Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Chang and Cebu

For one person, living costs are similar in Koh Chang and in Cebu: $965 and $934 a month, rent and utilities included.

46

Cost of Living Index in Koh Chang
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Koh Chang Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Koh Chang

🇹🇭 Thailand

$965

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $965 in Koh Chang versus $934 in Cebu.

Koh Chang $965
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,583 in Koh Chang versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Koh Chang $1,583
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,200 in Koh Chang versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Koh Chang $2,200
Cebu $1,896

Living in Koh Chang is roughly 3% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Chang 28% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.63 ฿121

$3.03 ₱190

19.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.36 ฿883

$23.48 ₱1,473

12.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.99 ฿234

$4.09 ₱256

70.90%

Cappuccino

$2.26 ฿75.6

$2.52 ₱158

-10.32%

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

$0.77 ฿25.91

$1.54 ₱96.9

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿13.29

$0.49 ₱30.98

-18.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 ฿68.4

$1.79 ₱112

13.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 ฿101

$2.26 ₱142

33.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.95 ₱122

-23.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 ฿44.00

$1.43 ₱89.7

-8.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 ฿47.17

$1.02 ₱63.8

38.24%

Eggs

$1.96 ฿65.8

$2.06 ₱129

-4.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.61 ฿590

$9.81 ₱615

79.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.00 ฿101

$4.61 ₱289

-34.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.66 ฿323

$7.70 ₱483

25.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 ฿89.8

$3.31 ₱207

-19.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.7

$1.45 ₱90.9

4.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 ฿69.2

$2.36 ₱148

-12.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.92 ฿64.4

$1.54 ₱96.4

24.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.44

$2.36 ₱148

-42.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ฿39.81

$1.99 ₱125

-40.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ฿33.88

$1.15 ₱72.1

-12.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.64

$0.67 ₱42.15

-25.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 ฿133

$3.00 ₱188

32.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.61 ฿556

$6.35 ₱398

161.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ฿55.1

$1.31 ₱81.9

25.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 ฿86.9

$1.73 ₱108

50.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 ฿61.2

$0.25 ₱15.78

632.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 ฿81.4

$0.74 ₱46.32

228.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 ฿27.40

$0.21 ₱13.11

290.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 ฿99.7

$4.33 ₱271

-31.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ฿39.79

$1.33 ₱83.5

-10.53%

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

$21.1K ฿707.5K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

-2.90%

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

$21.5K ฿720.9K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

11.00%

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

$94.2 ฿3,152

$121 ₱7,563

-21.92%

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

$10.67 ฿357

$14.45 ₱907

-26.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.43 ฿550

$28.29 ₱1,774

-41.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.74 ฿1,498

$32.68 ₱2,050

36.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.17 ฿307

$6.39 ₱401

43.51%

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 ฿217

$5.46 ₱342

18.50%

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

$491 ฿16.4K

$273 ₱17.1K

79.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ฿351.2K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

28.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 ฿2,016

$49.57 ₱3,109

21.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.51 ฿921

$24.87 ₱1,560

10.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,026

$76.6 ₱4,804

18.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.4 ฿2,758

$59.3 ₱3,717

39.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$473 ฿15.8K

$506 ₱31.7K

-6.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$303 ฿10.1K

$309 ₱19.4K

-2.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,334 ฿44.7K

$1,052 ₱66.0K

26.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ฿26.6K

$619 ₱38.8K

28.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,276 ฿76.2K

$2,915 ₱182.9K

-21.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,651 ฿55.3K

$1,867 ₱117.1K

-11.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.2

-22.64%

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

Last update for Koh Chang: 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

Koh Chang

$303 31.8%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 2.1% $6.3

Groceries & Markets

Koh Chang

$242 25.4%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 13% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Chang

$121 12.7%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 34.7% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Chang

$117 12.3%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 19.3% $23

Eating Out

Koh Chang

$98 10.3%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 9.9% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Chang

$58 6.1%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 24.4% $14

Getting Around

Koh Chang

$14 * 1.5%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 11.6% $1.6

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 $473 in Koh Chang and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $26.00 in Koh Chang vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $242 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Chang

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

14:20 2:20 PM

15:20 3:20 PM

1 h ahead of Koh Chang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,500

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 = 1.42 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Koh Chang Cebu 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Koh Chang
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

Koh Chang vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,448 in Koh Chang and $1,401 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: $473 in Koh Chang versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Koh Chang. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $965 per month in Koh Chang versus $934 in Cebu – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $934 in Cebu versus $965 in Koh Chang, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Koh Chang. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Koh Chang, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Koh Chang 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Koh Chang. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.