Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Hoi An

For one person, living is cheaper in Hoi An: $874 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $530 less a year. The total is higher in Cebu despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Hoi An
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Hoi An Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Hoi An

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$874

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Hoi An

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 Hoi An actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $874 in Hoi An.

Cebu $918
Hoi An $874

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,270 in Hoi An.

Cebu $1,409
Hoi An $1,270

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,666 in Hoi An.

Cebu $1,900
Hoi An $1,666

Living in Cebu is roughly 5% more expensive than in Hoi An, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Hoi An 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$2.33 ₫60.4K

32.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$18.43 ₫477.2K

31.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$3.88 ₫100.3K

1.03%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.67 ₫43.3K

50.30%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.61 ₫15.9K

160.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.32 ₫8,163

65.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.33 ₫34.3K

33.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$1.38 ₫35.8K

57.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.51 ₫39.2K

27.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.20 ₫31.0K

13.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.00 ₫25.9K

1.00%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.50 ₫38.9K

35.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$12.85 ₫332.6K

-23.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$4.15 ₫107.4K

5.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$9.06 ₫234.6K

-16.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.68 ₫69.3K

23.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.11 ₫28.7K

25.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$0.93 ₫24.2K

150.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.41 ₫36.6K

6.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.13 ₫29.3K

108.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.02 ₫26.4K

86.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.67 ₫17.3K

77.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.53 ₫13.8K

18.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$1.57 ₫40.7K

91.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$7.53 ₫194.9K

-19.92%

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

$1.51 ₫39.0K

15.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.22 ₫5,663

13.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$3.96 ₫102.6K

219.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$1.01 ₫26.0K

-23.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.56 ₫14.5K

-58.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$3.84 ₫99.5K

16.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.94 ₫24.4K

39.36%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$31.1K ₫805.1M

-31.69%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$27.9K ₫721.9M

-31.34%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$77.3 ₫2.0M

55.64%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$6.17 ₫159.7K

126.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$7.99 ₫206.7K

244.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$17.04 ₫441.1K

89.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$4.93 ₫127.6K

34.89%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$3.03 ₫78.5K

86.47%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$116 ₫3.0M

138.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$16.9K ₫437.1M

-53.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$45.85 ₫1.2M

7.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$27.13 ₫702.3K

-6.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$68.6 ₫1.8M

12.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$80.5 ₫2.1M

-28.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$436 ₫11.3M

14.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$396 ₫10.3M

-22.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$538 ₫13.9M

100.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$617 ₫16.0M

-0.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$1,546 ₫40.0M

86.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$964 ₫25.0M

98.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$294 ₫7.6M

17.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

10.34

-30.37%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hoi An: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Hoi An

$396 45.4% 28.3% $87

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Hoi An

$191 21.9% 7.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Hoi An

$91 10.5% 43.5% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Hoi An

$100 11.4% 6.4% $6

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Hoi An

$63 7.3% 28.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Hoi An

$23 2.6% 47% $21

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Hoi An

$8.6 1% 44.5% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $436 in Hoi An. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 18% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $18.00 in Hoi An for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $191 per month, with Hoi An cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇻🇳 Hoi An

🕒 Local time

20:49 8:49 PM

19:49 7:49 PM

1 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

120,000

💱 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 Hoi An 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Hoi An

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 Hoi An: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hoi An is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Cebu, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $436 in Hoi An. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $874 in Hoi An – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Hoi An runs roughly 219% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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

For families, Hoi An 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 Hoi An 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 Hoi An gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.