Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buckingham and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,219 in Buckingham, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Buckingham
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,219
/mo nomad
Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,219 in Buckingham versus $918 in Cebu.

  • Buckingham $2,219
  • Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,265 in Buckingham versus $1,409 in Cebu.

  • Buckingham $3,265
  • Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,311 in Buckingham versus $1,900 in Cebu.

  • Buckingham $4,311
  • Cebu $1,900

Living in Buckingham is roughly 142% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buckingham is 64% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buckingham
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.03 £15.03
$3.09 ₱194
548.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.9 £59.2
$24.22 ₱1,525
225.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.44 £7.83
$3.92 ₱247
166.33%
Cappuccino
$4.60 £3.45
$2.51 ₱158
83.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 £1.54
$1.59 ₱100
28.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.50 £1.12
$0.53 ₱33.43
183.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.45 £4.09
$1.78 ₱112
206.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.52 £3.39
$2.17 ₱137
108.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Buckingham
Cebu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 £1.13
$1.92 ₱121
-21.35%
White Bread (500g)
$1.77 £1.33
$1.36 ₱85.4
30.15%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.82 £2.11
$1.01 ₱63.5
179.21%
Eggs
$4.04 £3.03
$2.03 ₱128
99.01%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.09 £6.82
$9.86 ₱621
-7.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.72 £5.79
$4.39 ₱277
75.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.42 £12.32
$7.60 ₱479
116.05%
Apples (1kg)
$3.29 £2.47
$3.30 ₱208
-0.30%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 £1.16
$1.39 ₱87.8
10.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.80 £2.10
$2.33 ₱147
20.17%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.20 £2.40
$1.50 ₱94.3
113.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.16 £0.87
$2.36 ₱149
-50.85%
Onion (1kg)
$1.73 £1.30
$1.90 ₱119
-8.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.29 £0.97
$1.19 ₱74.9
8.40%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.35 £1.01
$0.63 ₱39.71
114.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.66 £17.75
$3.00 ₱189
688.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.10 £7.57
$6.03 ₱379
67.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.14 £2.36
$1.23 ₱77.7
155.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 £1.71
$1.75 ₱110
30.29%
🚌 Getting Around
Buckingham
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.38 £2.53
$0.25 ₱15.86
1252.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$94.7 £71.1
$12.64 ₱796
649.45%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.18 £3.14
$0.77 ₱48.62
442.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.69 £2.02
$0.23 ₱14.53
1069.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.36 £24.28
$4.46 ₱281
625.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.04 £1.53
$1.31 ₱82.8
55.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.4K £28.8K
$21.2K ₱1.3M
80.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.3K £31.0K
$19.1K ₱1.2M
115.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buckingham
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$200 £150
$120 ₱7,569
66.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.46 £13.10
$14.00 ₱882
24.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.68 £32.77
$27.54 ₱1,734
58.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buckingham
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.77 £34.34
$32.33 ₱2,035
41.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$6.65 ₱419
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.38 £10.04
$5.65 ₱356
136.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buckingham
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,464 £1,099
$275 ₱17.3K
431.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.0K £16.5K
$7,918 ₱498.5K
178.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buckingham
Cebu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.3 £63.2
$49.33 ₱3,106
70.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.33 £23.50
$25.24 ₱1,589
24.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.7 £55.3
$77.0 ₱4,846
-4.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.2 £72.9
$57.2 ₱3,601
69.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buckingham
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,462 £1,097
$500 ₱31.5K
192.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,036 £777
$309 ₱19.4K
235.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,105 £1,579
$1,078 ₱67.9K
95.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,659 £1,244
$615 ₱38.7K
169.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,081 £3,812
$2,886 ₱181.7K
76.06%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,819 £2,865
$1,917 ₱120.7K
99.25%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buckingham
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,447 £3,336
$346 ₱21.8K
1185.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.06
7.2
-29.72%

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

Last update for Buckingham: 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
Buckingham
$1K
Cebu
$309 70.2% $727
Eating Out
Buckingham
$297
Cebu
$88 70.3% $209
Groceries & Markets
Buckingham
$297
Cebu
$206 30.7% $91
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buckingham
$261
Cebu
$162 38% $99
Clothing & Footwear
Buckingham
$129
Cebu
$94 27.1% $35
Getting Around
Buckingham
$126
Cebu
$16 87.6% $110
Sport & Entertainment
Buckingham
$73
Cebu
$44 39.9% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,462 in Buckingham and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buckingham pays 1185% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $79.0 in Buckingham vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Buckingham
🇵🇭 Cebu
🕒 Local time
08:35 8:35 AM
15:35 3:35 PM
7 h ahead of Buckingham
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
12,890
964,169
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Buckingham Cebu 11,330 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Buckingham
  • 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
Buckingham vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Buckingham and in Cebu?
Buckingham and Cebu differ by about 142% in total monthly costs ($2,219 vs $918 including rent). Cebu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Buckingham or Cebu?
Average pay runs 1185% higher in Buckingham, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Buckingham and in Cebu?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,462 in Buckingham versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Buckingham or Cebu?
All in, you'll spend $2,219 per month in Buckingham versus $918 in Cebu – a 142% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How do commuting costs compare in Buckingham and in Cebu?
A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 649% less than in Buckingham. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $918 in Cebu versus $2,219 in Buckingham, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Buckingham. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Buckingham and Cebu?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Is Buckingham or Cebu safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Buckingham 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.
Where should expats move: Buckingham or Cebu?
Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 142% less than in Buckingham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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