Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nakhon Ratchasima and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakhon Ratchasima: $778 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

38

Cost of Living Index in Nakhon Ratchasima
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Nakhon Ratchasima Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Nakhon Ratchasima

🇹🇭 Thailand

$778

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $778 in Nakhon Ratchasima versus $918 in Cebu.

Nakhon Ratchasima $778
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,275 in Nakhon Ratchasima versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Nakhon Ratchasima $1,275
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,773 in Nakhon Ratchasima versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Nakhon Ratchasima $1,773
Cebu $1,900

Living in Nakhon Ratchasima costs roughly 15% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nakhon Ratchasima 42% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.09 ₱194

-7.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.19 ฿875

$24.22 ₱1,525

8.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.92 ฿198

$3.92 ₱247

51.02%

Cappuccino

$1.90 ฿63.5

$2.51 ₱158

-24.30%

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

$0.53 ฿17.68

$1.59 ₱100

-66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.41

$0.53 ₱33.43

-41.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$1.78 ₱112

1.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ฿90.3

$2.17 ₱137

24.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.92 ₱121

-13.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 ฿40.61

$1.36 ₱85.4

-10.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.26 ฿42.25

$1.01 ₱63.5

24.75%

Eggs

$1.50 ฿50.1

$2.03 ₱128

-26.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.26 ฿510

$9.86 ₱621

54.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.58 ฿86.1

$4.39 ₱277

-41.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.27 ฿343

$7.60 ₱479

35.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 ฿105

$3.30 ₱208

-4.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ฿42.10

$1.39 ₱87.8

-9.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ฿64.1

$2.33 ₱147

-17.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 ฿64.6

$1.50 ₱94.3

28.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ฿40.12

$2.36 ₱149

-49.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.87

$1.90 ₱119

-45.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ฿42.32

$1.19 ₱74.9

6.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.50

$0.63 ₱39.71

-41.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$3.00 ₱189

-5.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.86 ฿597

$6.03 ₱379

196.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ฿57.0

$1.23 ₱77.7

38.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 ฿100.0

$1.75 ₱110

70.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ฿15.47

$0.25 ₱15.86

84.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.17 ฿641

$12.64 ₱796

51.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 ฿35.51

$0.77 ₱48.62

37.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 ฿36.38

$0.23 ₱14.53

373.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.29 ฿244

$4.46 ₱281

63.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ฿44.44

$1.31 ₱82.8

1.53%

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

$45.1K ฿1.5M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

112.13%

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

$26.8K ฿894.2K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

39.75%

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

$89.1 ฿2,977

$120 ₱7,569

-25.91%

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

$11.76 ฿393

$14.00 ₱882

-16.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.28 ฿644

$27.54 ₱1,734

-29.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.96 ฿1,569

$32.33 ₱2,035

45.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.08 ฿504

$6.65 ₱419

126.77%

Cinema Ticket

$4.79 ฿160

$5.65 ₱356

-15.22%

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

$176 ฿5,868

$275 ₱17.3K

-36.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K ฿475.9K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

79.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 ฿1,674

$49.33 ₱3,106

1.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.96 ฿968

$25.24 ₱1,589

14.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ฿2,604

$77.0 ₱4,846

1.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.1 ฿2,244

$57.2 ₱3,601

17.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$221 ฿7,375

$500 ₱31.5K

-55.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 ฿5,221

$309 ₱19.4K

-49.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$487 ฿16.3K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-54.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 ฿14.0K

$615 ₱38.7K

-32.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,378 ฿112.9K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

17.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,699 ฿56.8K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-11.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ฿19.8K

$346 ₱21.8K

71.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.1

7.2

-29.17%

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

Last update for Nakhon Ratchasima: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nakhon Ratchasima

$235 30.3%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 12.6% $30

Accommodation & Living

Nakhon Ratchasima

$156 20.1%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 97.7% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nakhon Ratchasima

$120 15.4%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 34.7% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Nakhon Ratchasima

$101 13%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 6.9% $6.9

Eating Out

Nakhon Ratchasima

$81 10.4%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 8.7% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Nakhon Ratchasima

$57 7.3%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 22.9% $13

Getting Around

Nakhon Ratchasima

$28 3.5%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 43.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $221 in Nakhon Ratchasima and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nakhon Ratchasima pays 71% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $26.00 in Nakhon Ratchasima vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Nakhon Ratchasima

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

02:04 2:04 AM

03:04 3:04 AM

1 h ahead of Nakhon Ratchasima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

126,391

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

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Highest

Between locations

Nakhon Ratchasima Cebu 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nakhon Ratchasima
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

Nakhon Ratchasima vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nakhon Ratchasima is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. The 18% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 71% higher in Nakhon Ratchasima, 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: $221 in Nakhon Ratchasima versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $778 per month in Nakhon Ratchasima versus $918 in Cebu – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nakhon Ratchasima runs roughly 52% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Nakhon Ratchasima gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

Safety-wise, Nakhon Ratchasima 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 Nakhon Ratchasima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.