Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Maha Sarakham

For one person, living costs are similar in Cebu and in Maha Sarakham: $918 and $919 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Maha Sarakham
Learn more

Maha Sarakham Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Maha Sarakham

🇹🇭 Thailand

$919

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Maha Sarakham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $919 in Maha Sarakham.

Cebu $918
Maha Sarakham $919

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,507 in Maha Sarakham.

Cebu $1,409
Maha Sarakham $1,507

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,094 in Maha Sarakham.

Cebu $1,900
Maha Sarakham $2,094

Monthly costs are close between Cebu and Maha Sarakham; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Maha Sarakham 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$3.05 ฿102

1.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$22.47 ฿751

7.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.08 ฿237

-44.63%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.12 ฿71.0

18.40%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.73 ฿24.23

117.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.33 ฿11.15

60.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.02 ฿67.6

-11.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.04 ฿102

-28.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.74 ฿58.2

10.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.39 ฿46.53

-2.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.35 ฿45.20

-25.19%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.07 ฿69.1

-1.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$16.39 ฿548

-39.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$2.75 ฿92.0

59.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$10.23 ฿342

-25.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$3.03 ฿101

8.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.08 ฿36.10

28.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$2.16 ฿72.3

7.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.90 ฿63.4

-21.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.49 ฿49.65

58.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.11 ฿37.11

71.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.12 ฿37.41

6.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.48 ฿16.12

31.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$4.44 ฿149

-32.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$17.25 ฿577

-65.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.70 ฿56.9

-27.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.78 ฿92.8

-37.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.90 ฿30.10

-72.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$1.26 ฿42.02

-38.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$1.12 ฿37.42

-79.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$4.93 ฿165

-9.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.34 ฿44.74

-2.24%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$26.0K ฿869.7K

-18.37%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$26.4K ฿881.4K

-27.41%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$82.5 ฿2,755

45.82%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$11.45 ฿383

22.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$19.19 ฿641

43.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$47.10 ฿1,574

-31.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$13.97 ฿467

-52.40%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$6.63 ฿222

-14.78%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$563 ฿18.8K

-51.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$10.7K ฿357.3K

-25.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$51.3 ฿1,715

-3.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$29.17 ฿975

-13.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$78.1 ฿2,610

-1.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$76.8 ฿2,565

-25.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$441 ฿14.7K

13.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$293 ฿9,807

5.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$1,382 ฿46.2K

-22.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$740 ฿24.7K

-16.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$1,901 ฿63.5K

51.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,610 ฿53.8K

19.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

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 12, 2026

Last update for Maha Sarakham: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Maha Sarakham

$293 31.9% 5% $15

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Maha Sarakham

$244 26.6% 18.5% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Maha Sarakham

$113 12.3% 30.1% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Maha Sarakham

$106 11.5% 12.7% $12

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Maha Sarakham

$92 10% 3.7% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Maha Sarakham

$60 6.6% 38.4% $17

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Maha Sarakham

$10 * 1.1% 32.8% $5.1

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 $441 in Maha Sarakham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $22.00 in Maha Sarakham. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $244, with Cebu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇹🇭 Maha Sarakham

🕒 Local time

02:00 2:00 AM

01:00 1:00 AM

1 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

46,523

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Maha Sarakham 2,320 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Maha Sarakham

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 Maha Sarakham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $1,378 in Maha Sarakham 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: $500 in Cebu versus $441 in Maha Sarakham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cebu – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $22.00 in Maha Sarakham. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $275 in Cebu versus $563 in Maha Sarakham. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 Maha Sarakham, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Maha Sarakham are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Cebu wins on affordability, Maha Sarakham on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.