Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Nam Dinh

For one person, living is cheaper in Nam Dinh: $783 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Nam Dinh
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Nam Dinh Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Nam Dinh

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$783

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Nam Dinh

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $783 in Nam Dinh.

Cebu $918
Nam Dinh $783

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,265 in Nam Dinh.

Cebu $1,409
Nam Dinh $1,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,747 in Nam Dinh.

Cebu $1,900
Nam Dinh $1,747

Living in Cebu is roughly 17% more expensive than in Nam Dinh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Nam Dinh 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱195

$2.14 ₫55.3K

44.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$22.61 ₫585.4K

7.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$4.31 ₫111.6K

-9.05%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.89 ₫49.1K

32.80%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.51 ₫13.1K

211.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.45

$0.30 ₫7,668

76.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.06 ₫27.5K

67.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$1.89 ₫48.8K

14.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.47 ₫37.9K

30.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.5

$1.06 ₫27.6K

28.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.6

$0.74 ₫19.2K

36.49%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.50 ₫38.8K

35.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$10.21 ₫264.4K

-3.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$3.80 ₫98.4K

15.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$9.97 ₫258.1K

-23.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$3.39 ₫87.8K

-2.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.04 ₫26.9K

33.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.32 ₫34.2K

76.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.15 ₫29.7K

30.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.92 ₫23.8K

156.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.09 ₫28.1K

74.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.55 ₫14.2K

116.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.73

$0.52 ₫13.4K

21.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$1.39 ₫35.9K

115.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱380

$12.51 ₫324.0K

-51.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$0.88 ₫22.8K

39.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.74 ₫45.1K

0.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.87

$0.32 ₫8,215

-21.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$6.71 ₫173.7K

88.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.64

$0.74 ₫19.0K

4.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.54

$0.60 ₫15.5K

-61.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$2.36 ₫61.0K

88.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.88 ₫22.8K

48.86%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$31.0K ₫802.2M

-31.44%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$29.7K ₫769.8M

-35.61%

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

$120 ₱7,573

$85.6 ₫2.2M

40.39%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$5.31 ₫137.5K

163.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,735

$8.66 ₫224.3K

218.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,036

$22.24 ₫575.8K

45.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$7.64 ₫197.8K

-12.96%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$4.34 ₫112.3K

30.18%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$161 ₫4.2M

70.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.8K

$27.7K ₫718.2M

-71.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,107

$48.87 ₫1.3M

0.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,590

$26.46 ₫684.9K

-4.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,848

$83.5 ₫2.2M

-7.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,603

$79.5 ₫2.1M

-28.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$415 ₫10.7M

20.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.5K

$274 ₫7.1M

12.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$756 ₫19.6M

42.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.8K

$624 ₫16.2M

-1.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.8K

$2,789 ₫72.2M

3.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,323 ₫34.2M

44.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

8.28

-13.04%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nam Dinh: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Nam Dinh

$274 35% 11.3% $35

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Nam Dinh

$194 24.8% 5.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Nam Dinh

$100 12.7% 38.4% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Nam Dinh

$107 13.7% 14.2% $13

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Nam Dinh

$65 8.3% 26.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Nam Dinh

$31 4% 29.1% $13

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Nam Dinh

$12 1.5% 24.8% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $415 in Nam Dinh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $23.00 in Nam Dinh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $194 per month, with Nam Dinh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇻🇳 Nam Dinh

🕒 Local time

23:40 11:40 PM

22:40 10:40 PM

1 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

179,229

💱 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 Nam Dinh 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Nam Dinh

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 Nam Dinh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nam Dinh is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $1,174 in Nam Dinh 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 $415 in Nam Dinh. 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 $783 in Nam Dinh – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nam Dinh runs roughly 88% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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

For families, Nam Dinh 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 Nam Dinh 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 Nam Dinh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.