Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Songkhla and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Songkhla: $830 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

40

Cost of Living Index in Songkhla
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Songkhla Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Songkhla

🇹🇭 Thailand

$830

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $830 in Songkhla versus $918 in Cebu.

Songkhla $830
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,335 in Songkhla versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Songkhla $1,335
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,839 in Songkhla versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Songkhla $1,839
Cebu $1,900

Living in Songkhla costs roughly 10% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Songkhla 38% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.76 ฿58.9

$3.09 ₱194

-43.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.83 ฿730

$24.22 ₱1,525

-9.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 ฿156

$3.92 ₱247

19.39%

Cappuccino

$1.59 ฿53.1

$2.51 ₱158

-36.65%

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

$0.72 ฿24.04

$1.59 ₱100

-54.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ฿7.64

$0.53 ₱33.43

-56.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 ฿60.4

$1.78 ₱112

1.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 ฿157

$2.17 ₱137

117.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$1.92 ₱121

-13.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 ฿30.78

$1.36 ₱85.4

-32.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.4

$1.01 ₱63.5

64.36%

Eggs

$1.42 ฿47.58

$2.03 ₱128

-30.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.51 ฿552

$9.86 ₱621

67.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.71 ฿90.7

$4.39 ₱277

-38.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.20 ฿341

$7.60 ₱479

34.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 ฿99.5

$3.30 ₱208

-9.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 ฿58.6

$1.39 ₱87.8

25.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 ฿74.7

$2.33 ₱147

-3.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ฿42.09

$1.50 ₱94.3

-16.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 ฿47.16

$2.36 ₱149

-40.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 ฿58.9

$1.90 ₱119

-7.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.02

$1.19 ₱74.9

-9.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ฿29.80

$0.63 ₱39.71

41.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ฿143

$3.00 ₱189

42.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 ฿451

$6.03 ₱379

123.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 ฿49.06

$1.23 ₱77.7

19.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ฿152

$1.75 ₱110

160.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.43

$0.25 ₱15.86

240.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.7 ฿1,994

$12.64 ₱796

371.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 ฿41.36

$0.77 ₱48.62

61.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 ฿27.46

$0.23 ₱14.53

256.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.80 ฿160

$4.46 ₱281

7.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ฿41.33

$1.31 ₱82.8

-5.34%

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

$25.9K ฿867.1K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

22.13%

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

$31.6K ฿1.1M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

65.00%

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

$85.8 ฿2,866

$120 ₱7,569

-28.68%

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

$12.49 ฿417

$14.00 ₱882

-10.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.69 ฿591

$27.54 ₱1,734

-35.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.41 ฿1,618

$32.33 ₱2,035

49.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.10 ฿471

$6.65 ₱419

112.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.02 ฿201

$5.65 ₱356

6.55%

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

$561 ฿18.7K

$275 ₱17.3K

103.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ฿356.4K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

34.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 ฿1,689

$49.33 ₱3,106

2.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.97 ฿968

$25.24 ₱1,589

14.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 ฿2,577

$77.0 ₱4,846

0.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.4 ฿2,518

$57.2 ₱3,601

31.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$236 ฿7,880

$500 ₱31.5K

-52.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 ฿5,782

$309 ₱19.4K

-43.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$568 ฿19.0K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-47.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 ฿14.1K

$615 ₱38.7K

-31.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,943 ฿64.9K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-32.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,605 ฿53.7K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-16.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$806 ฿26.9K

$346 ₱21.8K

133.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.33

7.2

29.58%

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

Last update for Songkhla: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Songkhla

$239 28.8%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 13.8% $33

Accommodation & Living

Songkhla

$173 20.8%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 78.5% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Songkhla

$116 14%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 39.5% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Songkhla

$104 12.6%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 10% $10

Eating Out

Songkhla

$69 8.4%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 27.1% $19

Getting Around

Songkhla

$68 8.2%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 77.2% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Songkhla

$60 7.3%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 27.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $236 in Songkhla and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Songkhla pays 133% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $22.00 in Songkhla vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $239 vs $206, with Cebu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Songkhla

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

00:20 12:20 AM

01:20 1:20 AM

1 h ahead of Songkhla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,758

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

Songkhla Cebu 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Songkhla
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

Songkhla vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Songkhla is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 133% higher in Songkhla, 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: $236 in Songkhla versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $830 per month in Songkhla versus $918 in Cebu – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Songkhla runs roughly 372% 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 Songkhla gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Songkhla 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, Songkhla 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 Songkhla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.