Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Lipe and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $2,083 in Koh Lipe, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Koh Lipe
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Koh Lipe Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Koh Lipe

🇹🇭 Thailand

$2,083

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,083 in Koh Lipe versus $934 in Cebu.

Koh Lipe $2,083
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,633 in Koh Lipe versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Koh Lipe $3,633
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,183 in Koh Lipe versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Koh Lipe $5,183
Cebu $1,896

Living in Koh Lipe is roughly 123% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Koh Lipe is 55% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.32 ฿245

$3.03 ₱190

141.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.6 ฿1,761

$23.48 ₱1,473

124.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.01 ฿469

$4.09 ₱256

242.54%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ฿146

$2.52 ₱158

72.62%

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

$1.50 ฿50.2

$1.54 ₱96.9

-2.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ฿26.36

$0.49 ₱30.98

61.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.04 ฿135

$1.79 ₱112

125.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 ฿194

$2.26 ₱142

156.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ฿71.8

$1.95 ₱122

9.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 ฿57.9

$1.43 ₱89.7

20.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 ฿66.0

$1.02 ₱63.8

93.14%

Eggs

$2.69 ฿90.0

$2.06 ₱129

30.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.13 ฿808

$9.81 ₱615

145.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 ฿138

$4.61 ₱289

-10.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.94 ฿467

$7.70 ₱483

81.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 ฿124

$3.31 ₱207

11.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.1

$1.45 ₱90.9

40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 ฿94.5

$2.36 ₱148

19.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 ฿85.7

$1.54 ₱96.4

66.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 ฿60.4

$2.36 ₱148

-23.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 ฿57.4

$1.99 ₱125

-14.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 ฿46.15

$1.15 ₱72.1

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 ฿21.26

$0.67 ₱42.15

-4.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.45 ฿182

$3.00 ₱188

81.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.53 ฿788

$6.35 ₱398

270.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.31 ₱81.9

66.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ฿116

$1.73 ₱108

101.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 ฿115

$0.25 ₱15.78

1272.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.50 ฿151

$0.74 ₱46.32

508.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 ฿53.2

$0.21 ₱13.11

657.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 ฿194

$4.33 ₱271

33.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.33 ₱83.5

63.16%

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

$40.8K ฿1.4M

$21.8K ₱1.4M

87.64%

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

$39.7K ฿1.3M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

104.65%

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

$113 ฿3,775

$121 ₱7,563

-6.49%

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

$12.76 ฿427

$14.45 ₱907

-11.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.37 ฿649

$28.29 ₱1,774

-31.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 ฿2,171

$32.68 ₱2,050

98.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.63 ฿456

$6.39 ₱401

113.30%

Cinema Ticket

$9.39 ฿314

$5.46 ₱342

71.98%

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

$690 ฿23.1K

$273 ₱17.1K

152.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K ฿485.7K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

77.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 ฿2,238

$49.57 ₱3,109

34.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.89 ฿1,001

$24.87 ₱1,560

20.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.4 ฿3,329

$76.6 ₱4,804

29.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.6 ฿3,099

$59.3 ₱3,717

56.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,850 ฿61.9K

$506 ₱31.7K

265.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ฿39.2K

$309 ₱19.4K

278.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,267 ฿176.3K

$1,052 ₱66.0K

400.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,976 ฿99.6K

$619 ₱38.8K

380.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,743 ฿292.7K

$2,915 ₱182.9K

199.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 ฿212.8K

$1,867 ₱117.1K

240.38%

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 Lipe: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Lipe

$1.2K 56.2%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 73.5% $860

Groceries & Markets

Koh Lipe

$334 16%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 37% $123

Eating Out

Koh Lipe

$194 9.3%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 54.4% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Lipe

$145 7%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 12.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Lipe

$130 6.2%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 27.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Lipe

$84 4%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 47.9% $40

Getting Around

Koh Lipe

$26 * 1.3%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 41% $11

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 $1,850 in Koh Lipe and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $53.0 in Koh Lipe vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $334 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Lipe

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

13:26 1:26 PM

1 h ahead of Koh Lipe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

800

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 Lipe Cebu 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 123% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,124 in Koh Lipe 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: $1,850 in Koh Lipe versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 59% higher in Koh Lipe. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,083 per month in Koh Lipe versus $934 in Cebu – a 123% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $934 in Cebu versus $2,083 in Koh Lipe, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Koh Lipe. 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 Lipe, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Koh Lipe 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 123% less than in Koh Lipe. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.