Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Phan Thiet

For one person, living is cheaper in Phan Thiet: $647 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Phan Thiet
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Phan Thiet Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Phan Thiet

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Phan Thiet

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $647 in Phan Thiet.

Cebu $918
Phan Thiet $647

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,070 in Phan Thiet.

Cebu $1,409
Phan Thiet $1,070

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,493 in Phan Thiet.

Cebu $1,900
Phan Thiet $1,493

Living in Cebu is roughly 42% more expensive than in Phan Thiet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Phan Thiet 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$2.71 ₫70.3K

14.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$23.33 ₫603.9K

3.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$4.46 ₫115.4K

-12.11%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$0.59 ₫15.4K

325.42%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.40 ₫10.2K

297.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.21 ₫5,436

152.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$0.64 ₫16.5K

178.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$1.25 ₫32.4K

73.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.32 ₫34.0K

45.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.38 ₫9,834

257.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$0.91 ₫23.6K

10.99%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.14 ₫29.5K

78.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$11.95 ₫309.3K

-17.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$3.05 ₫78.9K

43.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$8.66 ₫224.2K

-12.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$1.90 ₫49.2K

73.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$0.82 ₫21.3K

69.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.06 ₫27.5K

119.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.19 ₫30.7K

26.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.77 ₫20.0K

206.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.67 ₫17.3K

183.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.59 ₫15.3K

101.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.51 ₫13.1K

23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$1.51 ₫39.1K

98.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$9.43 ₫244.2K

-36.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$0.37 ₫9,708

232.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.58 ₫40.9K

10.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.29 ₫7,633

-13.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$5.85 ₫151.6K

116.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.59 ₫15.4K

30.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.60 ₫15.6K

-61.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$2.70 ₫70.0K

65.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$0.85 ₫22.0K

54.12%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$30.3K ₫785.1M

-29.95%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$27.6K ₫713.7M

-30.55%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$44.46 ₫1.2M

170.42%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$6.64 ₫171.9K

110.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$9.19 ₫237.8K

199.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$24.09 ₫623.6K

34.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$7.87 ₫203.7K

-15.50%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$1.99 ₫51.4K

183.92%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$214 ₫5.6M

28.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$3,808 ₫98.6M

107.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$22.86 ₫591.8K

115.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$23.30 ₫603.1K

8.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$38.44 ₫995.1K

100.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$57.7 ₫1.5M

-0.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$355 ₫9.2M

40.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$271 ₫7.0M

14.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$756 ₫19.6M

42.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$606 ₫15.7M

1.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$2,829 ₫73.2M

2.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,195 ₫30.9M

60.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

8.46

-14.89%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phan Thiet: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Phan Thiet

$271 41.8% 12.3% $38

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Phan Thiet

$163 25.2% 20.9% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Phan Thiet

$60 9.3% 62.7% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Phan Thiet

$64 9.9% 31.8% $30

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Phan Thiet

$50 7.8% 43% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Phan Thiet

$28 4.3% 35.7% $16

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Phan Thiet

$11 1.7% 31.6% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $355 in Phan Thiet. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $23.00 in Phan Thiet for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $163 per month, with Phan Thiet cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇻🇳 Phan Thiet

🕒 Local time

18:36 6:36 PM

17:36 5:36 PM

1 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

255,000

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Phan Thiet 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Phan Thiet

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 Phan Thiet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phan Thiet is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 42% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $970 in Phan Thiet 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 $355 in Phan Thiet. 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 $647 in Phan Thiet – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Phan Thiet runs roughly 116% 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 Phan Thiet gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Phan Thiet 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 Phan Thiet 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 Phan Thiet gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.