Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sa Pa and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Sa Pa: $731 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Sa Pa
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Sa Pa Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Sa Pa

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$731

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $731 in Sa Pa versus $918 in Cebu.

Sa Pa $731
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,170 in Sa Pa versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Sa Pa $1,170
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,608 in Sa Pa versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Sa Pa $1,608
Cebu $1,900

Living in Sa Pa costs roughly 20% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sa Pa 46% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.89 ₫48.9K

$3.09 ₱194

-38.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.25 ₫550.1K

$24.22 ₱1,525

-12.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.50 ₫116.4K

$3.92 ₱247

14.80%

Cappuccino

$1.70 ₫44.1K

$2.51 ₱158

-32.27%

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

$0.47 ₫12.1K

$1.59 ₱100

-70.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₫7,831

$0.53 ₱33.43

-43.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 ₫25.1K

$1.78 ₱112

-45.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₫41.0K

$2.17 ₱137

-27.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ₫35.7K

$1.92 ₱121

-28.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 ₫25.8K

$1.36 ₱85.4

-27.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.5K

$1.01 ₱63.5

-1.98%

Eggs

$1.40 ₫36.2K

$2.03 ₱128

-31.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 ₫303.8K

$9.86 ₱621

18.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.4K

$4.39 ₱277

-16.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 ₫260.7K

$7.60 ₱479

32.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 ₫71.0K

$3.30 ₱208

-16.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ₫26.6K

$1.39 ₱87.8

-25.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 ₫35.1K

$2.33 ₱147

-41.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 ₫27.8K

$1.50 ₱94.3

-28.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 ₫26.5K

$2.36 ₱149

-56.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.1K

$1.90 ₱119

-44.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₫16.8K

$1.19 ₱74.9

-45.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₫12.4K

$0.63 ₱39.71

-23.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.38 ₫35.7K

$3.00 ₱189

-54.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.61 ₫300.6K

$6.03 ₱379

92.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₫19.4K

$1.23 ₱77.7

-39.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ₫41.7K

$1.75 ₱110

-8.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 ₫8,276

$0.25 ₱15.86

28.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.51 ₫168.6K

$12.64 ₱796

-48.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$0.77 ₱48.62

-6.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.0K

$0.23 ₱14.53

169.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 ₫73.2K

$4.46 ₱281

-36.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 ₫21.6K

$1.31 ₱82.8

-36.64%

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

$35.5K ₫920.2M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

67.32%

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

$32.1K ₫829.7M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

67.40%

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

$76.5 ₫2.0M

$120 ₱7,569

-36.35%

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

$5.96 ₫154.3K

$14.00 ₱882

-57.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.62 ₫223.1K

$27.54 ₱1,734

-68.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.19 ₫574.5K

$32.33 ₱2,035

-31.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.59 ₫196.5K

$6.65 ₱419

14.14%

Cinema Ticket

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$5.65 ₱356

-45.31%

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

$266 ₫6.9M

$275 ₱17.3K

-3.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ₫303.6M

$7,918 ₱498.5K

48.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.21 ₫1.0M

$49.33 ₱3,106

-18.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.33 ₫603.9K

$25.24 ₱1,589

-7.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.4 ₫2.2M

$77.0 ₱4,846

10.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.8 ₫2.0M

$57.2 ₱3,601

32.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$365 ₫9.4M

$500 ₱31.5K

-27.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$248 ₫6.4M

$309 ₱19.4K

-19.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ₫18.9M

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-32.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$535 ₫13.8M

$615 ₱38.7K

-13.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,076 ₫53.7M

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-28.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,264 ₫32.7M

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-34.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

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 Sa Pa: 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

Sa Pa

$248 33.9%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 24.7% $61

Groceries & Markets

Sa Pa

$191 26.2%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 7.5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Sa Pa

$101 13.8%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 7.1% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sa Pa

$91 12.5%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 77.6% $71

Eating Out

Sa Pa

$60 8.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 46.8% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Sa Pa

$28 3.9%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 53.8% $15

Getting Around

Sa Pa

$12 1.6%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 34.1% $4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $365 in Sa Pa and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21.00 in Sa Pa vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $206 per month, with Sa Pa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Sa Pa

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

05:11 5:11 AM

06:11 6:11 AM

1 h ahead of Sa Pa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,882

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 17, 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 17, 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

Sa Pa Cebu 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sa Pa
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

Sa Pa vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sa Pa 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 $1,097 in Sa Pa 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: $365 in Sa Pa versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $731 per month in Sa Pa versus $918 in Cebu – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sa Pa runs roughly 94% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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

For families, Sa Pa 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, Sa Pa 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 Sa Pa 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.