Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Isle of Islay and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $2,352 on the Isle of Islay, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Isle of Islay
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,352
/mo nomad
Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$915
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend on the Isle of Islay and in Cebu

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month on the Isle of Islay and in Cebu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,352 on the Isle of Islay versus $915 in Cebu.

  • Isle of Islay $2,352
  • Cebu $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,353 on the Isle of Islay versus $1,418 in Cebu.

  • Isle of Islay $3,353
  • Cebu $1,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,354 on the Isle of Islay versus $1,921 in Cebu.

  • Isle of Islay $4,354
  • Cebu $1,921

Living on the Isle of Islay is roughly 157% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Isle of Islay is 74% above, Cebu is 33% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Isle of Islay
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.60 £16.21
$3.05 ₱192
608.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$81.4 £61.1
$24.00 ₱1,511
239.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 £7.95
$3.99 ₱251
165.66%
Cappuccino
$4.48 £3.36
$2.50 ₱157
79.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 £1.86
$1.54 ₱97.1
61.04%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.32 £0.99
$0.50 ₱31.37
164.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.83 £4.37
$1.78 ₱112
227.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.01 £4.51
$2.17 ₱136
176.96%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Isle of Islay
Cebu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.03 £1.52
$2.00 ₱126
1.50%
White Bread (500g)
$1.75 £1.32
$1.37 ₱86.2
27.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.74 £2.06
$1.03 ₱64.9
166.02%
Eggs
$5.41 £4.06
$2.03 ₱128
166.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.39 £5.54
$10.20 ₱642
-27.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.52 £7.14
$4.45 ₱280
113.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.36 £11.53
$7.67 ₱483
100.26%
Apples (1kg)
$2.50 £1.88
$3.31 ₱208
-24.47%
Banana (1kg)
$2.20 £1.65
$1.46 ₱91.8
50.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 £2.12
$2.32 ₱146
21.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.87 £2.15
$1.49 ₱94.0
92.62%
Potato (1kg)
$3.06 £2.29
$2.34 ₱147
30.77%
Onion (1kg)
$2.11 £1.58
$1.94 ₱122
8.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.86 £1.40
$1.16 ₱73.0
60.34%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.43 £1.82
$0.68 ₱42.89
257.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.79 £17.85
$2.99 ₱188
695.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.03 £9.03
$6.24 ₱393
92.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.26 £2.44
$1.23 ₱77.3
165.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.22 £2.41
$1.73 ₱109
86.13%
🚌 Getting Around
Isle of Islay
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.50 £2.62
$0.23 ₱14.36
1421.74%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$98.1 £73.6
$12.34 ₱777
694.73%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.75 £3.56
$0.79 ₱49.96
501.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.79 £2.84
$0.22 ₱13.86
1622.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.58 £19.94
$4.54 ₱286
485.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.07 £1.55
$1.32 ₱82.9
56.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.5K £28.9K
$21.0K ₱1.3M
83.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.4K £30.3K
$19.4K ₱1.2M
108.34%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Isle of Islay
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$238 £178
$119 ₱7,464
100.50%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.09 £9.82
$14.22 ₱896
-7.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.21 £31.67
$27.47 ₱1,730
53.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Isle of Islay
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.82 £32.88
$32.31 ₱2,034
35.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$6.50 ₱409
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.44 £10.08
$5.40 ₱340
148.89%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Isle of Islay
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,918 £1,439
$276 ₱17.4K
595.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.8K £18.6K
$7,866 ₱495.3K
215.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Isle of Islay
Cebu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$100 £75.1
$49.37 ₱3,108
102.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.6 £43.19
$24.58 ₱1,548
134.21%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 £90.9
$76.6 ₱4,825
58.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.1 £65.4
$58.9 ₱3,706
48.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Isle of Islay
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,272 £955
$503 ₱31.7K
152.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,039 £779
$305 ₱19.2K
241.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,126 £1,595
$1,075 ₱67.7K
97.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,449 £1,087
$632 ₱39.8K
129.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,528 £4,147
$2,870 ₱180.7K
92.63%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,409 £2,558
$1,877 ₱118.2K
81.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Isle of Islay
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$336 ₱21.1K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.41
7.2
-24.86%

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

Last update for the Isle of Islay: October 20, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Isle of Islay
$1K
Cebu
$305 70.7% $734
Groceries & Markets
Isle of Islay
$334
Cebu
$210 37.3% $125
Eating Out
Isle of Islay
$315
Cebu
$88 72.1% $227
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Isle of Islay
$293
Cebu
$160 45.3% $133
Clothing & Footwear
Isle of Islay
$165
Cebu
$94 42.8% $70
Getting Around
Isle of Islay
$136
Cebu
$15 88.8% $121
Sport & Entertainment
Isle of Islay
$71
Cebu
$43 39% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,272 on the Isle of Islay and $503 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $81.0 on the Isle of Islay vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $334 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Isle of Islay
🇵🇭 Cebu
🕒 Local time
17:25 5:25 PM
00:25 12:25 AM
7 h ahead of the Isle of Islay
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,457
964,169
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 23, 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 23, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Isle of Islay Cebu 11,350 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Isle of Islay
  • 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
Isle of Islay vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cebu cheaper than the Isle of Islay?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 157% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $3,528 on the Isle of Islay and $1,372 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.
What is the rent difference between the Isle of Islay and Cebu?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,272 on the Isle of Islay versus $503 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses on the Isle of Islay and in Cebu?
All in, you'll spend $2,352 per month on the Isle of Islay versus $915 in Cebu – a 157% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 695% less than on the Isle of Islay. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living on the Isle of Islay or in Cebu?
At $915 in Cebu versus $2,352 on the Isle of Islay, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient on the Isle of Islay. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Isle of Islay or Cebu more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than on the Isle of Islay, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Isle of Islay or Cebu?
Safety-wise, Isle of Islay 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 157% less than on the Isle of Islay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Isle of Islay vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?