Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zakho and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Zakho: $759 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

37

Cost of Living Index in Zakho
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Zakho Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Zakho

🇮🇶 Iraq

$759

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $759 in Zakho versus $915 in Cebu.

Zakho $759
Cebu $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,210 in Zakho versus $1,418 in Cebu.

Zakho $1,210
Cebu $1,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,661 in Zakho versus $1,921 in Cebu.

Zakho $1,661
Cebu $1,921

Living in Zakho costs roughly 17% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zakho 44% lower, Cebu 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.52 IQD 9,855

$3.05 ₱192

113.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.45 IQD 55.1K

$24.00 ₱1,511

51.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.08 IQD 10.7K

$3.99 ₱251

77.44%

Cappuccino

$3.38 IQD 5,101

$2.50 ₱157

35.20%

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

$0.90 IQD 1,356

$1.54 ₱97.1

-41.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 IQD 550

$0.50 ₱31.37

-28.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.36 IQD 8,101

$1.78 ₱112

201.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 IQD 6,130

$2.17 ₱136

87.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 IQD 1,613

$2.00 ₱126

-46.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$1.37 ₱86.2

-51.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 IQD 2,221

$1.03 ₱64.9

42.72%

Eggs

$1.52 IQD 2,290

$2.03 ₱128

-25.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.21 IQD 10.9K

$10.20 ₱642

-29.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 IQD 6,524

$4.45 ₱280

-2.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.87 IQD 19.4K

$7.67 ₱483

67.80%

Apples (1kg)

$0.97 IQD 1,463

$3.31 ₱208

-70.69%

Banana (1kg)

$0.95 IQD 1,437

$1.46 ₱91.8

-34.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,543

$2.32 ₱146

-56.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,046

$1.49 ₱94.0

-53.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 IQD 895

$2.34 ₱147

-74.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 IQD 874

$1.94 ₱122

-70.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 IQD 997

$1.16 ₱73.0

-43.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 IQD 777

$0.68 ₱42.89

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.11 IQD 3,189

$2.99 ₱188

-29.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.84 IQD 16.4K

$6.24 ₱393

73.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,197

$1.23 ₱77.3

17.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 IQD 2,782

$1.73 ₱109

6.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 IQD 594

$0.23 ₱14.36

69.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.25 IQD 30.6K

$12.34 ₱777

64.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 IQD 2,474

$0.79 ₱49.96

107.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,418

$0.22 ₱13.86

627.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.53 IQD 8,350

$4.54 ₱286

21.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 863

$1.32 ₱82.9

-56.82%

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

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

$21.0K ₱1.3M

-20.36%

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

$17.3K IQD 26.2M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

-10.59%

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

$113 IQD 170.8K

$119 ₱7,464

-4.62%

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

$11.83 IQD 17.9K

$14.22 ₱896

-16.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.03 IQD 36.3K

$27.47 ₱1,730

-12.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.45 IQD 56.6K

$32.31 ₱2,034

15.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

Cinema Ticket

$9.95 IQD 15.0K

$5.40 ₱340

84.26%

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

$313 IQD 473.3K

$276 ₱17.4K

13.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,762 IQD 4.2M

$7,866 ₱495.3K

-64.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.29 IQD 39.7K

$49.37 ₱3,108

-46.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.70 IQD 29.8K

$24.58 ₱1,548

-19.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.08 IQD 74.2K

$76.6 ₱4,825

-35.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.75 IQD 61.6K

$58.9 ₱3,706

-30.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$172 IQD 260.4K

$503 ₱31.7K

-65.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$132 IQD 199.9K

$305 ₱19.2K

-56.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$379 IQD 572.2K

$1,075 ₱67.7K

-64.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 IQD 466.0K

$632 ₱39.8K

-51.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$711 IQD 1.1M

$2,870 ₱180.7K

-75.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$576 IQD 870.1K

$1,877 ₱118.2K

-69.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$660 IQD 997.7K

$336 ₱21.1K

96.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

7.2

-64.86%

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

Last update for Zakho: October 20, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zakho

$174 22.9%

Cebu

$210 22.9% 20.7% $36

Eating Out

Zakho

$154 20.3%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 43% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zakho

$149 19.6%

Cebu

$160 17.5% 7.6% $11

Accommodation & Living

Zakho

$132 17.4%

Cebu

$305 33.3% 130% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Zakho

$61 8.1%

Cebu

$94 10.3% 54.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Zakho

$57 7.6%

Cebu

$43 4.7% 24.9% $14

Getting Around

Zakho

$31 4.2%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 51.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $172 in Zakho and $503 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zakho pays 97% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36.00 in Zakho vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $174 vs $210, with Zakho cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Zakho

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

03:45 3:45 AM

08:45 8:45 AM

5 h ahead of Zakho

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

197,163

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 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zakho Cebu 8,540 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Zakho
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

Zakho vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zakho is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 21% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 97% higher in Zakho, 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: $172 in Zakho versus $503 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $759 per month in Zakho versus $915 in Cebu – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Zakho runs roughly 64% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Zakho gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Zakho 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, Zakho 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 Zakho gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.