Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buon Ma Thuot and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Buon Ma Thuot: $757 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Buon Ma Thuot
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Buon Ma Thuot Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Buon Ma Thuot

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$757

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $757 per month in Buon Ma Thuot vs $918 in Cebu, rent included.

Buon Ma Thuot $757
Cebu $918

A couple spends around $1,197 per month in Buon Ma Thuot vs $1,409 in Cebu, rent included.

Buon Ma Thuot $1,197
Cebu $1,409

A family of three spends $1,637 per month in Buon Ma Thuot vs $1,900 in Cebu, rent included.

Buon Ma Thuot $1,637
Cebu $1,900

Buon Ma Thuot is about 17% cheaper than Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Buon Ma Thuot and Cebu are more affordable than the global median – Buon Ma Thuot 44% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.03 ₫52.6K

$3.09 ₱194

-34.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.39 ₫294.9K

$24.22 ₱1,525

-52.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.31 ₫111.5K

$3.92 ₱247

9.95%

Cappuccino

$1.00 ₫25.8K

$2.51 ₱158

-60.16%

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

$0.36 ₫9,357

$1.59 ₱100

-77.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₫8,617

$0.53 ₱33.43

-37.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.28 ₫33.2K

$1.78 ₱112

-28.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$2.17 ₱137

-40.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ₫38.4K

$1.92 ₱121

-22.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 ₫28.4K

$1.36 ₱85.4

-19.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.7K

$1.01 ₱63.5

-1.98%

Eggs

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$2.03 ₱128

-24.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 ₫289.3K

$9.86 ₱621

13.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.81 ₫98.6K

$4.39 ₱277

-13.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.04 ₫260.0K

$7.60 ₱479

32.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 ₫79.5K

$3.30 ₱208

-6.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 ₫28.1K

$1.39 ₱87.8

-21.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.7K

$2.33 ₱147

-44.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 ₫31.7K

$1.50 ₱94.3

-18.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 ₫26.8K

$2.36 ₱149

-56.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.90 ₱119

-41.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ₫16.6K

$1.19 ₱74.9

-46.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₫14.1K

$0.63 ₱39.71

-12.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.37 ₫35.6K

$3.00 ₱189

-54.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.95 ₫309.3K

$6.03 ₱379

98.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₫22.8K

$1.23 ₱77.7

-28.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₫42.3K

$1.75 ₱110

-6.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 ₫8,256

$0.25 ₱15.86

28.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.68 ₫172.9K

$12.64 ₱796

-47.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₫19.9K

$0.77 ₱48.62

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 ₫14.3K

$0.23 ₱14.53

139.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ₫62.7K

$4.46 ₱281

-45.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ₫23.2K

$1.31 ₱82.8

-31.30%

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

$30.7K ₫795.2M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

44.60%

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

$30.3K ₫784.4M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

58.25%

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

$75.7 ₫2.0M

$120 ₱7,569

-37.03%

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

$5.69 ₫147.2K

$14.00 ₱882

-59.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.71 ₫225.4K

$27.54 ₱1,734

-68.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.98 ₫568.9K

$32.33 ₱2,035

-32.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.82 ₫202.4K

$6.65 ₱419

17.59%

Cinema Ticket

$3.01 ₫77.9K

$5.65 ₱356

-46.73%

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

$162 ₫4.2M

$275 ₱17.3K

-41.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K ₫316.4M

$7,918 ₱498.5K

54.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.58 ₫1.2M

$49.33 ₱3,106

-7.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.78 ₫693.3K

$25.24 ₱1,589

6.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.6 ₫2.2M

$77.0 ₱4,846

9.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 ₫2.0M

$57.2 ₱3,601

37.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 ₫10.7M

$500 ₱31.5K

-17.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 ₫7.0M

$309 ₱19.4K

-12.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$754 ₫19.5M

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-30.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$605 ₫15.7M

$615 ₱38.7K

-1.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,867 ₫74.2M

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-0.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,326 ₫34.3M

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-30.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.46

7.2

17.50%

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

Last update for Buon Ma Thuot: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buon Ma Thuot

$271 35.8%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 13.9% $38

Groceries & Markets

Buon Ma Thuot

$198 26.1%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 4.1% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Buon Ma Thuot

$106 14%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 11.3% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buon Ma Thuot

$90 11.9%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 79.5% $72

Eating Out

Buon Ma Thuot

$53 7%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 66.7% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Buon Ma Thuot

$28 3.7%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 55.8% $16

Getting Around

Buon Ma Thuot

$11 1.5%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 35.6% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $414 in Buon Ma Thuot 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11.00 in Buon Ma Thuot versus $24.00 in Cebu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $206 – making Buon Ma Thuot the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Buon Ma Thuot

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

18:32 6:32 PM

19:32 7:32 PM

1 h ahead of Buon Ma Thuot

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

245,951

964,169

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 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 VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buon Ma Thuot Cebu 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Buon Ma Thuot
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

Buon Ma Thuot vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $757 in Buon Ma Thuot, $918 in Cebu – roughly 21% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,136 per month in Buon Ma Thuot and $1,377 in Cebu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Buon Ma Thuot, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11.00 in Buon Ma Thuot and $24.00 in Cebu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $757 in Buon Ma Thuot and $918 in Cebu. That's a gap of about 21%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $757 in Buon Ma Thuot and $918 in Cebu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Cebu has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $757 in Buon Ma Thuot to $918 in Cebu. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Buon Ma Thuot. 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.