Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hai Phong and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Hai Phong: $688 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hai Phong
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$688
/mo nomad
Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$934
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hai Phong 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 Hai Phong and in Cebu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $688 in Hai Phong versus $934 in Cebu.

  • Hai Phong $688
  • Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,162 in Hai Phong versus $1,415 in Cebu.

  • Hai Phong $1,162
  • Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,635 in Hai Phong versus $1,896 in Cebu.

  • Hai Phong $1,635
  • Cebu $1,896

Living in Hai Phong costs roughly 26% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hai Phong 49% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hai Phong
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.57 ₫40.7K
$3.03 ₱190
-48.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.94 ₫491.3K
$23.48 ₱1,473
-19.34%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.26 ₫110.6K
$4.09 ₱256
4.16%
Cappuccino
$1.82 ₫47.2K
$2.52 ₱158
-27.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 ₫12.3K
$1.54 ₱96.9
-69.48%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 ₫7,732
$0.49 ₱30.98
-38.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.80 ₫20.8K
$1.79 ₱112
-55.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.58 ₫41.1K
$2.26 ₱142
-30.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hai Phong
Cebu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.55 ₫40.3K
$1.95 ₱122
-20.51%
White Bread (500g)
$0.51 ₫13.3K
$1.43 ₱89.7
-64.34%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.82 ₫21.2K
$1.02 ₱63.8
-19.61%
Eggs
$1.45 ₫37.6K
$2.06 ₱129
-29.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.46 ₫271.3K
$9.81 ₱615
6.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.79 ₫98.4K
$4.61 ₱289
-17.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.96 ₫258.2K
$7.70 ₱483
29.35%
Apples (1kg)
$3.39 ₫87.9K
$3.31 ₱207
2.42%
Banana (1kg)
$1.08 ₫27.9K
$1.45 ₱90.9
-25.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.33 ₫34.5K
$2.36 ₱148
-43.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.14 ₫29.5K
$1.54 ₱96.4
-25.97%
Potato (1kg)
$0.96 ₫24.9K
$2.36 ₱148
-59.32%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ₫28.4K
$1.99 ₱125
-44.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.55 ₫14.1K
$1.15 ₱72.1
-52.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ₫14.4K
$0.67 ₱42.15
-17.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.16 ₫30.0K
$3.00 ₱188
-61.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.41 ₫321.8K
$6.35 ₱398
95.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.74 ₫19.2K
$1.31 ₱81.9
-43.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 ₫43.2K
$1.73 ₱108
-3.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Hai Phong
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.39 ₫10.0K
$0.25 ₱15.78
56.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$5.66 ₫146.7K
$12.65 ₱793
-55.26%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.80 ₫20.8K
$0.74 ₱46.32
8.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.57 ₫14.7K
$0.21 ₱13.11
171.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.90 ₫49.2K
$4.33 ₱271
-56.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.89 ₫23.1K
$1.33 ₱83.5
-33.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.6K ₫793.5M
$21.8K ₱1.4M
40.57%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.1K ₫779.8M
$19.4K ₱1.2M
55.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hai Phong
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$44.54 ₫1.2M
$121 ₱7,563
-63.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.21 ₫135.0K
$14.45 ₱907
-63.94%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$8.69 ₫225.3K
$28.29 ₱1,774
-69.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hai Phong
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$22.88 ₫593.4K
$32.68 ₱2,050
-29.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.79 ₫202.0K
$6.39 ₱401
21.91%
Cinema Ticket
$4.14 ₫107.4K
$5.46 ₱342
-24.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hai Phong
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$154 ₫4.0M
$273 ₱17.1K
-43.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,579 ₫118.8M
$8,156 ₱511.5K
-43.85%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hai Phong
Cebu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.45 ₫1.2M
$49.57 ₱3,109
-8.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$21.39 ₫554.6K
$24.87 ₱1,560
-13.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.3 ₫2.2M
$76.6 ₱4,804
10.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.0 ₫2.0M
$59.3 ₱3,717
29.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hai Phong
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$246 ₫6.4M
$506 ₱31.7K
-51.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$245 ₫6.4M
$309 ₱19.4K
-20.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,018 ₫26.4M
$1,052 ₱66.0K
-3.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$627 ₫16.3M
$619 ₱38.8K
1.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,324 ₫34.3M
$2,915 ₱182.9K
-54.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$977 ₫25.3M
$1,867 ₱117.1K
-47.66%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hai Phong
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$501 ₫13.0M
$341 ₱21.4K
46.78%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7
7.2
-2.78%

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

Last update for Hai Phong: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Hai Phong
$245
Cebu
$309 26.3% $64
Groceries & Markets
Hai Phong
$190
Cebu
$210 10.7% $20
Clothing & Footwear
Hai Phong
$103
Cebu
$95 7.8% $8.1
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hai Phong
$58
Cebu
$163 180% $105
Eating Out
Hai Phong
$57
Cebu
$88 53.8% $31
Sport & Entertainment
Hai Phong
$31
Cebu
$44 39.9% $12
Getting Around
Hai Phong
$11
Cebu
$15 42.4% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $246 in Hai Phong and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hai Phong pays 47% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $19.00 in Hai Phong vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $190 vs $210 per month, with Hai Phong cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇻🇳 Hai Phong
🇵🇭 Cebu
🕒 Local time
06:12 6:12 AM
07:12 7:12 AM
1 h ahead of Hai Phong
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,105,000
964,169
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 25,934 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,064 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.29 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hai Phong Cebu 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Hai Phong
  • 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
Hai Phong vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cebu cheaper than Hai Phong?
Hai Phong is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 36% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Hai Phong or Cebu?
Average pay runs 47% higher in Hai Phong, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Hai Phong and Cebu?
Rent for a central apartment: $246 in Hai Phong versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Hai Phong and in Cebu?
All in, you'll spend $688 per month in Hai Phong versus $934 in Cebu – a 36% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Hai Phong runs roughly 123% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,200 enough for either Hai Phong or Cebu?
Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Hai Phong gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is Hai Phong or Cebu more family-friendly?
For families, Hai Phong 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.
Which city is safer, Hai Phong or Cebu?
Safety-wise, Hai Phong 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Hai Phong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Hai Phong vs other spots: cost of living compared

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