Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Cam Ranh

For one person, living is cheaper in Cam Ranh: $729 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Cam Ranh
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Cam Ranh Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Cam Ranh

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$729

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Cam Ranh

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 Cam Ranh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $729 in Cam Ranh.

Cebu $934
Cam Ranh $729

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $1,183 in Cam Ranh.

Cebu $1,415
Cam Ranh $1,183

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $1,638 in Cam Ranh.

Cebu $1,896
Cam Ranh $1,638

Living in Cebu is roughly 28% more expensive than in Cam Ranh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Cam Ranh 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱190

$2.60 ₫67.4K

16.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,473

$23.04 ₫597.6K

1.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱256

$4.56 ₫118.2K

-10.31%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$1.63 ₫42.3K

54.60%

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

$1.54 ₱96.9

$0.37 ₫9,557

316.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.98

$0.23 ₫5,972

113.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

$0.60 ₫15.6K

198.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$1.22 ₫31.6K

85.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.47 ₫38.0K

32.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.7

$0.47 ₫12.3K

204.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱63.8

$0.99 ₫25.8K

3.03%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$1.37 ₫35.5K

50.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱615

$12.00 ₫311.2K

-18.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱289

$3.11 ₫80.8K

48.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱483

$11.25 ₫291.8K

-31.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱207

$1.96 ₫50.9K

68.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱90.9

$0.79 ₫20.6K

83.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.08 ₫27.9K

118.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.4

$1.23 ₫32.0K

25.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$0.76 ₫19.8K

210.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$0.66 ₫17.2K

201.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

$0.80 ₫20.7K

43.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.15

$0.42 ₫10.8K

59.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

$1.57 ₫40.8K

91.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

$11.61 ₫301.1K

-45.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

$0.57 ₫14.8K

129.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

$1.76 ₫45.7K

-1.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

$0.35 ₫9,194

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

$7.12 ₫184.5K

77.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

$0.60 ₫15.5K

23.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$0.60 ₫15.6K

-65.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

$2.60 ₫67.3K

66.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$0.91 ₫23.5K

46.15%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$31.0K ₫804.8M

-29.87%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$28.0K ₫726.9M

-30.80%

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

$121 ₱7,563

$76.2 ₫2.0M

58.20%

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

$14.45 ₱907

$6.33 ₫164.1K

128.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,774

$9.39 ₫243.5K

201.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

$23.98 ₫621.9K

36.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

$8.11 ₫210.4K

-21.21%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

$1.95 ₫50.6K

180.00%

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

$273 ₱17.1K

$211 ₫5.5M

29.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

$3,897 ₫101.1M

109.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

$41.35 ₫1.1M

19.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

$24.91 ₫646.0K

-0.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

$48.57 ₫1.3M

57.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,717

$86.3 ₫2.2M

-31.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.7K

$393 ₫10.2M

28.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$250 ₫6.5M

23.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.0K

$808 ₫21.0M

30.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

$566 ₫14.7M

9.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

$3,163 ₫82.0M

-7.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

$1,436 ₫37.2M

30.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

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 5, 2026

Last update for Cam Ranh: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Cam Ranh

$250 35% 19.1% $59

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Cam Ranh

$181 25.3% 14.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Cam Ranh

$92 12.9% 43.7% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Cam Ranh

$91 12.7% 4.4% $4.1

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Cam Ranh

$62 8.7% 30% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Cam Ranh

$28 3.9% 36.1% $16

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Cam Ranh

$12 1.7% 21.4% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $393 in Cam Ranh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Cebu vs $23.00 in Cam Ranh. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $181, with Cam Ranh cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇻🇳 Cam Ranh

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

12:22 12:22 PM

1 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

220,630

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.29 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 25,934 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,064 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Cam Ranh 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Cam Ranh

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 Cam Ranh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cam Ranh wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Cebu. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cam Ranh the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,401 in Cebu and $1,093 in Cam Ranh to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $506 in Cebu versus $393 in Cam Ranh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $729 in Cam Ranh – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cam Ranh runs roughly 78% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Cam Ranh gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cam Ranh delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $729 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cam Ranh hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Cam Ranh 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 Cam Ranh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.