Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Krabi

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $1,020 in Krabi, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Krabi
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Krabi Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Krabi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Krabi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $1,020 in Krabi.

Cebu $915
Krabi $1,020

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $1,409 in Krabi.

Cebu $1,418
Krabi $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $1,799 in Krabi.

Cebu $1,921
Krabi $1,799

Living in Cebu costs roughly 10% less than in Krabi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 33% lower, Krabi 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$3.03 ฿101

0.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$19.06 ฿637

25.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$8.93 ฿299

-55.32%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$1.83 ฿61.3

36.61%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$1.07 ฿35.74

43.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$0.44 ฿14.55

13.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.86 ฿62.2

-4.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$2.34 ฿78.1

-7.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$2.21 ฿73.8

-9.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$1.52 ฿50.8

-9.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$2.09 ฿70.0

-50.72%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.87 ฿62.4

8.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$16.04 ฿536

-36.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$2.79 ฿93.1

59.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$7.83 ฿262

-2.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$2.31 ฿77.2

43.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$1.03 ฿34.42

41.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$2.15 ฿71.8

7.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$1.45 ฿48.44

2.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$1.45 ฿48.37

61.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$1.26 ฿42.10

53.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$1.54 ฿51.4

-24.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$0.51 ฿17.10

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$4.34 ฿145

-31.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$10.79 ฿361

-42.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$1.77 ฿59.3

-30.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$2.40 ฿80.3

-27.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$0.93 ฿31.13

-75.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$2.45 ฿81.8

-67.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$1.79 ฿59.9

-87.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$5.94 ฿198

-23.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$1.37 ฿45.76

-3.65%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$22.1K ฿737.4K

-4.80%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$24.7K ฿827.1K

-21.60%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$70.2 ฿2,346

68.92%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$11.43 ฿382

24.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$25.05 ฿837

9.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$60.9 ฿2,034

-46.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

$9.01 ฿301

-27.86%

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$7.60 ฿254

-28.95%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$8,165 ฿272.9K

-3.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$15.16 ฿507

225.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$14.99 ฿501

63.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$74.7 ฿2,496

2.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$73.1 ฿2,442

-19.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$345 ฿11.5K

45.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$423 ฿14.1K

-27.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$710 ฿23.7K

51.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$525 ฿17.5K

20.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

$1,183 ฿39.5K

142.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

$1,048 ฿35.0K

79.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

$709 ฿23.7K

-52.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

7.4

-2.70%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Krabi: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Krabi

$423 41.4% 38.8% $118

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Krabi

$227 22.2% 8.1% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Krabi

$107 10.5% 33.4% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Krabi

$80 7.9% 15% $14

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Krabi

$93 9.1% 6% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Krabi

$76 7.5% 76.5% $33

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Krabi

$15 * 1.5% 0.1% $0

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 $503 in Cebu and $345 in Krabi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krabi pays 111% 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 $19.00 in Krabi. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $227, with Cebu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇹🇭 Krabi

🕒 Local time

03:09 3:09 AM

02:09 2:09 AM

1 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

50,000

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Krabi 2,750 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Krabi

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 Krabi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 111% lower in Krabi. 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: $503 in Cebu versus $345 in Krabi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Krabi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cebu – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $19.00 in Krabi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Cebu gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

Safety-wise, Cebu and Krabi 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 12% less than in Krabi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.