Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Alton

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,530 in Alton, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Alton
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Alton Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Alton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Alton

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 Alton actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $918 per month in Cebu vs $2,530 in Alton, rent included.

Cebu $918
Alton $2,530

A couple spends around $1,409 per month in Cebu vs $3,777 in Alton, rent included.

Cebu $1,409
Alton $3,777

A family of three spends $1,900 per month in Cebu vs $5,024 in Alton, rent included.

Cebu $1,900
Alton $5,024

Cebu is about 64% cheaper than Alton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cebu sits 32% below the global median, while Alton is 87% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$26.36 £19.78

-88.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$105 £78.8

-76.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$10.66 £8.00

-63.23%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$5.55 £4.17

-54.77%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$3.00 £2.25

-47.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$2.10 £1.58

-74.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$9.03 £6.77

-80.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$7.83 £5.87

-72.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.88 £1.41

2.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$2.09 £1.57

-34.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$2.37 £1.78

-57.38%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$3.37 £2.53

-39.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$12.69 £9.52

-22.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$10.83 £8.12

-59.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$17.10 £12.83

-55.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$3.11 £2.33

6.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.40 £1.05

-0.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$3.00 £2.25

-22.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$3.33 £2.49

-54.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.67 £1.25

41.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.81 £1.36

4.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.45 £1.09

-17.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$1.87 £1.40

-66.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$23.32 £17.49

-87.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$10.63 £7.98

-43.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$2.34 £1.76

-47.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.67 £2.01

-34.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$3.34 £2.51

-92.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$96.8 £72.6

-86.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$5.49 £4.12

-85.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$3.37 £2.53

-93.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$25.82 £19.37

-82.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$2.12 £1.59

-38.21%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$38.8K £29.1K

-45.25%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$40.6K £30.4K

-52.80%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$366 £275

-67.15%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$17.92 £13.44

-21.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$40.71 £30.54

-32.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$45.21 £33.92

-28.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$17.61 £13.21

-67.92%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$2,896 £2,173

-90.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$35.1K £26.3K

-77.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$113 £84.6

-56.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$54.4 £40.77

-53.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$125 £94.1

-38.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$97.4 £73.0

-41.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$1,241 £931

-59.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$992 £744

-68.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$2,118 £1,589

-49.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$1,668 £1,252

-63.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$5,099 £3,825

-43.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$3,932 £2,950

-51.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

4.65

54.84%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Alton: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Alton

$992 39.2% 221% $683

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Alton

$334 13.2% 62.2% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Alton

$425 16.8% 163% $263

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Alton

$175 6.9% 86.8% $82

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Alton

$391 15.4% 343% $302

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Alton

$80 3.2% 84.4% $37

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Alton

$133 5.2% 751% $117

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $500 in Cebu versus $1,241 in Alton. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cebu versus $105 in Alton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $334 – making Cebu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇬🇧 Alton

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

04:32 4:32 AM

7 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

17,816

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

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).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Alton 11,380 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Alton

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 Alton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $918 in Cebu, $2,530 in Alton – roughly 176% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,377 per month in Cebu and $3,795 in Alton. 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.

Public transport costs about 666% less in Cebu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $275 per month in Cebu and $2,896 in Alton. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cebu, where all-in costs run around $918, than in Alton at $2,530. In Cebu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alton it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cebu has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $918 in Cebu to $2,530 in Alton. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Alton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.