Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cha-am and Cebu

For one person, living costs are similar in Cha-am and in Cebu: $880 and $918 a month, rent and utilities included.

43

Cost of Living Index in Cha-am
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Cha-am Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Cha-am

🇹🇭 Thailand

$880

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cha-am and in Cebu

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cha-am and in Cebu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $880 in Cha-am versus $918 in Cebu.

Cha-am $880
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,412 in Cha-am versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Cha-am $1,412
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,944 in Cha-am versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Cha-am $1,944
Cebu $1,900

Living in Cha-am costs roughly 4% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cha-am 35% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.29 ฿110

$3.09 ₱194

6.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.60 ฿755

$24.22 ₱1,525

-6.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.27 ฿243

$3.92 ₱247

85.46%

Cappuccino

$2.04 ฿68.1

$2.51 ₱158

-18.73%

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

$0.68 ฿22.66

$1.59 ₱100

-57.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.50

$0.53 ₱33.43

-35.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.78 ₱112

32.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ฿100

$2.17 ₱137

38.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ฿59.5

$1.92 ₱121

-7.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 ฿49.76

$1.36 ₱85.4

9.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.43

$1.01 ₱63.5

31.68%

Eggs

$1.95 ฿65.0

$2.03 ₱128

-3.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.47 ฿417

$9.86 ₱621

26.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.54 ฿85.0

$4.39 ₱277

-42.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.20 ฿341

$7.60 ₱479

34.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 ฿118

$3.30 ₱208

6.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ฿40.86

$1.39 ₱87.8

-12.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 ฿62.5

$2.33 ₱147

-19.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 ฿58.3

$1.50 ₱94.3

16.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 ฿59.0

$2.36 ₱149

-25.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.28

$1.90 ₱119

-42.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ฿38.80

$1.19 ₱74.9

-2.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿15.07

$0.63 ₱39.71

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$3.00 ₱189

43.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.71 ฿592

$6.03 ₱379

193.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ฿57.8

$1.23 ₱77.7

40.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 ฿99.0

$1.75 ₱110

69.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 ฿30.63

$0.25 ₱15.86

268.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.26 ฿744

$12.64 ₱796

76.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.37 ฿45.80

$0.77 ₱48.62

77.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 ฿35.67

$0.23 ₱14.53

365.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 ฿121

$4.46 ₱281

-18.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ฿46.86

$1.31 ₱82.8

6.87%

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

$16.4K ฿546.9K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-22.96%

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

$27.1K ฿905.9K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

41.58%

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

$82.1 ฿2,744

$120 ₱7,569

-31.72%

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

$11.41 ฿381

$14.00 ₱882

-18.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.66 ฿791

$27.54 ₱1,734

-14.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.81 ฿796

$32.33 ₱2,035

-26.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.81 ฿194

$6.65 ₱419

-12.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 ฿222

$5.65 ₱356

17.70%

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

$609 ฿20.4K

$275 ₱17.3K

121.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K ฿368.4K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

39.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 ฿1,675

$49.33 ₱3,106

1.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.35 ฿981

$25.24 ₱1,589

16.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 ฿2,357

$77.0 ₱4,846

-8.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.6 ฿1,758

$57.2 ₱3,601

-8.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$373 ฿12.5K

$500 ₱31.5K

-25.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 ฿9,109

$309 ₱19.4K

-11.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ฿25.1K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-30.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 ฿21.5K

$615 ₱38.7K

4.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$351 ฿11.7K

$346 ₱21.8K

1.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

7.2

-17.22%

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

Last update for Cha-am: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cha-am

$273 31%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 13.3% $36

Groceries & Markets

Cha-am

$235 26.7%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 12.5% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cha-am

$117 13.3%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 38.1% $45

Eating Out

Cha-am

$94 10.7%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 6.5% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Cha-am

$91 10.4%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 3% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Cha-am

$37 4.2%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 17.5% $6.5

Getting Around

Cha-am

$33 3.7%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 52.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $373 in Cha-am and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cha-am pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Cha-am vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $206, with Cebu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Cha-am

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

01:05 1:05 AM

02:05 2:05 AM

1 h ahead of Cha-am

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,354

964,169

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cha-am Cebu 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cha-am
Cebu

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

Cha-am vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cha-am is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and utilities. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Cha-am, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $373 in Cha-am versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $880 per month in Cha-am versus $918 in Cebu – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cha-am runs roughly 76% 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 Cha-am gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Cha-am 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, Cha-am and Cebu 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 Cha-am 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.