Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Khon Kaen and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Khon Kaen: $613 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Khon Kaen
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Khon Kaen Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Khon Kaen

🇹🇭 Thailand

$613

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $613 in Khon Kaen versus $918 in Cebu.

Khon Kaen $613
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,029 in Khon Kaen versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Khon Kaen $1,029
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,444 in Khon Kaen versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Khon Kaen $1,444
Cebu $1,900

Living in Khon Kaen costs roughly 33% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Khon Kaen 55% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ฿99.7

$3.09 ₱194

-3.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.88 ฿999

$24.22 ₱1,525

23.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 ฿202

$3.92 ₱247

53.83%

Cappuccino

$1.46 ฿48.84

$2.51 ₱158

-41.83%

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

$0.59 ฿19.67

$1.59 ₱100

-62.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ฿8.92

$0.53 ₱33.43

-49.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.78 ₱112

-2.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.76 ฿226

$2.17 ₱137

211.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.88 ฿29.38

$1.01 ₱63.5

-12.87%

Eggs

$2.47 ฿82.6

$2.03 ₱128

21.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

Banana (1kg)

$0.92 ฿30.82

$1.39 ₱87.8

-33.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.83

$2.33 ₱147

-37.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$1.90 ₱119

-21.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ฿20.51

$1.19 ₱74.9

-48.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.41

$0.63 ₱39.71

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ฿56.4

$1.23 ₱77.7

37.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 ฿40.47

$0.23 ₱14.53

426.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ฿44.66

$1.31 ₱82.8

2.29%

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

$45.1K ฿1.5M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

112.30%

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

$26.8K ฿895.5K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

39.95%

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

$94.1 ฿3,146

$120 ₱7,569

-21.70%

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

$17.76 ฿594

$14.00 ₱882

26.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.78 ฿995

$27.54 ₱1,734

8.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 ฿2,022

$32.33 ₱2,035

87.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$6.08 ฿203

$5.65 ₱356

7.61%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,748 ฿292.3K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

10.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.67 ฿992

$49.33 ₱3,106

-39.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.23 ฿1,177

$25.24 ₱1,589

39.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.1 ฿2,510

$77.0 ₱4,846

-2.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.7 ฿2,931

$57.2 ₱3,601

53.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 ฿9,297

$500 ₱31.5K

-44.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$161 ฿5,366

$309 ₱19.4K

-48.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$757 ฿25.3K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-29.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$484 ฿16.2K

$615 ₱38.7K

-21.31%

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)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

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

Last update for Khon Kaen: 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

Khon Kaen

$161 26.2%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 92.4% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Khon Kaen

$142 23.1%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 14.2% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Khon Kaen

$102 16.7%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 8.3% $8.5

Eating Out

Khon Kaen

$85 13.9%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 3.6% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Khon Kaen

$73 11.9%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 40% $29

Groceries & Markets

Khon Kaen

$45 * 7.3%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 362% $161

Getting Around

Khon Kaen

$6.1 * 1%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 157% $9.5

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 $278 in Khon Kaen and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Khon Kaen vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $45.00 vs $206, with Khon Kaen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Khon Kaen

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

23:31 11:31 PM

00:31 12:31 AM

1 h ahead of Khon Kaen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,459

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

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Between locations

Khon Kaen Cebu 2,380 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Khon Kaen
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

Khon Kaen vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Khon Kaen is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 50% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $920 in Khon Kaen and $1,377 in Cebu 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: $278 in Khon Kaen versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 362% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Khon Kaen – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $24.00 in Cebu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Khon Kaen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Khon Kaen 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, Khon Kaen 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 Khon Kaen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.