Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Krabi and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $1,020 in Krabi, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Krabi
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Krabi Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Krabi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,020

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,020 in Krabi versus $915 in Cebu.

Krabi $1,020
Cebu $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Krabi versus $1,418 in Cebu.

Krabi $1,409
Cebu $1,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,799 in Krabi versus $1,921 in Cebu.

Krabi $1,799
Cebu $1,921

Living in Krabi is roughly 12% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Krabi 25% lower, Cebu 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ฿101

$3.05 ₱192

-0.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.06 ฿637

$24.00 ₱1,511

-20.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.93 ฿299

$3.99 ₱251

123.81%

Cappuccino

$1.83 ฿61.3

$2.50 ₱157

-26.80%

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

$1.07 ฿35.74

$1.54 ₱97.1

-30.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 ฿14.55

$0.50 ₱31.37

-12.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 ฿62.2

$1.78 ₱112

4.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 ฿78.1

$2.17 ₱136

7.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 ฿73.8

$2.00 ₱126

10.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ฿50.8

$1.37 ₱86.2

10.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 ฿70.0

$1.03 ₱64.9

102.91%

Eggs

$1.87 ฿62.4

$2.03 ₱128

-7.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.04 ฿536

$10.20 ₱642

57.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.79 ฿93.1

$4.45 ₱280

-37.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.83 ฿262

$7.67 ₱483

2.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ฿77.2

$3.31 ₱208

-30.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.42

$1.46 ₱91.8

-29.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.8

$2.32 ₱146

-7.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.44

$1.49 ₱94.0

-2.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.37

$2.34 ₱147

-38.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ฿42.10

$1.94 ₱122

-35.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 ฿51.4

$1.16 ₱73.0

32.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.10

$0.68 ₱42.89

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.34 ฿145

$2.99 ₱188

45.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.79 ฿361

$6.24 ₱393

72.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.3

$1.23 ₱77.3

43.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.73 ₱109

38.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.13

$0.23 ₱14.36

304.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 ฿81.8

$0.79 ₱49.96

210.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 ฿59.9

$0.22 ₱13.86

713.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.94 ฿198

$4.54 ₱286

30.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ฿45.76

$1.32 ₱82.9

3.79%

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

$22.1K ฿737.4K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

5.04%

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

$24.7K ฿827.1K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

27.55%

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

$70.2 ฿2,346

$119 ₱7,464

-40.80%

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

$11.43 ฿382

$14.22 ₱896

-19.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.05 ฿837

$27.47 ₱1,730

-8.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.9 ฿2,034

$32.31 ₱2,034

88.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.01 ฿301

$6.50 ₱409

38.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.60 ฿254

$5.40 ₱340

40.74%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,165 ฿272.9K

$7,866 ₱495.3K

3.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.16 ฿507

$49.37 ₱3,108

-69.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.99 ฿501

$24.58 ₱1,548

-39.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.7 ฿2,496

$76.6 ₱4,825

-2.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.1 ฿2,442

$58.9 ₱3,706

24.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$345 ฿11.5K

$503 ₱31.7K

-31.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 ฿14.1K

$305 ₱19.2K

38.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$710 ฿23.7K

$1,075 ₱67.7K

-33.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$525 ฿17.5K

$632 ₱39.8K

-17.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,183 ฿39.5K

$2,870 ₱180.7K

-58.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,048 ฿35.0K

$1,877 ₱118.2K

-44.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$709 ฿23.7K

$336 ₱21.1K

111.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.4

7.2

2.78%

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

Last update for Krabi: October 18, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Krabi

$423 41.4%

Cebu

$305 33.3% 28% $118

Groceries & Markets

Krabi

$227 22.2%

Cebu

$210 22.9% 7.5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Krabi

$107 10.5%

Cebu

$160 17.5% 50.2% $54

Eating Out

Krabi

$93 9.1%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 5.7% $5.3

Clothing & Footwear

Krabi

$80 7.9%

Cebu

$94 10.3% 17.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Krabi

$76 7.5%

Cebu

$43 4.7% 43.3% $33

Getting Around

Krabi

$15 * 1.5%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 0.1% $0

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 $345 in Krabi and $503 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krabi pays 111% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $19.00 in Krabi vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $227 vs $210, with Cebu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Krabi

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

02:09 2:09 AM

03:09 3:09 AM

1 h ahead of Krabi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Krabi Cebu 2,750 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Krabi
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

Krabi vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 111% higher in Krabi, 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: $345 in Krabi versus $503 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Krabi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cebu – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $19.00 in Krabi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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

Safety-wise, Krabi 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 12% less than in Krabi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.