandaj gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Sanandaj 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, Sanandaj 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 Sanandaj gentler on the wallet – expenses run 130% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.