Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Can Tho and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Can Tho: $720 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Can Tho
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Can Tho Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Can Tho

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$720

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $720 per month in Can Tho vs $915 in Cebu, rent included.

Can Tho $720
Cebu $915

A couple spends around $1,214 per month in Can Tho vs $1,418 in Cebu, rent included.

Can Tho $1,214
Cebu $1,418

A family of three spends $1,708 per month in Can Tho vs $1,921 in Cebu, rent included.

Can Tho $1,708
Cebu $1,921

Can Tho is about 21% cheaper than Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Can Tho and Cebu are more affordable than the global median – Can Tho 47% lower, Cebu 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.39 ₫35.9K

$3.05 ₱192

-54.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.12 ₫598.6K

$24.00 ₱1,511

-3.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₫101.4K

$3.99 ₱251

-1.75%

Cappuccino

$1.52 ₫39.3K

$2.50 ₱157

-39.20%

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

$0.52 ₫13.3K

$1.54 ₱97.1

-66.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,363

$0.50 ₱31.37

-36.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.04 ₫26.9K

$1.78 ₱112

-41.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 ₫29.4K

$2.17 ₱136

-47.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 ₫35.9K

$2.00 ₱126

-30.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.37 ₱86.2

-18.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.78 ₫20.3K

$1.03 ₱64.9

-24.27%

Eggs

$1.40 ₫36.3K

$2.03 ₱128

-31.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.95 ₫309.5K

$10.20 ₱642

17.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.3K

$4.45 ₱280

-17.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.30 ₫266.6K

$7.67 ₱483

34.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ₫76.1K

$3.31 ₱208

-11.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 ₫33.4K

$1.46 ₱91.8

-11.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 ₫34.6K

$2.32 ₱146

-42.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.81 ₫20.9K

$1.49 ₱94.0

-45.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ₫20.8K

$2.34 ₱147

-65.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$1.94 ₱122

-47.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 ₫19.4K

$1.16 ₱73.0

-35.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₫13.6K

$0.68 ₱42.89

-22.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.25 ₫32.4K

$2.99 ₱188

-58.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.51 ₫194.5K

$6.24 ₱393

20.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₫24.7K

$1.23 ₱77.3

-22.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₫38.4K

$1.73 ₱109

-14.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 ₫8,922

$0.23 ₱14.36

47.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.32 ₫163.7K

$12.34 ₱777

-48.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 ₫12.4K

$0.79 ₱49.96

-39.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.22 ₱13.86

154.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 ₫79.2K

$4.54 ₱286

-32.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.7K

$1.32 ₱82.9

-31.06%

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

$30.7K ₫795.8M

$21.0K ₱1.3M

46.34%

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

$29.2K ₫754.7M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

50.25%

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

$48.05 ₫1.2M

$119 ₱7,464

-59.47%

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

$3.77 ₫97.6K

$14.22 ₱896

-73.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.77 ₫252.8K

$27.47 ₱1,730

-64.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.50 ₫608.3K

$32.31 ₱2,034

-27.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.92 ₫205.1K

$6.50 ₱409

21.85%

Cinema Ticket

$3.23 ₫83.6K

$5.40 ₱340

-40.19%

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

$193 ₫5.0M

$276 ₱17.4K

-30.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,831 ₫176.8M

$7,866 ₱495.3K

-13.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.58 ₫506.9K

$49.37 ₱3,108

-60.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.02 ₫492.3K

$24.58 ₱1,548

-22.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$76.6 ₱4,825

17.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 ₫2.5M

$58.9 ₱3,706

62.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$417 ₫10.8M

$503 ₱31.7K

-17.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$278 ₫7.2M

$305 ₱19.2K

-8.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 ₫21.4M

$1,075 ₱67.7K

-23.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 ₫17.5M

$632 ₱39.8K

6.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,217 ₫57.4M

$2,870 ₱180.7K

-22.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,101 ₫28.5M

$1,877 ₱118.2K

-41.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$162 ₫4.2M

$336 ₱21.1K

-51.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

7.2

20.00%

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

Last update for Can Tho: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Can Tho

$278 38.6%

Cebu

$305 33.3% 9.7% $27

Groceries & Markets

Can Tho

$187 26%

Cebu

$210 22.9% 12% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Can Tho

$101 14%

Cebu

$94 10.3% 6.7% $6.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Can Tho

$62 8.6%

Cebu

$160 17.5% 160% $99

Eating Out

Can Tho

$52 7.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 69.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Can Tho

$30 4.2%

Cebu

$43 4.7% 43.9% $13

Getting Around

Can Tho

$11 1.5%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 37.7% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $417 in Can Tho versus $503 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 108% higher in Cebu, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Can Tho versus $24.00 in Cebu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $187 vs $210 – making Can Tho the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Can Tho

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

21:14 9:14 PM

22:14 10:14 PM

1 h ahead of Can Tho

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,258,900

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 20, 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 20, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Can Tho Cebu 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Can Tho
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

Can Tho vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cebu is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,080 per month in Can Tho and $1,372 in Cebu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 12% more in Cebu, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Can Tho and $24.00 in Cebu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $720 in Can Tho and $915 in Cebu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Can Tho – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Can Tho. 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.