Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Song Be and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Song Be: $839 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $910 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Song Be
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Song Be Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Song Be

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$839

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $839 in Song Be versus $915 in Cebu.

Song Be $839
Cebu $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,363 in Song Be versus $1,418 in Cebu.

Song Be $1,363
Cebu $1,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,887 in Song Be versus $1,921 in Cebu.

Song Be $1,887
Cebu $1,921

Living in Song Be costs roughly 8% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Song Be 38% lower, Cebu 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.92 ₫49.6K

$3.05 ₱192

-37.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.01 ₫595.6K

$24.00 ₱1,511

-4.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.75 ₫123.1K

$3.99 ₱251

19.05%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫47.9K

$2.50 ₱157

-26.00%

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

$0.55 ₫14.3K

$1.54 ₱97.1

-64.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,819

$0.50 ₱31.37

-32.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ₫28.0K

$1.78 ₱112

-39.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₫44.1K

$2.17 ₱136

-21.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₫42.5K

$2.00 ₱126

-18.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 ₫27.4K

$1.37 ₱86.2

-22.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ₫27.4K

$1.03 ₱64.9

2.91%

Eggs

$1.62 ₫41.8K

$2.03 ₱128

-20.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.93 ₫309.0K

$10.20 ₱642

16.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ₫94.7K

$4.45 ₱280

-17.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.42 ₫269.7K

$7.67 ₱483

35.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 ₫77.2K

$3.31 ₱208

-9.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.6K

$1.46 ₱91.8

-13.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.7K

$2.32 ₱146

-32.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 ₫32.4K

$1.49 ₱94.0

-16.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 ₫30.6K

$2.34 ₱147

-49.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.9K

$1.94 ₱122

-38.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.8K

$1.16 ₱73.0

-37.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₫13.5K

$0.68 ₱42.89

-23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.25 ₫32.4K

$2.99 ₱188

-58.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 ₫333.1K

$6.24 ₱393

106.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ₫23.1K

$1.23 ₱77.3

-27.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 ₫38.0K

$1.73 ₱109

-15.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 ₫9,126

$0.23 ₱14.36

52.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.85 ₫177.5K

$12.34 ₱777

-44.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₫19.3K

$0.79 ₱49.96

-6.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.0K

$0.22 ₱13.86

181.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ₫77.7K

$4.54 ₱286

-33.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ₫23.4K

$1.32 ₱82.9

-31.82%

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

$31.4K ₫812.5M

$21.0K ₱1.3M

49.41%

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

$29.7K ₫769.5M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

53.18%

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

$105 ₫2.7M

$119 ₱7,464

-11.25%

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

$5.87 ₫152.1K

$14.22 ₱896

-58.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ₫274.4K

$27.47 ₱1,730

-61.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.41 ₫657.8K

$32.31 ₱2,034

-21.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.53 ₫195.0K

$6.50 ₱409

15.85%

Cinema Ticket

$3.82 ₫98.9K

$5.40 ₱340

-29.26%

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

$448 ₫11.6M

$276 ₱17.4K

62.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ₫622.7M

$7,866 ₱495.3K

205.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 ₫1.4M

$49.37 ₱3,108

5.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.58 ₫895.3K

$24.58 ₱1,548

40.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ₫2.4M

$76.6 ₱4,825

18.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 ₫2.5M

$58.9 ₱3,706

61.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$362 ₫9.4M

$503 ₱31.7K

-28.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$280 ₫7.2M

$305 ₱19.2K

-8.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 ₫21.6M

$1,075 ₱67.7K

-22.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$675 ₫17.5M

$632 ₱39.8K

6.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,961 ₫50.8M

$2,870 ₱180.7K

-31.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,360 ₫35.2M

$1,877 ₱118.2K

-27.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

7.2

20.00%

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

Last update for Song Be: 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

Song Be

$280 33.3%

Cebu

$305 33.3% 8.9% $25

Groceries & Markets

Song Be

$206 24.6%

Cebu

$210 22.9% 1.6% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Song Be

$123 14.6%

Cebu

$94 10.3% 23.2% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Song Be

$122 14.5%

Cebu

$160 17.5% 31.7% $39

Eating Out

Song Be

$64 7.7%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 36.7% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Song Be

$33 3.9%

Cebu

$43 4.7% 30.4% $10

Getting Around

Song Be

$12 1.4%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 25.2% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $362 in Song Be and $503 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Song Be vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $210 per month, with Song Be cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Song Be

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

01:47 1:47 AM

02:47 2:47 AM

1 h ahead of Song Be

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

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

Song Be Cebu 1,870 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Song Be
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

Song Be vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Song Be is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,259 in Song Be 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: $362 in Song Be versus $503 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $839 per month in Song Be versus $915 in Cebu – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Song Be runs roughly 80% 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 Song Be gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Song Be 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, Song Be 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 Song Be gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.