Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Samut Prakan

For one person, living costs are similar in Cebu and in Samut Prakan: $918 and $886 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Samut Prakan
Learn more

Samut Prakan Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Samut Prakan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Samut Prakan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $886 in Samut Prakan.

Cebu $918
Samut Prakan $886

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,389 in Samut Prakan.

Cebu $1,409
Samut Prakan $1,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,893 in Samut Prakan.

Cebu $1,900
Samut Prakan $1,893

Living in Cebu is roughly 4% more expensive than in Samut Prakan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Samut Prakan 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$3.25 ฿109

-4.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$15.10 ฿505

60.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.61 ฿254

-48.49%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.43 ฿47.70

75.52%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.51 ฿17.05

211.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.26 ฿8.75

103.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.03 ฿67.8

-12.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.02 ฿101

-28.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.48 ฿49.36

29.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.96 ฿32.07

41.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$0.87 ฿29.12

16.09%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.74 ฿58.2

16.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$12.31 ฿412

-19.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$2.47 ฿82.4

77.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$10.24 ฿342

-25.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$1.79 ฿59.9

84.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$0.71 ฿23.72

95.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.31 ฿43.92

77.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.17 ฿39.20

28.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.46 ฿48.70

61.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.77 ฿25.72

146.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.82 ฿27.36

45.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.45 ฿14.90

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$4.56 ฿152

-34.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$8.98 ฿300

-32.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.03 ฿34.32

19.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.87 ฿62.6

-6.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.53 ฿17.76

-52.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$1.69 ฿56.4

-54.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$1.54 ฿51.5

-85.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$4.76 ฿159

-6.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.11 ฿37.00

18.02%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$11.9K ฿396.7K

78.97%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$23.5K ฿785.8K

-18.57%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$83.1 ฿2,778

44.65%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$9.05 ฿302

54.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$16.08 ฿537

71.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$47.11 ฿1,574

-31.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$14.07 ฿470

-52.74%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$6.55 ฿219

-13.74%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$146 ฿4,876

88.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$6,031 ฿201.6K

31.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$14.97 ฿500

229.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$36.13 ฿1,208

-30.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$72.1 ฿2,411

6.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$118 ฿3,927

-51.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$469 ฿15.7K

6.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$331 ฿11.1K

-6.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$1,375 ฿46.0K

-21.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$720 ฿24.1K

-14.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$1,909 ฿63.8K

51.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,597 ฿53.4K

20.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$674 ฿22.5K

-48.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

140.00%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Samut Prakan: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Samut Prakan

$331 37.4% 7.3% $23

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Samut Prakan

$181 20.4% 12.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Samut Prakan

$108 12.2% 33.1% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Samut Prakan

$108 12.2% 15.3% $14

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Samut Prakan

$85 9.6% 3.4% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Samut Prakan

$60 6.8% 38% $17

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Samut Prakan

$12 * 1.3% 26% $4.1

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 $469 in Samut Prakan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Samut Prakan pays 95% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $15.00 in Samut Prakan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $181 per month, with Samut Prakan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇹🇭 Samut Prakan

🕒 Local time

13:55 1:55 PM

12:55 12:55 PM

1 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

50,843

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Samut Prakan 2,560 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Samut Prakan

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 Samut Prakan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samut Prakan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 95% lower in Samut Prakan. 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 $469 in Samut Prakan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Cebu. 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 $886 in Samut Prakan – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Samut Prakan gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Samut Prakan 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 Samut Prakan 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 Samut Prakan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.