Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Ratchaburi

For one person, living costs are similar in Cebu and in Ratchaburi: $918 and $944 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Ratchaburi
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Ratchaburi Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Ratchaburi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$944

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Ratchaburi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $944 in Ratchaburi.

Cebu $918
Ratchaburi $944

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,573 in Ratchaburi.

Cebu $1,409
Ratchaburi $1,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,202 in Ratchaburi.

Cebu $1,900
Ratchaburi $2,202

Living in Cebu costs roughly 3% less than in Ratchaburi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Ratchaburi 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$3.59 ฿120

-13.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$35.96 ฿1,202

-32.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$9.10 ฿304

-56.92%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.04 ฿68.1

23.04%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.74 ฿24.78

114.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.30 ฿9.93

76.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.31 ฿77.2

-22.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$2.66 ฿88.8

-18.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.78 ฿59.6

7.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.44 ฿47.98

-5.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.39 ฿46.38

-27.34%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.22 ฿74.1

-8.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$15.32 ฿512

-35.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$2.56 ฿85.7

71.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$10.00 ฿334

-24.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$3.48 ฿116

-5.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.21 ฿40.35

14.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.92 ฿64.1

21.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.91 ฿63.8

-21.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.20 ฿40.07

96.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.09 ฿36.40

74.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.22 ฿40.84

-2.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.45 ฿14.99

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$4.30 ฿144

-30.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$17.87 ฿597

-66.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.76 ฿58.8

-30.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.90 ฿96.8

-39.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.92 ฿30.82

-72.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$1.38 ฿46.08

-44.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$1.12 ฿37.58

-79.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$3.60 ฿120

23.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.51 ฿50.4

-13.25%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$46.1K ฿1.5M

-53.94%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$26.9K ฿899.0K

-28.83%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$90.9 ฿3,037

32.31%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$11.58 ฿387

20.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$19.18 ฿641

43.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$46.61 ฿1,558

-30.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$14.27 ฿477

-53.40%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$7.49 ฿250

-24.57%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$628 ฿21.0K

-56.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$14.3K ฿477.1K

-44.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$50.5 ฿1,686

-2.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$29.47 ฿985

-14.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$93.9 ฿3,138

-18.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$74.8 ฿2,501

-23.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$441 ฿14.7K

13.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$293 ฿9,777

5.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$1,387 ฿46.3K

-22.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$737 ฿24.6K

-16.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$1,969 ฿65.8K

46.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,584 ฿52.9K

21.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

5.96

20.81%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ratchaburi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Ratchaburi

$293 31% 5.3% $16

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Ratchaburi

$244 25.8% 18.4% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Ratchaburi

$122 12.9% 24.8% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Ratchaburi

$112 11.9% 19.1% $18

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Ratchaburi

$102 10.8% 15% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Ratchaburi

$62 6.5% 41.2% $18

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Ratchaburi

$11 * 1.1% 31.3% $4.9

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 Ratchaburi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $36.00 in Ratchaburi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $244 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇹🇭 Ratchaburi

🕒 Local time

05:02 5:02 AM

04:02 4:02 AM

1 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

38,208

💱 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 = 70.78 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 = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Ratchaburi 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Ratchaburi

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 Ratchaburi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,377 in Cebu and $1,415 in Ratchaburi 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 Ratchaburi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Ratchaburi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $944 in Ratchaburi – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $944 in Ratchaburi, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Ratchaburi. 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 Ratchaburi, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Ratchaburi 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 3% less than in Ratchaburi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.