Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Tao and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,038 in Koh Tao, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Koh Tao despite lower rent and utilities.

50

Cost of Living Index in Koh Tao
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Koh Tao Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Koh Tao

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,038

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,038 in Koh Tao versus $934 in Cebu.

Koh Tao $1,038
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,702 in Koh Tao versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Koh Tao $1,702
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,367 in Koh Tao versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Koh Tao $2,367
Cebu $1,896

Living in Koh Tao is roughly 11% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Tao 23% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.75 ฿126

$3.03 ₱190

23.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.47 ฿920

$23.48 ₱1,473

16.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.44 ฿249

$4.09 ₱256

81.91%

Cappuccino

$2.29 ฿76.7

$2.52 ₱158

-9.13%

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

$0.74 ฿24.85

$1.54 ₱96.9

-51.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ฿14.14

$0.49 ₱30.98

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 ฿70.5

$1.79 ₱112

17.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ฿106

$2.26 ₱142

39.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$1.95 ₱122

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 ฿43.93

$1.43 ₱89.7

-8.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 ฿47.89

$1.02 ₱63.8

40.20%

Eggs

$2.08 ฿69.6

$2.06 ₱129

0.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.59 ฿623

$9.81 ₱615

89.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.11 ฿104

$4.61 ₱289

-32.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.34 ฿346

$7.70 ₱483

34.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 ฿90.5

$3.31 ₱207

-18.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ฿51.7

$1.45 ₱90.9

6.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 ฿72.5

$2.36 ₱148

-8.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 ฿65.2

$1.54 ₱96.4

26.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 ฿48.03

$2.36 ₱148

-39.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ฿42.12

$1.99 ₱125

-36.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ฿35.35

$1.15 ₱72.1

-7.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$0.67 ₱42.15

-23.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 ฿136

$3.00 ₱188

35.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.40 ฿583

$6.35 ₱398

174.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ฿56.0

$1.31 ₱81.9

27.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 ฿88.0

$1.73 ₱108

52.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 ฿65.9

$0.25 ₱15.78

688.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 ฿87.6

$0.74 ₱46.32

254.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 ฿30.50

$0.21 ₱13.11

333.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ฿117

$4.33 ₱271

-19.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ฿43.27

$1.33 ₱83.5

-3.01%

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

$23.8K ฿796.9K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

9.37%

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

$24.3K ฿813.9K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

25.32%

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

$96.6 ฿3,235

$121 ₱7,563

-19.86%

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

$11.14 ฿373

$14.45 ₱907

-22.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿564

$28.29 ₱1,774

-40.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 ฿1,827

$32.68 ₱2,050

66.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.61 ฿389

$6.39 ₱401

81.69%

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 ฿264

$5.46 ₱342

44.32%

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

$547 ฿18.3K

$273 ₱17.1K

100.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K ฿383.3K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

40.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 ฿2,100

$49.57 ₱3,109

26.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.43 ฿952

$24.87 ₱1,560

14.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 ฿3,220

$76.6 ₱4,804

25.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 ฿2,952

$59.3 ₱3,717

48.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 ฿17.9K

$506 ₱31.7K

5.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 ฿11.9K

$309 ₱19.4K

14.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 ฿51.3K

$1,052 ₱66.0K

45.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 ฿30.0K

$619 ₱38.8K

44.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,660 ฿89.0K

$2,915 ₱182.9K

-8.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.2K

$1,867 ₱117.1K

2.68%

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 Tao: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Tao

$354 34%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 12.6% $45

Groceries & Markets

Koh Tao

$252 24.2%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 16.5% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Tao

$125 12%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 31.1% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Tao

$124 11.9%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 23.7% $29

Eating Out

Koh Tao

$101 9.7%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 12.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Tao

$70 6.8%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 38% $27

Getting Around

Koh Tao

$15 * 1.5%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 2.6% $0.4

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 $535 in Koh Tao and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27.00 in Koh Tao vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $252 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Tao

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

13:29 1:29 PM

1 h ahead of Koh Tao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,382

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 Tao Cebu 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,557 in Koh Tao 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: $535 in Koh Tao versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Koh Tao. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,038 per month in Koh Tao versus $934 in Cebu – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,038 in Koh Tao, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Koh Tao. 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 Tao, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Koh Tao 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 11% less than in Koh Tao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.