Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tak and Cebu

For one person, living costs are similar in Tak and in Cebu: $938 and $915 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Tak
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Tak Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Tak

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $938 in Tak versus $915 in Cebu.

Tak $938
Cebu $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,488 in Tak versus $1,418 in Cebu.

Tak $1,488
Cebu $1,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,039 in Tak versus $1,921 in Cebu.

Tak $2,039
Cebu $1,921

Living in Tak is roughly 3% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tak 31% lower, Cebu 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 ฿113

$3.05 ₱192

10.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.54 ฿720

$24.00 ₱1,511

-10.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.23 ฿242

$3.99 ₱251

81.20%

Cappuccino

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.50 ₱157

-30.40%

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

$0.60 ฿20.07

$1.54 ₱97.1

-61.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿10.93

$0.50 ₱31.37

-34.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 ฿63.8

$1.78 ₱112

7.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 ฿103

$2.17 ₱136

41.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ฿52.6

$2.00 ₱126

-21.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 ฿44.76

$1.37 ₱86.2

-2.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.41

$1.03 ₱64.9

29.13%

Eggs

$2.16 ฿72.3

$2.03 ₱128

6.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.40 ฿548

$10.20 ₱642

60.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.90 ฿96.8

$4.45 ₱280

-34.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.41 ฿381

$7.67 ₱483

48.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 ฿97.4

$3.31 ₱208

-12.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.47

$1.46 ₱91.8

-29.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$2.32 ₱146

-2.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 ฿73.9

$1.49 ₱94.0

48.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.69

$2.34 ₱147

-36.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ฿35.59

$1.94 ₱122

-45.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ฿38.47

$1.16 ₱73.0

-0.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.70

$0.68 ₱42.89

-22.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 ฿149

$2.99 ₱188

49.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.78 ฿561

$6.24 ₱393

168.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.23 ₱77.3

31.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 ฿100

$1.73 ₱109

72.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 ฿27.11

$0.23 ₱14.36

252.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ฿45.00

$0.79 ₱49.96

70.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.18 ฿39.33

$0.22 ₱13.86

436.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.56 ฿186

$4.54 ₱286

22.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ฿50.4

$1.32 ₱82.9

14.39%

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

$26.3K ฿877.5K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

25.01%

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

$26.0K ฿870.1K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

34.18%

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

$85.9 ฿2,869

$119 ₱7,464

-27.58%

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

$12.38 ฿414

$14.22 ₱896

-12.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.05 ฿670

$27.47 ₱1,730

-27.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.87 ฿1,399

$32.31 ₱2,034

29.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.06 ฿470

$6.50 ₱409

116.31%

Cinema Ticket

$5.92 ฿198

$5.40 ₱340

9.63%

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

$595 ฿19.9K

$276 ₱17.4K

115.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K ฿373.1K

$7,866 ₱495.3K

41.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.91 ฿1,467

$49.37 ₱3,108

-11.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.26 ฿1,011

$24.58 ₱1,548

23.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ฿2,686

$76.6 ₱4,825

4.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.2 ฿2,647

$58.9 ₱3,706

34.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$416 ฿13.9K

$503 ₱31.7K

-17.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 ฿10.5K

$305 ₱19.2K

3.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 ฿40.4K

$1,075 ₱67.7K

12.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$692 ฿23.1K

$632 ₱39.8K

9.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,060 ฿68.8K

$2,870 ₱180.7K

-28.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,359 ฿45.4K

$1,877 ₱118.2K

-27.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.2

-22.64%

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

Last update for Tak: October 20, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tak

$314 33.5%

Cebu

$305 33.3% 3% $9.4

Groceries & Markets

Tak

$247 26.4%

Cebu

$210 22.9% 15.2% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tak

$118 12.6%

Cebu

$160 17.5% 35.5% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Tak

$105 11.2%

Cebu

$94 10.3% 10.4% $11

Eating Out

Tak

$89 9.5%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 1.4% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Tak

$54 5.7%

Cebu

$43 4.7% 19.7% $11

Getting Around

Tak

$10 * 1.1%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 44.6% $4.7

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 $416 in Tak and $503 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22.00 in Tak vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $247 vs $210, with Cebu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Tak

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

23:19 11:19 PM

00:19 12:19 AM

1 h ahead of Tak

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,900

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 21, 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 21, 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

Tak Cebu 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Tak
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

Tak vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,407 in Tak 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: $416 in Tak versus $503 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Tak. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $938 per month in Tak versus $915 in Cebu – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

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

Safety-wise, Tak 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 3% less than in Tak. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.