Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phu Quoc and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Phu Quoc: $730 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Phu Quoc
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Phu Quoc Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Phu Quoc

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$730

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $730 in Phu Quoc versus $915 in Cebu.

Phu Quoc $730
Cebu $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,165 in Phu Quoc versus $1,418 in Cebu.

Phu Quoc $1,165
Cebu $1,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,600 in Phu Quoc versus $1,921 in Cebu.

Phu Quoc $1,600
Cebu $1,921

Living in Phu Quoc costs roughly 20% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phu Quoc 46% lower, Cebu 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.94 ₫50.3K

$3.05 ₱192

-36.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.47 ₫555.9K

$24.00 ₱1,511

-10.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.71 ₫122.0K

$3.99 ₱251

18.05%

Cappuccino

$1.77 ₫45.7K

$2.50 ₱157

-29.20%

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

$0.50 ₫13.0K

$1.54 ₱97.1

-67.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₫7,877

$0.50 ₱31.37

-40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ₫25.7K

$1.78 ₱112

-44.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 ₫38.9K

$2.17 ₱136

-30.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 ₫35.2K

$2.00 ₱126

-32.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ₫26.3K

$1.37 ₱86.2

-26.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ₫25.5K

$1.03 ₱64.9

-4.85%

Eggs

$1.41 ₫36.6K

$2.03 ₱128

-30.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 ₫304.3K

$10.20 ₱642

15.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.62 ₫93.8K

$4.45 ₱280

-18.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.15 ₫262.9K

$7.67 ₱483

32.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 ₫69.0K

$3.31 ₱208

-19.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$1.46 ₱91.8

-28.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 ₫33.4K

$2.32 ₱146

-44.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 ₫28.1K

$1.49 ₱94.0

-27.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$2.34 ₱147

-55.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$1.94 ₱122

-45.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₫16.9K

$1.16 ₱73.0

-43.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₫13.2K

$0.68 ₱42.89

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.38 ₫35.7K

$2.99 ₱188

-53.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.26 ₫291.5K

$6.24 ₱393

80.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$1.23 ₱77.3

-39.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 ₫41.2K

$1.73 ₱109

-8.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 ₫8,958

$0.23 ₱14.36

52.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.50 ₫168.2K

$12.34 ₱777

-47.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$0.79 ₱49.96

-8.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.0K

$0.22 ₱13.86

181.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 ₫69.9K

$4.54 ₱286

-40.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 ₫22.2K

$1.32 ₱82.9

-34.85%

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

$35.3K ₫914.1M

$21.0K ₱1.3M

68.10%

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

$31.6K ₫818.3M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

62.90%

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

$74.4 ₫1.9M

$119 ₱7,464

-37.25%

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

$5.96 ₫154.4K

$14.22 ₱896

-58.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.48 ₫219.5K

$27.47 ₱1,730

-69.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.85 ₫565.8K

$32.31 ₱2,034

-32.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.84 ₫202.9K

$6.50 ₱409

20.62%

Cinema Ticket

$3.05 ₫79.1K

$5.40 ₱340

-43.52%

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

$262 ₫6.8M

$276 ₱17.4K

-5.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ₫297.4M

$7,866 ₱495.3K

46.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.39 ₫1.1M

$49.37 ₱3,108

-16.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.91 ₫593.1K

$24.58 ₱1,548

-6.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 ₫2.2M

$76.6 ₱4,825

10.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.4 ₫1.9M

$58.9 ₱3,706

26.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$359 ₫9.3M

$503 ₱31.7K

-28.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$248 ₫6.4M

$305 ₱19.2K

-18.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₫18.6M

$1,075 ₱67.7K

-33.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 ₫13.6M

$632 ₱39.8K

-16.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,109 ₫54.6M

$2,870 ₱180.7K

-26.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,229 ₫31.8M

$1,877 ₱118.2K

-34.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

7.2

26.39%

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

Last update for Phu Quoc: 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

Phu Quoc

$248 34%

Cebu

$305 33.3% 22.7% $56

Groceries & Markets

Phu Quoc

$191 26.1%

Cebu

$210 22.9% 9.9% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Phu Quoc

$101 13.8%

Cebu

$94 10.3% 6.3% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phu Quoc

$89 12.2%

Cebu

$160 17.5% 80.4% $71

Eating Out

Phu Quoc

$62 8.5%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 41.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Phu Quoc

$28 3.8%

Cebu

$43 4.7% 54.1% $15

Getting Around

Phu Quoc

$12 1.6%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 29.5% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $359 in Phu Quoc and $503 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21.00 in Phu Quoc vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $210 per month, with Phu Quoc cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Phu Quoc

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

04:20 4:20 AM

05:20 5:20 AM

1 h ahead of Phu Quoc

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

144,460

964,169

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 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 VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phu Quoc Cebu 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phu Quoc
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

Phu Quoc vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phu Quoc is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,095 in Phu Quoc and $1,372 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: $359 in Phu Quoc versus $503 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $730 per month in Phu Quoc versus $915 in Cebu – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Phu Quoc runs roughly 90% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Phu Quoc gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Phu Quoc 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, Phu Quoc 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 Phu Quoc gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.