Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maha Sarakham and Cebu

For one person, living costs are similar in Maha Sarakham and in Cebu: $919 and $918 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Maha Sarakham
Learn more

Maha Sarakham Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Maha Sarakham

🇹🇭 Thailand

$919

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $919 in Maha Sarakham versus $918 in Cebu.

Maha Sarakham $919
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,507 in Maha Sarakham versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Maha Sarakham $1,507
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,094 in Maha Sarakham versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Maha Sarakham $2,094
Cebu $1,900

Monthly costs are close between Maha Sarakham and Cebu; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Maha Sarakham 32% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ฿102

$3.09 ₱194

-1.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.47 ฿751

$24.22 ₱1,525

-7.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.08 ฿237

$3.92 ₱247

80.61%

Cappuccino

$2.12 ฿71.0

$2.51 ₱158

-15.54%

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

$0.73 ฿24.23

$1.59 ₱100

-54.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.15

$0.53 ₱33.43

-37.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$1.78 ₱112

13.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ฿102

$2.17 ₱137

40.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.92 ₱121

-9.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 ฿46.53

$1.36 ₱85.4

2.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ฿45.20

$1.01 ₱63.5

33.66%

Eggs

$2.07 ฿69.1

$2.03 ₱128

1.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.39 ฿548

$9.86 ₱621

66.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.75 ฿92.0

$4.39 ₱277

-37.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.23 ฿342

$7.60 ₱479

34.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 ฿101

$3.30 ₱208

-8.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 ฿36.10

$1.39 ₱87.8

-22.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 ฿72.3

$2.33 ₱147

-7.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 ฿63.4

$1.50 ₱94.3

26.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$2.36 ₱149

-36.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.11

$1.90 ₱119

-41.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.41

$1.19 ₱74.9

-5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.12

$0.63 ₱39.71

-23.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ฿149

$3.00 ₱189

48.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.25 ฿577

$6.03 ₱379

186.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.23 ₱77.7

38.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.8

$1.75 ₱110

58.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 ฿30.10

$0.25 ₱15.86

260.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 ฿42.02

$0.77 ₱48.62

63.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 ฿37.42

$0.23 ₱14.53

386.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 ฿165

$4.46 ₱281

10.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ฿44.74

$1.31 ₱82.8

2.29%

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

$26.0K ฿869.7K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

22.51%

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

$26.4K ฿881.4K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

37.75%

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

$82.5 ฿2,755

$120 ₱7,569

-31.42%

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

$11.45 ฿383

$14.00 ₱882

-18.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.19 ฿641

$27.54 ₱1,734

-30.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.10 ฿1,574

$32.33 ₱2,035

45.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.97 ฿467

$6.65 ₱419

110.08%

Cinema Ticket

$6.63 ฿222

$5.65 ₱356

17.35%

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

$563 ฿18.8K

$275 ₱17.3K

104.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ฿357.3K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

35.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 ฿1,715

$49.33 ₱3,106

3.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.17 ฿975

$25.24 ₱1,589

15.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 ฿2,610

$77.0 ₱4,846

1.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.8 ฿2,565

$57.2 ₱3,601

34.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$441 ฿14.7K

$500 ₱31.5K

-11.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$293 ฿9,807

$309 ₱19.4K

-4.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,382 ฿46.2K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

28.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$740 ฿24.7K

$615 ₱38.7K

20.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,901 ฿63.5K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-34.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,610 ฿53.8K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-16.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

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 Maha Sarakham: 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

Maha Sarakham

$293 31.9%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 5.2% $15

Groceries & Markets

Maha Sarakham

$244 26.6%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 15.6% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maha Sarakham

$113 12.3%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 43% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Maha Sarakham

$106 11.5%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 11.3% $12

Eating Out

Maha Sarakham

$92 10%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 3.6% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Maha Sarakham

$60 6.6%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 27.7% $17

Getting Around

Maha Sarakham

$10 * 1.1%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 48.9% $5.1

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 $441 in Maha Sarakham and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22.00 in Maha Sarakham vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $244 vs $206, with Cebu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Maha Sarakham

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

20:58 8:58 PM

21:58 9:58 PM

1 h ahead of Maha Sarakham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,523

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Maha Sarakham Cebu 2,320 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Maha Sarakham
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

Maha Sarakham vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You'd need roughly $1,378 in Maha Sarakham 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: $441 in Maha Sarakham versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cebu – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $22.00 in Maha Sarakham. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $563 in Maha Sarakham versus $275 in Cebu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 Maha Sarakham, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Maha Sarakham 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.

It comes down to priorities – Cebu wins on affordability, Maha Sarakham on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.