Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Boston

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,372 in Boston, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 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
116

Cost of Living Index in Boston
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Boston Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Boston

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Boston

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $2,372 in Boston.

Cebu $918
Boston $2,372

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $3,454 in Boston.

Cebu $1,409
Boston $3,454

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $4,535 in Boston.

Cebu $1,900
Boston $4,535

Living in Cebu costs roughly 61% less than in Boston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 32% below, Boston is 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$26.64 £19.99

-88.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$77.9 £58.5

-68.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$10.52 £7.89

-62.74%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$4.90 £3.67

-48.78%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$2.46 £1.85

-35.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$2.07 £1.55

-74.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$5.70 £4.28

-68.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$5.52 £4.14

-60.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.52 £1.14

26.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.58 £0.44

134.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.64 £1.23

-38.41%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$4.10 £3.08

-50.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$9.39 £7.05

5.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$8.09 £6.07

-45.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$16.71 £12.53

-54.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$3.27 £2.45

0.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.60 £1.20

-13.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$3.02 £2.26

-22.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$3.53 £2.65

-57.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.20 £0.90

96.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.74 £1.30

9.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.29 £0.97

-7.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$1.25 £0.94

-49.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$15.76 £11.82

-80.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$8.76 £6.57

-31.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$3.30 £2.47

-62.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$3.04 £2.28

-42.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$3.52 £2.64

-92.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$95.1 £71.3

-86.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$4.14 £3.10

-81.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$3.89 £2.92

-94.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$32.35 £24.27

-86.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.84 £1.38

-28.80%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$37.5K £28.1K

-43.31%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$40.5K £30.3K

-52.67%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$359 £269

-66.50%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$17.73 £13.30

-21.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$43.87 £32.91

-37.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$45.02 £33.78

-28.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$9.92 £7.45

-43.04%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$1,570 £1,177

-82.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$22.5K £16.9K

-64.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$53.3 £40.01

-7.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$39.15 £29.37

-35.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$72.9 £54.7

5.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$59.0 £44.23

-2.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$1,242 £932

-59.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$1,006 £755

-69.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$2,136 £1,602

-49.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$1,672 £1,255

-63.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$4,998 £3,749

-42.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$3,825 £2,870

-49.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$1,566 £1,175

-77.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

5.21

38.20%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Boston: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Boston

$1K 42.4% 226% $697

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Boston

$286 12% 38.8% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Boston

$420 17.7% 160% $259

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Boston

$101 4.3% 7.5% $7

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Boston

$361 15.2% 309% $273

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Boston

$65 2.7% 48.7% $21

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Boston

$133 5.6% 753% $117

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $1,242 in Boston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Boston pays 353% 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: $24.00 in Cebu vs $78.0 in Boston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $286 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇬🇧 Boston

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

07:42 7:42 AM

7 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

45,339

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Boston 11,210 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Boston

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 Boston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu wins on cost – living expenses run 158% lower than in Boston. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cebu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 353% lower in Boston. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $1,242 in Boston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $2,372 in Boston – a 158% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 652% less than in Boston. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $2,372 in Boston, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Boston. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cebu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $918 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cebu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Boston 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 158% less than in Boston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.