Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Da Lat

For one person, living is cheaper in Da Lat: $611 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Da Lat
Learn more

Da Lat Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Da Lat

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Da Lat

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 Da Lat actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $611 in Da Lat.

Cebu $918
Da Lat $611

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $914 in Da Lat.

Cebu $1,409
Da Lat $914

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,218 in Da Lat.

Cebu $1,900
Da Lat $1,218

Living in Cebu is roughly 50% more expensive than in Da Lat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Da Lat 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱195

$2.20 ₫57.0K

40.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$15.43 ₫399.6K

56.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$5.21 ₫134.8K

-24.76%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.61 ₫41.6K

55.90%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.59 ₫15.2K

169.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.45

$0.31 ₫7,960

70.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$0.86 ₫22.2K

106.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$1.52 ₫39.4K

42.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.51 ₫39.1K

27.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.5

$1.30 ₫33.8K

4.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.6

$1.17 ₫30.2K

-13.68%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.62 ₫42.1K

25.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$7.80 ₫202.0K

26.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$4.01 ₫103.9K

9.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$4.55 ₫117.8K

67.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$4.11 ₫106.4K

-19.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.83 ₫47.4K

-24.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$3.21 ₫83.1K

-27.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.54 ₫40.0K

-2.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.76 ₫45.5K

34.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.62 ₫42.1K

17.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.75 ₫19.5K

58.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.73

$0.52 ₫13.5K

21.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$1.68 ₫43.5K

78.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱380

$7.71 ₫199.5K

-21.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$0.44 ₫11.4K

179.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.07 ₫53.5K

-15.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.87

$0.37 ₫9,514

-32.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.64

$0.60 ₫15.5K

28.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.54

$1.12 ₫29.0K

-79.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.85 ₫21.9K

54.12%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

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

$120 ₱7,573

$39.69 ₫1.0M

202.92%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$4.27 ₫110.6K

227.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,735

$14.92 ₫386.3K

84.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,036

$12.46 ₫322.6K

159.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$1.99 ₫51.4K

183.92%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,107

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,590

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,848

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,603

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$281 ₫7.3M

77.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.5K

$276 ₫7.1M

11.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$621 ₫16.1M

73.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.8K

$465 ₫12.0M

32.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$436 ₫11.3M

-20.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Da Lat: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Da Lat

$276 45.2% 10.6% $33

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Da Lat

$188 30.8% 8.6% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Da Lat

$59 9.6% 63.6% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Da Lat

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Da Lat

$63 10.4% 28.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Da Lat

$16 2.7% 62.3% $27

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Da Lat

$7.7 * 1.3% 50.7% $7.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $281 in Da Lat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Da Lat pays 26% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $15.00 in Da Lat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $188 per month, with Da Lat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇻🇳 Da Lat

🕒 Local time

19:42 7:42 PM

18:42 6:42 PM

1 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

258,014

💱 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 = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 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 Da Lat 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Da Lat

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 Da Lat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Da Lat is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 50% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Da Lat. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $281 in Da Lat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Da Lat – a meal for two runs $15.00 versus $24.00 in Cebu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Da Lat gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Da Lat is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cebu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Da Lat 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 Da Lat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.