Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Aberdeen

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $2,287 in Aberdeen, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Aberdeen
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Aberdeen Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Aberdeen

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,287

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Aberdeen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cebu and in Aberdeen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $934 per month in Cebu vs $2,287 in Aberdeen, rent included.

Cebu $934
Aberdeen $2,287

A couple spends around $1,415 per month in Cebu vs $3,604 in Aberdeen, rent included.

Cebu $1,415
Aberdeen $3,604

A family of three spends $1,896 per month in Cebu vs $4,921 in Aberdeen, rent included.

Cebu $1,896
Aberdeen $4,921

Cebu is about 59% cheaper than Aberdeen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cebu sits 30% below the global median, while Aberdeen is 71% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱190

$19.91 £15.05

-84.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,473

$96.7 £73.1

-75.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱256

$10.74 £8.12

-61.92%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$4.62 £3.49

-45.45%

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

$1.54 ₱96.9

$2.78 £2.10

-44.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.98

$2.11 £1.59

-76.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

$7.08 £5.35

-74.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$7.48 £5.65

-69.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.56 £1.18

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.7

$1.73 £1.31

-17.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱63.8

$1.92 £1.45

-46.87%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$4.41 £3.33

-53.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱615

$8.45 £6.38

16.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱289

$11.82 £8.93

-61.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱483

$16.02 £12.10

-51.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱207

$2.90 £2.19

14.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱90.9

$1.38 £1.05

5.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$2.81 £2.12

-16.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.4

$3.72 £2.81

-58.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.76 £1.33

34.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$1.45 £1.10

37.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

$1.21 £0.91

-4.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.15

$1.61 £1.21

-58.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

$21.79 £16.47

-86.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

$11.22 £8.48

-43.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

$2.70 £2.04

-51.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

$2.92 £2.21

-40.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

$2.76 £2.08

-90.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

$121 £91.7

-89.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

$3.89 £2.94

-80.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$2.31 £1.75

-90.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

$23.43 £17.71

-81.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$2.09 £1.58

-36.36%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$38.6K £29.2K

-43.59%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$40.7K £30.7K

-52.29%

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

$121 ₱7,563

$410 £310

-70.61%

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

$14.45 ₱907

$28.17 £21.29

-48.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,774

$41.97 £31.71

-32.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

$53.9 £40.71

-39.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

$22.01 £16.64

-70.97%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

$11.46 £8.66

-52.36%

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

$273 ₱17.1K

$1,785 £1,349

-84.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

$23.3K £17.6K

-64.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

$96.5 £72.9

-48.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

$47.34 £35.77

-47.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

$103 £78.0

-25.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,717

$116 £87.3

-48.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.7K

$814 £615

-37.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$777 £588

-60.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.0K

$1,557 £1,177

-32.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

$1,658 £1,253

-62.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

$2,260 £1,708

28.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

$3,444 £2,603

-45.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

$3,606 £2,725

-90.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

5.11

40.90%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Aberdeen: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Aberdeen

$777 34.1% 151% $468

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Aberdeen

$317 13.9% 50.9% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Aberdeen

$480 21.1% 194% $317

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Aberdeen

$163 7.2% 72.4% $69

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Aberdeen

$317 13.9% 259% $229

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Aberdeen

$77 3.4% 76.2% $33

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Aberdeen

$148 6.5% 857% $132

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $506 in Cebu versus $814 in Aberdeen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 957% higher in Aberdeen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Cebu versus $97.0 in Aberdeen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $210 vs $317 – making Cebu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇬🇧 Aberdeen

🕒 Local time

18:24 6:24 PM

11:24 11:24 AM

7 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

229,060

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

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).

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).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Aberdeen 11,050 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Aberdeen

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

Cebu vs Aberdeen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aberdeen costs about 145% more than Cebu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,401 per month in Cebu and $3,430 in Aberdeen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cebu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $934 in Cebu and $2,287 in Aberdeen. That's a gap of about 145%.

Public transport costs about 859% less in Cebu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cebu, where all-in costs run around $934, than in Aberdeen at $2,287. In Cebu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aberdeen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cebu costs $934 versus $2,287 in Aberdeen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cebu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Aberdeen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.