Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Croydon and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $3,041 in Croydon, rent and utilities included – about $25,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

149

Cost of Living Index in Croydon
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Croydon Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Croydon

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,041

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,041 in Croydon versus $934 in Cebu.

Croydon $3,041
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,216 in Croydon versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Croydon $4,216
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,391 in Croydon versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Croydon $5,391
Cebu $1,896

Living in Croydon is roughly 226% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Croydon is 127% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.15 £19.76

$3.03 ₱190

763.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.8 £70.1

$23.48 ₱1,473

295.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.06 £7.60

$4.09 ₱256

145.97%

Cappuccino

$4.78 £3.61

$2.52 ₱158

89.68%

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

$2.84 £2.14

$1.54 ₱96.9

84.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.62

$0.49 ₱30.98

338.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.81 £6.66

$1.79 ₱112

392.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.49 £4.91

$2.26 ₱142

187.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.28

$1.95 ₱122

-13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 £1.09

$1.43 ₱89.7

0.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.97 £2.25

$1.02 ₱63.8

191.18%

Eggs

$3.97 £3.00

$2.06 ₱129

92.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.26 £8.51

$9.81 ₱615

14.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.91 £5.98

$4.61 ₱289

71.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.49 £9.44

$7.70 ₱483

62.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 £2.26

$3.31 ₱207

-9.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 £1.08

$1.45 ₱90.9

-2.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 £2.25

$2.36 ₱148

25.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 £2.40

$1.54 ₱96.4

105.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 £1.22

$2.36 ₱148

-31.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 £1.02

$1.99 ₱125

-32.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 £1.11

$1.15 ₱72.1

27.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 £1.23

$0.67 ₱42.15

143.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.32 £17.62

$3.00 ₱188

677.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.74 £8.87

$6.35 ₱398

84.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 £1.78

$1.31 ₱81.9

80.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 £2.48

$1.73 ₱108

89.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.37 £2.55

$0.25 ₱15.78

1248.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$134 £101

$12.65 ₱793

959.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.79 £5.13

$0.74 ₱46.32

817.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 £2.46

$0.21 ₱13.11

1452.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$53.5 £40.42

$4.33 ₱271

1135.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$1.33 ₱83.5

53.38%

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

$38.5K £29.1K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

76.96%

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

$40.6K £30.6K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

109.06%

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

$331 £250

$121 ₱7,563

174.16%

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

$18.18 £13.74

$14.45 ₱907

25.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.47 £30.59

$28.29 ₱1,774

43.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.89 £26.37

$32.68 ₱2,050

6.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.24 £10.01

$6.39 ₱401

107.20%

Cinema Ticket

$12.97 £9.80

$5.46 ₱342

137.55%

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

$1,787 £1,351

$273 ₱17.1K

553.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.4K £22.2K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

260.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.9 £57.4

$49.57 ₱3,109

53.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £41.02

$24.87 ₱1,560

118.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 £68.3

$76.6 ₱4,804

18.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 £113

$59.3 ₱3,717

153.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,837 £1,388

$506 ₱31.7K

263.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 £1,216

$309 ₱19.4K

420.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,517 £1,902

$1,052 ₱66.0K

139.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,255 £1,704

$619 ₱38.8K

264.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,691 £6,568

$2,915 ₱182.9K

198.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,838 £5,167

$1,867 ₱117.1K

266.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,413 £3,335

$341 ₱21.4K

1193.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

-30.56%

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

Last update for Croydon: 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

Croydon

$1.6K 52.5%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 80.8% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Croydon

$389 12.7%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 58% $226

Eating Out

Croydon

$374 12.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 76.4% $285

Groceries & Markets

Croydon

$296 9.7%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 28.9% $86

Getting Around

Croydon

$171 5.6%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 90.9% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Croydon

$167 5.4%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 43.3% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Croydon

$61 2%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 28.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,837 in Croydon and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Croydon pays 1194% 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: $93.0 in Croydon vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $296 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Croydon

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

04:07 4:07 AM

11:07 11:07 AM

7 h ahead of Croydon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

173,314

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 = 0.848 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 = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Croydon Cebu 11,320 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Croydon
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

Croydon vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 226% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1194% higher in Croydon, 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: $1,837 in Croydon versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,041 per month in Croydon versus $934 in Cebu – a 226% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 959% less than in Croydon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $3,041 in Croydon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Croydon. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Croydon 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 226% less than in Croydon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.