Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hat Yai and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Hat Yai: $731 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

35

Cost of Living Index in Hat Yai
Learn more

Hat Yai Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Hat Yai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$731

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $731 in Hat Yai versus $918 in Cebu.

Hat Yai $731
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,300 in Hat Yai versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Hat Yai $1,300
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,870 in Hat Yai versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Hat Yai $1,870
Cebu $1,900

Living in Hat Yai costs roughly 20% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hat Yai 46% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.90 ฿96.9

$3.09 ₱194

-6.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.67 ฿1,460

$24.22 ₱1,525

80.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.66 ฿122

$3.92 ₱247

-6.63%

Cappuccino

$2.88 ฿96.3

$2.51 ₱158

14.74%

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

$1.33 ฿44.34

$1.59 ₱100

-16.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ฿18.60

$0.53 ₱33.43

5.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.80 ฿60.1

$1.78 ₱112

1.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ฿116

$2.17 ₱137

59.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.55

$1.92 ₱121

-24.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 ฿41.68

$1.36 ₱85.4

-8.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.28

$1.01 ₱63.5

22.77%

Eggs

$2.51 ฿83.9

$2.03 ₱128

23.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.15 ฿740

$9.86 ₱621

124.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.24 ฿74.7

$4.39 ₱277

-48.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.19 ฿374

$7.60 ₱479

47.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 ฿84.8

$3.30 ₱208

-23.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.10

$1.39 ₱87.8

-0.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ฿63.3

$2.33 ₱147

-18.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ฿60.3

$1.50 ₱94.3

20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.94

$2.36 ₱149

-38.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.38

$1.90 ₱119

-45.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.74

$1.19 ₱74.9

-10.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 ฿13.57

$0.63 ₱39.71

-34.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 ฿146

$3.00 ₱189

45.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.03 ฿502

$6.03 ₱379

149.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$1.23 ₱77.7

43.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ฿66.4

$1.75 ₱110

13.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ฿18.98

$0.25 ₱15.86

128.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 ฿41.71

$0.77 ₱48.62

62.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 ฿37.78

$0.23 ₱14.53

391.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.94 ฿165

$4.46 ₱281

10.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ฿43.15

$1.31 ₱82.8

-1.53%

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

$18.9K ฿630.6K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-11.18%

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

$45.1K ฿1.5M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

135.63%

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

$84.4 ฿2,819

$120 ₱7,569

-29.83%

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

$11.75 ฿393

$14.00 ₱882

-16.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.65 ฿322

$27.54 ₱1,734

-64.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.45 ฿1,619

$32.33 ₱2,035

49.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.10 ฿471

$6.65 ₱419

112.03%

Cinema Ticket

$7.19 ฿240

$5.65 ₱356

27.26%

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

$562 ฿18.8K

$275 ₱17.3K

104.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ฿357.3K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

35.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.54 ฿1,255

$49.33 ₱3,106

-23.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.26 ฿878

$25.24 ₱1,589

4.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.9 ฿2,369

$77.0 ₱4,846

-7.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.3 ฿3,250

$57.2 ₱3,601

70.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$270 ฿9,010

$500 ₱31.5K

-46.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$107 ฿3,576

$309 ₱19.4K

-65.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-32.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 ฿13.3K

$615 ₱38.7K

-35.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,915 ฿64.0K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-33.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,584 ฿52.9K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-17.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$452 ฿15.1K

$346 ₱21.8K

30.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

7.2

-11.67%

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

Last update for Hat Yai: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hat Yai

$249 34.1%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 17.4% $43

Accommodation & Living

Hat Yai

$107 14.7%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 189% $202

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hat Yai

$106 14.5%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 53% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Hat Yai

$104 14.3%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 10% $10

Eating Out

Hat Yai

$92 12.6%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 4.3% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Hat Yai

$63 8.6%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 30.6% $19

Getting Around

Hat Yai

$9.2 * 1.3%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 69.8% $6.4

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 $270 in Hat Yai and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hat Yai pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44.00 in Hat Yai vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Hat Yai

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

02:24 2:24 AM

03:24 3:24 AM

1 h ahead of Hat Yai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

156,802

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

Hat Yai Cebu 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Hat Yai
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

Hat Yai vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hat Yai is cheaper overall, especially in utilities and transport. The 26% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Hat Yai, 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: $270 in Hat Yai versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Cebu pay roughly 21% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $731 per month in Hat Yai versus $918 in Cebu – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Hat Yai gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Hat Yai 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, Hat Yai 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 Hat Yai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.