Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Song Be

For one person, living is cheaper in Song Be: $839 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $910 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Song Be
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Song Be Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Song Be

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Song Be

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $839 in Song Be.

Cebu $915
Song Be $839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $1,363 in Song Be.

Cebu $1,418
Song Be $1,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $1,887 in Song Be.

Cebu $1,921
Song Be $1,887

Living in Cebu is roughly 9% more expensive than in Song Be, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 33% lower, Song Be 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$1.92 ₫49.6K

58.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$23.01 ₫595.6K

4.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$4.75 ₫123.1K

-16.00%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$1.85 ₫47.9K

35.14%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$0.55 ₫14.3K

180.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$0.34 ₫8,819

47.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.08 ₫28.0K

64.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$1.70 ₫44.1K

27.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.64 ₫42.5K

21.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$1.06 ₫27.4K

29.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$1.06 ₫27.4K

-2.83%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.62 ₫41.8K

25.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$11.93 ₫309.0K

-14.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$3.66 ₫94.7K

21.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$10.42 ₫269.7K

-26.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$2.98 ₫77.2K

11.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$1.26 ₫32.6K

15.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$1.57 ₫40.7K

47.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$1.25 ₫32.4K

19.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$1.18 ₫30.6K

98.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$1.19 ₫30.9K

63.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$0.73 ₫18.8K

58.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$0.52 ₫13.5K

30.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$1.25 ₫32.4K

139.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$12.87 ₫333.1K

-51.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$0.89 ₫23.1K

38.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$1.47 ₫38.0K

17.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$0.35 ₫9,126

-34.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

$6.85 ₫177.5K

80.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$0.74 ₫19.3K

6.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$0.62 ₫16.0K

-64.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$3.00 ₫77.7K

51.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$0.90 ₫23.4K

46.67%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$31.4K ₫812.5M

-33.07%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$29.7K ₫769.5M

-34.72%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$105 ₫2.7M

12.68%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$5.87 ₫152.1K

142.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$10.60 ₫274.4K

159.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$25.41 ₫657.8K

27.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

$7.53 ₫195.0K

-13.68%

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$3.82 ₫98.9K

41.36%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$448 ₫11.6M

-38.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$24.1K ₫622.7M

-67.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$52.2 ₫1.4M

-5.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$34.58 ₫895.3K

-28.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$90.9 ₫2.4M

-15.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$94.9 ₫2.5M

-37.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$362 ₫9.4M

38.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$280 ₫7.2M

8.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$836 ₫21.6M

28.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$675 ₫17.5M

-6.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

$1,961 ₫50.8M

46.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

$1,360 ₫35.2M

37.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

8.64

-16.67%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Song Be: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Song Be

$280 33.3% 8.2% $25

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Song Be

$206 24.6% 1.6% $3.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Song Be

$122 14.5% 24.1% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Song Be

$123 14.6% 30.1% $28

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Song Be

$64 7.7% 26.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Song Be

$33 3.9% 23.3% $10

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Song Be

$12 1.4% 20.1% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $503 in Cebu and $362 in Song Be. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $23.00 in Song Be for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $206 per month, with Song Be cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇻🇳 Song Be

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

02:32 2:32 AM

1 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, 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).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Song Be 1,870 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Song Be

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 Song Be: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Song Be is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,372 in Cebu and $1,259 in Song Be 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 $362 in Song Be. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $915 per month in Cebu versus $839 in Song Be – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Song Be runs roughly 80% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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

For families, Song Be 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 Song Be 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 Song Be gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.