Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Koh Phangan

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,103 in Koh Phangan, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,103

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Koh Phangan

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 Koh Phangan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $1,103 in Koh Phangan.

Cebu $934
Koh Phangan $1,103

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Cebu versus $1,874 in Koh Phangan.

Cebu $1,423
Koh Phangan $1,874

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,913 in Cebu versus $2,646 in Koh Phangan.

Cebu $1,913
Koh Phangan $2,646

Living in Cebu costs roughly 15% less than in Koh Phangan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 31% lower, Koh Phangan 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ₱242

$3.88 ฿131

-2.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.33 ₱1,491

$28.98 ฿979

-19.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.94 ₱252

$7.88 ฿266

-50.00%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₱163

$2.46 ฿83.2

3.25%

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

$1.57 ₱100

$0.80 ฿27.06

96.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₱29.82

$0.44 ฿14.90

6.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ₱113

$2.25 ฿76.0

-21.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₱142

$3.26 ฿110

-31.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.59 ฿53.6

19.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱87.1

$1.38 ฿46.60

-1.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.8

$1.44 ฿48.50

-34.72%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$2.00 ฿67.4

-0.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 ₱620

$18.46 ฿623

-47.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 ₱276

$3.29 ฿111

31.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 ₱480

$10.67 ฿360

-29.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱211

$2.72 ฿91.7

21.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ₱87.5

$1.54 ฿52.0

-11.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱149

$2.07 ฿69.9

13.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱95.4

$1.93 ฿65.3

-22.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱147

$1.44 ฿48.63

59.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ₱120

$1.23 ฿41.67

52.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱70.3

$1.07 ฿35.99

2.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱40.36

$0.48 ฿16.06

31.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 ₱183

$4.04 ฿136

-29.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.08 ₱389

$17.83 ฿602

-65.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.4

$1.70 ฿57.5

-25.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱110

$2.65 ฿89.6

-35.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.99

$1.32 ฿44.64

-83.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱788

$49.08 ฿1,657

-74.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱47.53

$2.61 ฿88.3

-71.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.08

$0.96 ฿32.44

-77.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 ₱273

$3.32 ฿112

28.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱83.7

$1.33 ฿44.99

-1.50%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$23.5K ฿795.2K

-11.81%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$23.7K ฿799.5K

-19.54%

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

$118 ₱7,565

$98.0 ฿3,311

20.79%

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

$15.76 ₱1,007

$11.12 ฿376

41.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.33 ₱1,810

$16.94 ฿572

67.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.94 ₱2,105

$67.7 ฿2,286

-51.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.49 ₱415

$10.81 ฿365

-39.96%

Cinema Ticket

$5.45 ₱348

$7.68 ฿259

-29.04%

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

$276 ₱17.6K

$478 ฿16.2K

-42.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,789 ₱497.7K

$11.6K ฿391.7K

-32.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.18 ₱3,078

$62.1 ฿2,098

-22.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.47 ₱1,564

$28.52 ฿963

-14.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 ₱4,810

$96.0 ฿3,242

-21.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ₱3,707

$86.5 ฿2,922

-32.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 ₱30.5K

$498 ฿16.8K

-4.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.6K

$348 ฿11.7K

-7.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 ₱61.5K

$1,349 ฿45.6K

-28.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₱40.0K

$1,007 ฿34.0K

-37.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,551 ₱290.8K

$2,927 ฿98.8K

55.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,028 ₱193.5K

$2,098 ฿70.9K

44.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$333 ₱21.3K

$724 ฿24.4K

-53.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

5.57

29.26%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Koh Phangan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$322 34.5%

Koh Phangan

$348 31.6% 8.1% $26

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$204 21.8%

Koh Phangan

$254 23.1% 24.8% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.4%

Koh Phangan

$126 11.4% 22.4% $36

Eating Out

Cebu

$94 10.1%

Koh Phangan

$107 9.7% 13.7% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$93 9.9%

Koh Phangan

$123 11.1% 32.6% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Koh Phangan

$83 7.5% 89.4% $39

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.6%

Koh Phangan

$62 5.6% 310% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $477 in Cebu and $498 in Koh Phangan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Koh Phangan pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Cebu vs $29 in Koh Phangan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $254 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🕒 Local time

01:44 1:44 AM

00:44 12:44 AM

1 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Koh Phangan 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Koh Phangan

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 Koh Phangan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. The 18% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 54% lower in Cebu. 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: $477 in Cebu versus $498 in Koh Phangan. 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 $1,103 in Koh Phangan – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 75% less than in Koh Phangan. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Koh Phangan 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Koh Phangan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.