Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samut Sakhon and Cebu

For one person, living costs are similar in Samut Sakhon and in Cebu: $923 and $915 a month, rent and utilities included.

44

Cost of Living Index in Samut Sakhon
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Samut Sakhon Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Samut Sakhon

🇹🇭 Thailand

$923

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $923 in Samut Sakhon versus $915 in Cebu.

Samut Sakhon $923
Cebu $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,452 in Samut Sakhon versus $1,418 in Cebu.

Samut Sakhon $1,452
Cebu $1,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,981 in Samut Sakhon versus $1,921 in Cebu.

Samut Sakhon $1,981
Cebu $1,921

Living in Samut Sakhon is roughly 1% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Samut Sakhon 32% lower, Cebu 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.81 ฿60.3

$3.05 ₱192

-40.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.81 ฿595

$24.00 ₱1,511

-25.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.93 ฿198

$3.99 ₱251

48.62%

Cappuccino

$1.21 ฿40.53

$2.50 ₱157

-51.60%

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

$0.35 ฿11.66

$1.54 ₱97.1

-77.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ฿9.67

$0.50 ₱31.37

-42.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 ฿63.5

$1.78 ₱112

6.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 ฿88.8

$2.17 ₱136

22.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ฿59.5

$2.00 ₱126

-11.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ฿49.60

$1.37 ₱86.2

8.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.57

$1.03 ₱64.9

34.95%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿73.9

$2.03 ₱128

8.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.64 ฿523

$10.20 ₱642

53.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.61 ฿87.2

$4.45 ₱280

-41.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.27 ฿343

$7.67 ₱483

33.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.31 ₱208

2.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ฿40.32

$1.46 ₱91.8

-17.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 ฿61.9

$2.32 ₱146

-20.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ฿66.1

$1.49 ₱94.0

32.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.31

$2.34 ₱147

-47.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.69

$1.94 ₱122

-46.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 ฿40.34

$1.16 ₱73.0

4.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 ฿14.81

$0.68 ₱42.89

-35.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 ฿141

$2.99 ₱188

41.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.79 ฿594

$6.24 ₱393

185.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$1.23 ₱77.3

43.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.73 ₱109

73.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 ฿12.90

$0.23 ₱14.36

69.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ฿34.38

$0.79 ₱49.96

30.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 ฿37.79

$0.22 ₱13.86

413.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 ฿117

$4.54 ₱286

-22.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 ฿40.27

$1.32 ₱82.9

-9.09%

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

$44.9K ฿1.5M

$21.0K ₱1.3M

113.77%

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

$26.3K ฿878.9K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

35.54%

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

$93.8 ฿3,134

$119 ₱7,464

-20.89%

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

$11.39 ฿381

$14.22 ₱896

-19.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.13 ฿639

$27.47 ₱1,730

-30.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.02 ฿1,571

$32.31 ₱2,034

45.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.47 ฿383

$6.50 ₱409

76.46%

Cinema Ticket

$7.41 ฿248

$5.40 ₱340

37.22%

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

$622 ฿20.8K

$276 ₱17.4K

125.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿480.0K

$7,866 ₱495.3K

82.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 ฿1,703

$49.37 ₱3,108

3.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.36 ฿981

$24.58 ₱1,548

19.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 ฿3,200

$76.6 ₱4,825

24.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.2 ฿2,580

$58.9 ₱3,706

31.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$486 ฿16.2K

$503 ₱31.7K

-3.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$304 ฿10.2K

$305 ₱19.2K

-0.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 ฿38.4K

$1,075 ₱67.7K

6.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 ฿22.7K

$632 ₱39.8K

7.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,180 ฿72.9K

$2,870 ₱180.7K

-24.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 ฿50.3K

$1,877 ₱118.2K

-19.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

7.2

-17.22%

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

Last update for Samut Sakhon: October 17, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Samut Sakhon

$304 33%

Cebu

$305 33.3% 0% $0

Groceries & Markets

Samut Sakhon

$246 26.6%

Cebu

$210 22.9% 14.7% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samut Sakhon

$124 13.5%

Cebu

$160 17.5% 28.9% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Samut Sakhon

$114 12.4%

Cebu

$94 10.3% 17.3% $20

Eating Out

Samut Sakhon

$64 7%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 36.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Samut Sakhon

$62 6.7%

Cebu

$43 4.7% 30.3% $19

Getting Around

Samut Sakhon

$8.2 * 0.9%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 84.1% $6.9

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 $486 in Samut Sakhon and $503 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $18.00 in Samut Sakhon vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $246 vs $210, with Cebu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Samut Sakhon

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

05:45 5:45 AM

1 h ahead of Samut Sakhon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,515

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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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 THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Samut Sakhon Cebu 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,384 in Samut Sakhon 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: $486 in Samut Sakhon versus $503 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Samut Sakhon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $923 per month in Samut Sakhon versus $915 in Cebu – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $915 in Cebu versus $923 in Samut Sakhon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Samut Sakhon. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Samut Sakhon 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Samut Sakhon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.