Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vung Tau and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Vung Tau: $608 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Vung Tau
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Vung Tau Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Vung Tau

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$608

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $608 in Vung Tau versus $918 in Cebu.

Vung Tau $608
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,015 in Vung Tau versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Vung Tau $1,015
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,423 in Vung Tau versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Vung Tau $1,423
Cebu $1,900

Living in Vung Tau costs roughly 34% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Vung Tau 55% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.95 ₫50.5K

$3.09 ₱195

-36.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.66 ₫405.5K

$24.22 ₱1,525

-35.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.75 ₫97.0K

$3.92 ₱247

-4.34%

Cappuccino

$1.84 ₫47.6K

$2.51 ₱158

-26.69%

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

$0.41 ₫10.6K

$1.59 ₱100

-74.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₫8,662

$0.53 ₱33.45

-37.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 ₫20.2K

$1.78 ₱112

-56.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 ₫26.3K

$2.17 ₱137

-53.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 ₫36.3K

$1.92 ₱121

-27.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.36 ₱85.5

-18.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ₫23.1K

$1.01 ₱63.6

-11.88%

Eggs

$1.65 ₫42.8K

$2.03 ₱128

-18.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.79 ₫124.0K

$9.86 ₱621

-51.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.60 ₫93.1K

$4.39 ₱277

-18.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.44 ₫244.4K

$7.60 ₱479

24.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 ₫79.3K

$3.30 ₱208

-7.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$1.39 ₱87.8

-10.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.63 ₫16.3K

$2.33 ₱147

-72.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 ₫33.5K

$1.50 ₱94.3

-14.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$2.36 ₱149

-51.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.8K

$1.90 ₱119

-37.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ₫15.7K

$1.19 ₱74.9

-49.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ₫11.0K

$0.63 ₱39.73

-31.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.20 ₫31.1K

$3.00 ₱189

-60.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.74 ₫329.7K

$6.03 ₱380

111.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₫21.1K

$1.23 ₱77.7

-34.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$1.75 ₱110

-42.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.87

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 ₫18.1K

$0.77 ₱48.64

-9.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 ₫15.3K

$0.23 ₱14.54

156.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$4.46 ₱281

-74.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 ₫20.7K

$1.31 ₱82.8

-38.93%

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

$30.2K ₫782.2M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

42.22%

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

$31.4K ₫811.9M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

63.80%

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

$46.69 ₫1.2M

$120 ₱7,573

-61.17%

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

$5.90 ₫152.7K

$14.00 ₱882

-57.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.99 ₫206.9K

$27.54 ₱1,735

-70.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.04 ₫441.1K

$32.33 ₱2,036

-47.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.41 ₫243.6K

$6.65 ₱419

41.50%

Cinema Ticket

$3.54 ₫91.6K

$5.65 ₱356

-37.35%

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

$117 ₫3.0M

$275 ₱17.3K

-57.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,586 ₫248.2M

$7,918 ₱498.8K

21.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.13 ₫547.1K

$49.33 ₱3,107

-57.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.89 ₫489.1K

$25.24 ₱1,590

-25.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 ₫2.4M

$77.0 ₱4,848

19.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.9 ₫1.8M

$57.2 ₱3,603

18.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$304 ₫7.9M

$500 ₱31.5K

-39.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$199 ₫5.2M

$309 ₱19.5K

-35.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$752 ₫19.5M

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-30.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 ₫13.0M

$615 ₱38.8K

-18.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,301 ₫189.0M

$2,886 ₱181.8K

152.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,367 ₫113.1M

$1,917 ₱120.7K

127.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$572 ₫14.8M

$346 ₱21.8K

65.21%

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 Vung Tau: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vung Tau

$199 32.7%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 55.2% $110

Groceries & Markets

Vung Tau

$173 28.4%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 19.3% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Vung Tau

$90 14.8%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 4.3% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vung Tau

$61 10%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 167% $101

Eating Out

Vung Tau

$58 9.5%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 52.6% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Vung Tau

$24 4%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 80.8% $19

Getting Around

Vung Tau

$3.7 * 0.6%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 325% $12

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 $304 in Vung Tau and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vung Tau pays 65% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $16.00 in Vung Tau vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $173 vs $206 per month, with Vung Tau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Vung Tau

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

18:44 6:44 PM

19:44 7:44 PM

1 h ahead of Vung Tau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

380,000

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,108 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Vung Tau Cebu 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Vung Tau
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

Vung Tau vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vung Tau is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 51% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 65% higher in Vung Tau, 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: $304 in Vung Tau versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $608 per month in Vung Tau versus $918 in Cebu – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Vung Tau gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Vung Tau 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, Vung Tau 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 Vung Tau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.