Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grays and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,369 in Grays, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Grays
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Grays Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Grays

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,369

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,369 in Grays versus $918 in Cebu.

Grays $2,369
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,403 in Grays versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Grays $3,403
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,437 in Grays versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Grays $4,437
Cebu $1,900

Living in Grays is roughly 158% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Grays is 75% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.94 £18.71

$3.09 ₱194

707.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.3 £39.24

$24.22 ₱1,525

115.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.98 £7.49

$3.92 ₱247

154.59%

Cappuccino

$4.64 £3.48

$2.51 ₱158

84.86%

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

$3.86 £2.90

$1.59 ₱100

142.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 £2.49

$0.53 ₱33.43

526.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.40 £4.05

$1.78 ₱112

203.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 £5.91

$2.17 ₱137

263.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.92 ₱121

-19.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 £1.10

$1.36 ₱85.4

8.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.01 ₱63.5

62.38%

Eggs

$4.41 £3.31

$2.03 ₱128

117.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.06 £9.05

$9.86 ₱621

22.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.17 £6.88

$4.39 ₱277

108.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.11 £11.33

$7.60 ₱479

98.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 £2.21

$3.30 ₱208

-10.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 £1.42

$1.39 ₱87.8

35.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 £2.11

$2.33 ₱147

21.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 £2.83

$1.50 ₱94.3

151.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 £1.65

$2.36 ₱149

-6.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.90 ₱119

-5.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 £0.88

$1.19 ₱74.9

-0.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 £1.07

$0.63 ₱39.71

126.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.07 £12.80

$3.00 ₱189

469.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 £8.16

$6.03 ₱379

80.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 £2.28

$1.23 ₱77.7

147.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$1.75 ₱110

84.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.54 £2.66

$0.25 ₱15.86

1316.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.5 £73.1

$12.64 ₱796

671.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.88 £3.66

$0.77 ₱48.62

533.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.69 £2.02

$0.23 ₱14.53

1069.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.12 £29.35

$4.46 ₱281

777.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$1.31 ₱82.8

57.25%

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

$38.6K £29.0K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

81.74%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

113.70%

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

$280 £210

$120 ₱7,569

132.47%

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

$16.46 £12.35

$14.00 ₱882

17.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.70 £33.53

$27.54 ₱1,734

62.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.48 £34.87

$32.33 ₱2,035

43.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$11.16 £8.37

$5.65 ₱356

97.52%

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

$2,079 £1,559

$275 ₱17.3K

655.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.6K £23.0K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

286.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.9 £68.2

$49.33 ₱3,106

84.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.44 £33.34

$25.24 ₱1,589

76.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 £78.4

$77.0 ₱4,846

35.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 £66.0

$57.2 ₱3,601

53.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,235 £926

$500 ₱31.5K

147.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 £759

$309 ₱19.4K

227.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 £1,595

$1,078 ₱67.9K

97.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,634 £1,226

$615 ₱38.7K

165.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,052 £3,790

$2,886 ₱181.7K

75.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,847 £2,886

$1,917 ₱120.7K

100.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

7.2

-28.89%

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

Last update for Grays: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Grays

$1K 42.7%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 69.5% $703

Eating Out

Grays

$357 15.1%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 75.3% $268

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grays

$341 14.4%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 52.5% $179

Groceries & Markets

Grays

$313 13.2%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 34.3% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Grays

$148 6.2%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 36.3% $54

Getting Around

Grays

$130 5.5%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 88% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Grays

$69 2.9%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 36.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,235 in Grays and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52.0 in Grays vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $313 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Grays

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

08:35 8:35 AM

15:35 3:35 PM

7 h ahead of Grays

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,601

964,169

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Grays Cebu 11,280 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Grays
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

Grays vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 158% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,553 in Grays and $1,377 in Cebu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,235 in Grays versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,369 per month in Grays versus $918 in Cebu – 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 671% less than in Grays. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $2,369 in Grays, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Grays. 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 Grays, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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