Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Samut Sakhon

For one person, living costs are similar in Cebu and in Samut Sakhon: $915 and $923 a month, rent and utilities included.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Samut Sakhon
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Samut Sakhon Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Samut Sakhon

🇹🇭 Thailand

$923

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $923 in Samut Sakhon.

Cebu $915
Samut Sakhon $923

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $1,452 in Samut Sakhon.

Cebu $1,418
Samut Sakhon $1,452

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $1,981 in Samut Sakhon.

Cebu $1,921
Samut Sakhon $1,981

Living in Cebu costs roughly 1% less than in Samut Sakhon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 33% lower, Samut Sakhon 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$1.81 ฿60.3

68.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$17.81 ฿595

34.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$5.93 ฿198

-32.72%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$1.21 ฿40.53

106.61%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$0.35 ฿11.66

340.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$0.29 ฿9.67

72.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.90 ฿63.5

-6.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$2.66 ฿88.8

-18.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.78 ฿59.5

12.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$1.48 ฿49.60

-7.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$1.39 ฿46.57

-25.90%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.21 ฿73.9

-8.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$15.64 ฿523

-34.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$2.61 ฿87.2

70.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$10.27 ฿343

-25.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$3.40 ฿114

-2.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$1.21 ฿40.32

20.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$1.85 ฿61.9

25.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$1.98 ฿66.1

-24.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$1.24 ฿41.31

88.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$1.04 ฿34.69

86.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$1.21 ฿40.34

-4.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$0.44 ฿14.81

54.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$4.23 ฿141

-29.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$17.79 ฿594

-64.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$1.77 ฿59.2

-30.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$3.01 ฿101

-42.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$0.39 ฿12.90

-41.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$1.03 ฿34.38

-23.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$1.13 ฿37.79

-80.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$3.50 ฿117

29.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$1.20 ฿40.27

10.00%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$44.9K ฿1.5M

-53.22%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$26.3K ฿878.9K

-26.22%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$93.8 ฿3,134

26.41%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$11.39 ฿381

24.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$19.13 ฿639

43.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$47.02 ฿1,571

-31.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

$11.47 ฿383

-43.33%

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$7.41 ฿248

-27.13%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$622 ฿20.8K

-55.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$14.4K ฿480.0K

-45.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$51.0 ฿1,703

-3.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$29.36 ฿981

-16.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$95.7 ฿3,200

-19.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$77.2 ฿2,580

-23.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$486 ฿16.2K

3.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$304 ฿10.2K

0.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$1,148 ฿38.4K

-6.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$678 ฿22.7K

-6.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

$2,180 ฿72.9K

31.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

$1,504 ฿50.3K

24.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

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 19, 2026

Last update for Samut Sakhon: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Samut Sakhon

$304 33% 0% $0

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Samut Sakhon

$246 26.6% 17.3% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Samut Sakhon

$124 13.5% 22.4% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Samut Sakhon

$114 12.4% 20.9% $20

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Samut Sakhon

$64 7% 26.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Samut Sakhon

$62 6.7% 43.5% $19

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Samut Sakhon

$8.2 * 0.9% 45.7% $6.9

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 $503 in Cebu and $486 in Samut Sakhon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $18.00 in Samut Sakhon. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $246, with Cebu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇹🇭 Samut Sakhon

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

04:47 4:47 AM

1 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

67,515

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Sakhon 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Samut Sakhon

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 Sakhon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,372 in Cebu and $1,384 in Samut Sakhon 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 $486 in Samut Sakhon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Samut Sakhon. 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 $923 in Samut Sakhon – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $915 in Cebu versus $923 in Samut Sakhon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Samut Sakhon. 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 Samut Sakhon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Samut Sakhon 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 1% less than in Samut Sakhon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.