Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and East London

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,001 in East London, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in East London despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in East London
Learn more

East London Living Index

Jump to prices

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,001

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in East London

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,001 in East London.

Cebu $918
East London $1,001

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,632 in East London.

Cebu $1,409
East London $1,632

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,262 in East London.

Cebu $1,900
East London $2,262

Living in Cebu costs roughly 8% less than in East London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, East London 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$9.27 R 153

-66.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$38.10 R 628

-36.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$5.73 R 94.4

-31.59%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.07 R 34.16

21.26%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$1.02 R 16.79

55.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.78 R 12.92

-32.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.71 R 44.62

-34.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.16 R 52.1

-31.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.17 R 19.32

64.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.94 R 15.51

44.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.52 R 24.99

-33.55%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.29 R 37.81

-11.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$8.72 R 144

13.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$5.36 R 88.3

-18.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$6.64 R 109

14.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$1.55 R 25.49

112.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.55 R 25.62

-10.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.68 R 27.68

38.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.51 R 24.83

-0.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.67 R 27.53

41.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.42 R 23.45

33.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.12 R 18.49

6.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.92 R 15.19

-31.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$2.85 R 47.01

5.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$4.90 R 80.7

23.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.14 R 18.79

7.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$0.91 R 15.04

92.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$1.54 R 25.40

-83.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$46.97 R 774

-73.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$1.19 R 19.60

-35.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.49 R 8.11

-53.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$8.55 R 141

-47.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.35 R 22.30

-2.96%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$35.4K R 582.9K

-39.96%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$30.1K R 495.4K

-36.33%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$121 R 1,994

-0.65%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$32.82 R 541

-57.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$44.33 R 730

-37.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$39.22 R 646

-17.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$4.81 R 79.3

17.46%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$176 R 2,896

56.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$5,405 R 89.1K

46.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$57.3 R 944

-13.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$33.61 R 554

-24.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$73.7 R 1,214

4.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$95.2 R 1,568

-39.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$289 R 4,760

72.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$256 R 4,219

20.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$547 R 9,017

96.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$655 R 10.8K

-6.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$1,657 R 27.3K

-79.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

-34.55%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for East London: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

East London

$256 25.6% 17.1% $53

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

East London

$181 18.1% 11.9% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

East London

$198 19.8% 22.5% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

East London

$117 11.7% 24.5% $23

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

East London

$143 14.3% 62.4% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

East London

$49 4.9% 12% $5.2

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

East London

$57 5.7% 265% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $289 in East London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

East London pays 379% 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 $38.00 in East London. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $181, with East London cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇿🇦 East London

🕒 Local time

20:38 8:38 PM

14:38 2:38 PM

6 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

267,007

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu East London 11,180 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
East London

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 East London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 379% lower in East London. 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 $289 in East London. 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 $1,001 in East London – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 272% less than in East London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Cebu gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in East London, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and East London 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 9% less than in East London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.