Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Ranong

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $976 in Ranong, rent and utilities included – about $730 less a year. The total is higher in Ranong despite lower rent and utilities.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Ranong
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Ranong Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Ranong

🇹🇭 Thailand

$976

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Ranong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $976 in Ranong.

Cebu $915
Ranong $976

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $1,650 in Ranong.

Cebu $1,418
Ranong $1,650

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $2,324 in Ranong.

Cebu $1,921
Ranong $2,324

Living in Cebu costs roughly 6% less than in Ranong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 33% lower, Ranong 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$4.36 ฿146

-30.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$32.07 ฿1,072

-25.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$8.46 ฿283

-52.84%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$2.74 ฿91.5

-8.76%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$0.96 ฿31.98

60.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$0.50 ฿16.59

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.55 ฿85.3

-30.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$3.76 ฿126

-42.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.66 ฿55.5

20.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$1.47 ฿48.98

-6.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$1.52 ฿50.6

-32.24%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.20 ฿73.4

-7.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$19.67 ฿657

-48.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$3.30 ฿110

34.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$11.09 ฿371

-30.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$2.94 ฿98.3

12.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$1.64 ฿54.9

-10.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$2.26 ฿75.7

2.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$2.07 ฿69.2

-28.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$1.50 ฿50.2

56.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$1.31 ฿43.78

48.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$1.06 ฿35.35

9.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$0.51 ฿17.01

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$4.46 ฿149

-32.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$18.42 ฿616

-66.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$1.81 ฿60.6

-32.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$2.75 ฿92.1

-37.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$0.79 ฿26.38

-70.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$1.21 ฿40.34

-34.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$1.07 ฿35.76

-79.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$3.81 ฿127

19.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$1.48 ฿49.36

-10.81%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$26.4K ฿883.5K

-20.54%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$26.4K ฿881.7K

-26.45%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$99.5 ฿3,324

19.19%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$11.07 ฿370

28.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$17.26 ฿577

59.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$43.35 ฿1,449

-25.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

$12.40 ฿414

-47.58%

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$7.65 ฿256

-29.41%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$548 ฿18.3K

-49.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$11.4K ฿382.5K

-31.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$64.3 ฿2,147

-23.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$28.31 ฿946

-13.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$95.8 ฿3,203

-20.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$89.6 ฿2,993

-34.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$467 ฿15.6K

7.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$268 ฿8,954

13.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$1,081 ฿36.1K

-0.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$762 ฿25.5K

-17.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

$1,902 ฿63.6K

50.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

$1,616 ฿54.0K

16.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

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 19, 2026

Last update for Ranong: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Ranong

$268 27.4% 12% $37

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Ranong

$268 27.4% 27.8% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Ranong

$128 13.1% 20.3% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Ranong

$125 12.8% 32.7% $31

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Ranong

$119 12.2% 35.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Ranong

$59 6% 36.1% $16

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Ranong

$9.7 * 1% 35.9% $5.4

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 $467 in Ranong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $32.00 in Ranong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $268 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇹🇭 Ranong

🕒 Local time

00:19 12:19 AM

23:19 11:19 PM

1 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

16,163

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Ranong 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Ranong

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 Ranong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,372 in Cebu and $1,464 in Ranong 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: $503 in Cebu versus $467 in Ranong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Ranong. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $915 per month in Cebu versus $976 in Ranong – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $915 in Cebu versus $976 in Ranong, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Ranong. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Cebu and Ranong 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 7% less than in Ranong. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.