Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Rayong

For one person, living costs are similar in Cebu and in Rayong: $918 and $940 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 Rayong
Learn more

Rayong Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Rayong

🇹🇭 Thailand

$940

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Rayong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $940 in Rayong.

Cebu $918
Rayong $940

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,191 in Rayong.

Cebu $1,409
Rayong $1,191

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,443 in Rayong.

Cebu $1,900
Rayong $1,443

Living in Cebu costs roughly 2% less than in Rayong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$2.89 ฿96.7

6.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$17.80 ฿595

36.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$6.42 ฿214

-38.94%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.62 ฿54.1

54.94%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.51 ฿17.16

211.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.28 ฿9.43

89.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.73 ฿57.9

2.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.05 ฿102

-28.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.87 ฿62.7

2.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.30 ฿43.53

4.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.42 ฿47.48

-28.87%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.61 ฿87.2

-22.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$17.02 ฿569

-42.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$2.91 ฿97.2

50.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$13.02 ฿435

-41.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$3.29 ฿110

0.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.75 ฿58.5

-20.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$2.24 ฿74.9

4.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.90 ฿63.4

-21.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.68 ฿56.2

40.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.50 ฿50.2

26.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.28 ฿42.68

-7.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.52 ฿17.42

21.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$4.52 ฿151

-33.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$15.09 ฿504

-60.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.82 ฿60.9

-32.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$3.21 ฿107

-45.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$1.06 ฿35.47

-27.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$1.21 ฿40.35

-80.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$6.03 ฿202

-26.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.42 ฿47.32

-7.75%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$31.2K ฿1.0M

-32.01%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$27.2K ฿910.6K

-29.73%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$44.28 ฿1,480

171.52%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$14.92 ฿499

-6.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$11.83 ฿395

132.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$66.8 ฿2,231

-51.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$17.63 ฿589

-62.28%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$6.59 ฿220

-14.26%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$574 ฿19.2K

-52.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$16.3K ฿546.3K

-51.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$69.7 ฿2,330

-29.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$43.37 ฿1,449

-41.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$98.2 ฿3,283

-21.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$108 ฿3,625

-47.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$419 ฿14.0K

19.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$295 ฿9,859

4.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$2,027 ฿67.8K

-5.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$469 ฿15.7K

-26.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

5.25

37.14%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Rayong: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Rayong

$295 31.4% 4.5% $14

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Rayong

$263 28% 27.8% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Rayong

$71 7.6% 56.1% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Rayong

$144 15.3% 53.2% $50

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Rayong

$80 8.5% 9.6% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Rayong

$80 8.5% 83.3% $36

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Rayong

$7.1 * 0.8% 54.4% $8.5

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 $419 in Rayong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rayong pays 36% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $18.00 in Rayong. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $263, with Cebu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇹🇭 Rayong

🕒 Local time

04:40 4:40 AM

03:40 3:40 AM

1 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

63,565

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Rayong 2,480 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Rayong

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 Rayong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 36% lower in Rayong. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $419 in Rayong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Rayong. 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 $940 in Rayong – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $918 in Cebu versus $940 in Rayong, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Rayong. 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 Rayong, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Rayong 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 2% less than in Rayong. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.