Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cardiff and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $2,463 in Cardiff, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Cardiff
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Cardiff Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Cardiff

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,463

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,463 in Cardiff versus $934 in Cebu.

Cardiff $2,463
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,467 in Cardiff versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Cardiff $3,467
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,470 in Cardiff versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Cardiff $4,470
Cebu $1,896

Living in Cardiff is roughly 164% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cardiff is 84% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.59 £14.80

$3.03 ₱190

546.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.6 £62.4

$23.48 ₱1,473

251.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 £8.11

$4.09 ₱256

162.35%

Cappuccino

$4.60 £3.47

$2.52 ₱158

82.54%

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

$2.98 £2.25

$1.54 ₱96.9

93.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 £1.51

$0.49 ₱30.98

308.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 £5.88

$1.79 ₱112

335.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.42 £4.85

$2.26 ₱142

184.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 £1.30

$1.95 ₱122

-11.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 £1.11

$1.43 ₱89.7

2.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 £1.70

$1.02 ₱63.8

120.59%

Eggs

$3.72 £2.81

$2.06 ₱129

80.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.18 £6.93

$9.81 ₱615

-6.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.75 £6.61

$4.61 ₱289

89.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.29 £12.31

$7.70 ₱483

111.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 £2.12

$3.31 ₱207

-15.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$1.45 ₱90.9

6.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 £2.25

$2.36 ₱148

26.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.65 £2.76

$1.54 ₱96.4

137.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 £1.43

$2.36 ₱148

-19.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 £1.12

$1.99 ₱125

-25.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 £0.84

$1.15 ₱72.1

-3.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 £1.23

$0.67 ₱42.15

143.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.34 £17.64

$3.00 ₱188

678.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.17 £8.44

$6.35 ₱398

75.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 £2.35

$1.31 ₱81.9

137.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 £2.52

$1.73 ₱108

92.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.30 £2.50

$0.25 ₱15.78

1220.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.6 £59.4

$12.65 ₱793

521.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.56 £3.45

$0.74 ₱46.32

516.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 £1.31

$0.21 ₱13.11

728.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.83 £27.08

$4.33 ₱271

727.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.62

$1.33 ₱83.5

60.90%

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

$37.8K £28.6K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

73.87%

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

$41.3K £31.2K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

112.68%

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

$343 £259

$121 ₱7,563

184.73%

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

$25.85 £19.54

$14.45 ₱907

78.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.95

$28.29 ₱1,774

54.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.02 £28.73

$32.68 ₱2,050

16.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.52 £8.70

$6.39 ₱401

80.28%

Cinema Ticket

$10.65 £8.05

$5.46 ₱342

95.05%

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

$1,978 £1,495

$273 ₱17.1K

623.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.8K £24.8K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

302.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 £75.6

$49.57 ₱3,109

101.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.31 £35.75

$24.87 ₱1,560

90.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 £90.6

$76.6 ₱4,804

56.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 £75.0

$59.3 ₱3,717

67.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 £875

$506 ₱31.7K

129.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,097 £829

$309 ₱19.4K

254.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,185 £1,651

$1,052 ₱66.0K

107.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,514 £1,144

$619 ₱38.8K

144.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,353 £4,045

$2,915 ₱182.9K

83.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,479 £2,629

$1,867 ₱117.1K

86.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,223 £2,435

$341 ₱21.4K

844.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

7.2

-29.03%

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

Last update for Cardiff: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cardiff

$1.1K 44.6%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 71.8% $788

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cardiff

$413 16.8%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 60.4% $249

Eating Out

Cardiff

$316 12.8%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 72% $227

Groceries & Markets

Cardiff

$307 12.5%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 31.4% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Cardiff

$165 6.7%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 42.6% $70

Getting Around

Cardiff

$105 4.3%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 85.3% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Cardiff

$59 2.4%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 26.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,158 in Cardiff and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cardiff pays 845% 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: $83.0 in Cardiff vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Cardiff

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

11:24 11:24 AM

18:24 6:24 PM

7 h ahead of Cardiff

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,100

964,169

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.847 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.28 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cardiff Cebu 11,480 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Cardiff
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

Cardiff vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cardiff and Cebu differ by about 164% in total monthly costs ($2,463 vs $934 including rent). Cebu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 845% higher in Cardiff, 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: $1,158 in Cardiff versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cebu – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $83.0 in Cardiff. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,463 per month in Cardiff versus $934 in Cebu – a 164% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $934 in Cebu versus $2,463 in Cardiff, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Cardiff. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Cardiff 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 164% less than in Cardiff. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.