Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bac Ninh and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Bac Ninh: $459 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bac Ninh
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$459
/mo nomad
Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $459 per month in Bac Ninh vs $918 in Cebu, rent included.

  • Bac Ninh $459
  • Cebu $918

A couple spends around $745 per month in Bac Ninh vs $1,409 in Cebu, rent included.

  • Bac Ninh $745
  • Cebu $1,409

A family of three spends $1,031 per month in Bac Ninh vs $1,900 in Cebu, rent included.

  • Bac Ninh $1,031
  • Cebu $1,900

Bac Ninh is about 50% cheaper than Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bac Ninh and Cebu are more affordable than the global median – Bac Ninh 66% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bac Ninh
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.19 ₫30.8K
$3.09 ₱194
-61.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.38 ₫605.3K
$24.22 ₱1,525
-3.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.55 ₫66.0K
$3.92 ₱247
-34.95%
Cappuccino
$1.14 ₫29.5K
$2.51 ₱158
-54.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.26 ₫6,728
$1.59 ₱100
-83.65%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.18 ₫4,682
$0.53 ₱33.43
-66.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.66 ₫17.0K
$1.78 ₱112
-62.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.97 ₫25.1K
$2.17 ₱137
-55.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bac Ninh
Cebu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 ₫38.0K
$1.92 ₱121
-23.44%
White Bread (500g)
$1.12 ₫29.0K
$1.36 ₱85.4
-17.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.75 ₫19.4K
$1.01 ₱63.5
-25.74%
Eggs
$1.50 ₫38.9K
$2.03 ₱128
-26.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.28 ₫266.1K
$9.86 ₱621
4.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.69 ₫95.5K
$4.39 ₱277
-15.95%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.16 ₫263.2K
$7.60 ₱479
33.68%
Apples (1kg)
$3.37 ₫87.3K
$3.30 ₱208
2.12%
Banana (1kg)
$1.04 ₫27.0K
$1.39 ₱87.8
-25.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.38 ₫35.7K
$2.33 ₱147
-40.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.10 ₫28.5K
$1.50 ₱94.3
-26.67%
Potato (1kg)
$0.99 ₫25.7K
$2.36 ₱149
-58.05%
Onion (1kg)
$1.13 ₫29.3K
$1.90 ₱119
-40.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.57 ₫14.8K
$1.19 ₱74.9
-52.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₫14.5K
$0.63 ₱39.71
-11.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.42 ₫36.8K
$3.00 ₱189
-52.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.35 ₫319.6K
$6.03 ₱379
104.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.90 ₫23.3K
$1.23 ₱77.7
-26.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 ₫44.5K
$1.75 ₱110
-1.71%
🚌 Getting Around
Bac Ninh
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.37 ₫9,594
$0.25 ₱15.86
48.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$12.64 ₱796
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.79 ₫20.4K
$0.77 ₱48.62
2.60%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.57 ₫14.7K
$0.23 ₱14.53
147.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.29 ₫59.4K
$4.46 ₱281
-48.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.95 ₫24.6K
$1.31 ₱82.8
-27.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K ₫783.3M
$21.2K ₱1.3M
42.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.6K ₫765.7M
$19.1K ₱1.2M
54.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bac Ninh
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.6 ₫2.2M
$120 ₱7,569
-29.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.33 ₫138.0K
$14.00 ₱882
-61.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.99 ₫181.0K
$27.54 ₱1,734
-74.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bac Ninh
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$11.60 ₫300.2K
$32.33 ₱2,035
-64.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.57 ₫195.9K
$6.65 ₱419
13.83%
Cinema Ticket
$3.10 ₫80.2K
$5.65 ₱356
-45.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bac Ninh
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$698 ₫18.1M
$275 ₱17.3K
153.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.5K ₫324.9M
$7,918 ₱498.5K
58.49%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bac Ninh
Cebu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.29 ₫1.3M
$49.33 ₱3,106
-2.11%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.16 ₫677.3K
$25.24 ₱1,589
3.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.8 ₫2.1M
$77.0 ₱4,846
7.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.3 ₫2.0M
$57.2 ₱3,601
35.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bac Ninh
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$701 ₫18.2M
$500 ₱31.5K
40.39%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$309 ₱19.4K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,078 ₱67.9K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$615 ₱38.7K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,658 ₫42.9M
$2,886 ₱181.7K
-42.55%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$785 ₫20.3M
$1,917 ₱120.7K
-59.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bac Ninh
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$378 ₫9.8M
$346 ₱21.8K
9.23%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.28
7.2
15.00%

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

Last update for Bac Ninh: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Bac Ninh
$196
Cebu
$206 5.2% $10
Clothing & Footwear
Bac Ninh
$106
Cebu
$94 11% $12
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bac Ninh
$97
Cebu
$162 66.9% $65
Eating Out
Bac Ninh
$38
Cebu
$88 133% $50
Sport & Entertainment
Bac Ninh
$18
Cebu
$44 145% $26
Getting Around
Bac Ninh
$5.1 *
Cebu
$16 205% $10
Accommodation & Living
Bac Ninh
- *
Cebu
$309

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $701 in Bac Ninh versus $500 in Cebu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 9% higher in Bac Ninh, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Bac Ninh versus $24.00 in Cebu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $196 vs $206 – making Bac Ninh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇻🇳 Bac Ninh
🇵🇭 Cebu
🕒 Local time
21:52 9:52 PM
22:52 10:52 PM
1 h ahead of Bac Ninh
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
288,766
964,169
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,108 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bac Ninh Cebu 2,260 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bac Ninh
  • 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
Bac Ninh vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bac Ninh or Cebu?
Cebu costs about 100% more than Bac Ninh, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Bac Ninh and in Cebu?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $688 per month in Bac Ninh and $1,377 in Cebu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Bac Ninh or Cebu?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Bac Ninh, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in Bac Ninh and in Cebu?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Bac Ninh and $24.00 in Cebu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Bac Ninh or in Cebu?
Groceries cost about 5% more in Cebu, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Bac Ninh or in Cebu?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bac Ninh, where all-in costs run around $459, than in Cebu at $918. In Bac Ninh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cebu it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Bac Ninh or Cebu?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bac Ninh costs $459 versus $918 in Cebu. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Bac Ninh compared to Cebu?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Bac Ninh or to Cebu?
If budget matters most, go with Bac Ninh. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cebu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Bac Ninh vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?