Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Ca Mau

For one person, living is cheaper in Ca Mau: $762 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.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Ca Mau
Learn more

Ca Mau Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Ca Mau

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$762

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Ca Mau

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cebu and in Ca Mau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $918 per month in Cebu vs $762 in Ca Mau, rent included.

Cebu $918
Ca Mau $762

A couple spends around $1,409 per month in Cebu vs $1,232 in Ca Mau, rent included.

Cebu $1,409
Ca Mau $1,232

A family of three spends $1,900 per month in Cebu vs $1,702 in Ca Mau, rent included.

Cebu $1,900
Ca Mau $1,702

Cebu costs about 21% more than Ca Mau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cebu and Ca Mau are more affordable than the global median – Cebu 32% lower, Ca Mau 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$1.98 ₫51.3K

56.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$19.06 ₫493.3K

27.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$4.25 ₫110.1K

-7.76%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.74 ₫45.0K

44.25%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.54 ₫13.9K

194.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.33 ₫8,564

60.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$0.85 ₫22.0K

109.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$1.41 ₫36.6K

53.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.49 ₫38.4K

28.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.07 ₫27.7K

27.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$0.96 ₫24.8K

5.21%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.51 ₫39.1K

34.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$11.04 ₫285.9K

-10.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$3.75 ₫97.2K

17.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$9.83 ₫254.5K

-22.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$3.03 ₫78.5K

8.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.12 ₫29.0K

24.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.34 ₫34.8K

73.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.21 ₫31.3K

23.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.08 ₫28.0K

118.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.10 ₫28.4K

72.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.62 ₫16.0K

91.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.53 ₫13.8K

18.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$1.43 ₫37.0K

109.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$12.06 ₫312.1K

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$0.83 ₫21.6K

48.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.65 ₫42.6K

6.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.34 ₫8,913

-26.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$6.44 ₫166.7K

96.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.74 ₫19.1K

4.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.57 ₫14.7K

-59.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$2.44 ₫63.2K

82.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.90 ₫23.2K

45.56%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$31.0K ₫801.6M

-31.39%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$30.1K ₫779.8M

-36.43%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$76.0 ₫2.0M

58.20%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$5.77 ₫149.3K

142.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$8.32 ₫215.3K

231.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$22.23 ₫575.6K

45.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$7.76 ₫200.8K

-14.30%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$3.06 ₫79.1K

84.64%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$160 ₫4.2M

71.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$12.2K ₫315.8M

-35.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$45.96 ₫1.2M

7.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$26.43 ₫684.2K

-4.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$82.5 ₫2.1M

-6.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$77.7 ₫2.0M

-26.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$407 ₫10.5M

22.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$271 ₫7.0M

13.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$742 ₫19.2M

45.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$623 ₫16.1M

-1.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$2,806 ₫72.6M

2.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,282 ₫33.2M

49.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

8.46

-14.89%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ca Mau: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Ca Mau

$271 35.6% 12.2% $38

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Ca Mau

$196 25.7% 4.8% $9.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Ca Mau

$90 11.8% 44.3% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Ca Mau

$105 13.7% 11.4% $11

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Ca Mau

$60 7.9% 32% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Ca Mau

$28 3.7% 35% $15

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Ca Mau

$11 1.5% 26.8% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $500 in Cebu versus $407 in Ca Mau. 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 $24.00 in Cebu versus $19.00 in Ca Mau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $196 – making Ca Mau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇻🇳 Ca Mau

🕒 Local time

20:46 8:46 PM

19:46 7:46 PM

1 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

226,372

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

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).

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).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Ca Mau 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Ca Mau

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

Cebu vs Ca Mau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cebu is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,377 per month in Cebu and $1,142 in Ca Mau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 96% less in Ca Mau. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $275 per month in Cebu and $160 in Ca Mau. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $918 in Cebu and $762 in Ca Mau, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Ca Mau – 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 Ca Mau. 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.