Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samut Prakan and Cebu

For one person, living costs are similar in Samut Prakan and in Cebu: $886 and $918 a month, rent and utilities included.

43

Cost of Living Index in Samut Prakan
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Samut Prakan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Samut Prakan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$886

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $886 in Samut Prakan versus $918 in Cebu.

Samut Prakan $886
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,389 in Samut Prakan versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Samut Prakan $1,389
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,893 in Samut Prakan versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Samut Prakan $1,893
Cebu $1,900

Living in Samut Prakan costs roughly 4% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Samut Prakan 34% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.25 ฿109

$3.09 ₱194

5.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.10 ฿505

$24.22 ₱1,525

-37.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 ฿254

$3.92 ₱247

94.13%

Cappuccino

$1.43 ฿47.70

$2.51 ₱158

-43.03%

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

$0.51 ฿17.05

$1.59 ₱100

-67.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ฿8.75

$0.53 ₱33.43

-50.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 ฿67.8

$1.78 ₱112

14.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 ฿101

$2.17 ₱137

39.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ฿49.36

$1.92 ₱121

-22.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 ฿32.07

$1.36 ₱85.4

-29.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ฿29.12

$1.01 ₱63.5

-13.86%

Eggs

$1.74 ฿58.2

$2.03 ₱128

-14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.31 ฿412

$9.86 ₱621

24.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.47 ฿82.4

$4.39 ₱277

-43.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ฿342

$7.60 ₱479

34.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ฿59.9

$3.30 ₱208

-45.76%

Banana (1kg)

$0.71 ฿23.72

$1.39 ₱87.8

-48.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.92

$2.33 ₱147

-43.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ฿39.20

$1.50 ₱94.3

-22.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.70

$2.36 ₱149

-38.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 ฿25.72

$1.90 ₱119

-59.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 ฿27.36

$1.19 ₱74.9

-31.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿14.90

$0.63 ₱39.71

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.56 ฿152

$3.00 ₱189

52.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.98 ฿300

$6.03 ₱379

48.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ฿34.32

$1.23 ₱77.7

-16.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ฿62.6

$1.75 ₱110

6.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 ฿17.76

$0.25 ₱15.86

112.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.69 ฿56.4

$0.77 ₱48.62

119.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ฿51.5

$0.23 ₱14.53

569.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 ฿159

$4.46 ₱281

6.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ฿37.00

$1.31 ₱82.8

-15.27%

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

$11.9K ฿396.7K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-44.13%

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

$23.5K ฿785.8K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

22.81%

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

$83.1 ฿2,778

$120 ₱7,569

-30.87%

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

$9.05 ฿302

$14.00 ₱882

-35.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.08 ฿537

$27.54 ₱1,734

-41.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.11 ฿1,574

$32.33 ₱2,035

45.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.07 ฿470

$6.65 ₱419

111.58%

Cinema Ticket

$6.55 ฿219

$5.65 ₱356

15.93%

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

$146 ฿4,876

$275 ₱17.3K

-47.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,031 ฿201.6K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-23.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.97 ฿500

$49.33 ₱3,106

-69.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.13 ฿1,208

$25.24 ₱1,589

43.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.1 ฿2,411

$77.0 ₱4,846

-6.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 ฿3,927

$57.2 ₱3,601

105.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 ฿15.7K

$500 ₱31.5K

-6.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$331 ฿11.1K

$309 ₱19.4K

7.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 ฿46.0K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

27.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 ฿24.1K

$615 ₱38.7K

17.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,909 ฿63.8K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-33.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,597 ฿53.4K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-16.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 ฿22.5K

$346 ₱21.8K

94.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

-58.33%

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

Last update for Samut Prakan: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Samut Prakan

$331 37.4%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 6.8% $23

Groceries & Markets

Samut Prakan

$181 20.4%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 14% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Samut Prakan

$108 12.2%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 13.3% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samut Prakan

$108 12.2%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 49.4% $54

Eating Out

Samut Prakan

$85 9.6%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 3.5% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Samut Prakan

$60 6.8%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 27.6% $17

Getting Around

Samut Prakan

$12 * 1.3%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 35.2% $4.1

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 $469 in Samut Prakan and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Samut Prakan pays 95% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $15.00 in Samut Prakan vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $181 vs $206 per month, with Samut Prakan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Samut Prakan

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

02:33 2:33 AM

03:33 3:33 AM

1 h ahead of Samut Prakan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,843

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

Samut Prakan Cebu 2,560 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Samut Prakan
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

Samut Prakan vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samut Prakan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 95% higher in Samut Prakan, 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: $469 in Samut Prakan versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $886 per month in Samut Prakan versus $918 in Cebu – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

For families, Samut Prakan 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, Samut Prakan 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 Samut Prakan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.