Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston upon Thames and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $3,276 in Kingston upon Thames, rent and utilities included – about $28,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

161

Cost of Living Index in Kingston upon Thames
Learn more

Kingston upon Thames Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

Jump to prices

Kingston upon Thames

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,276

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,276 in Kingston upon Thames versus $918 in Cebu.

Kingston upon Thames $3,276
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,746 in Kingston upon Thames versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Kingston upon Thames $4,746
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,216 in Kingston upon Thames versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Kingston upon Thames $6,216
Cebu $1,900

Living in Kingston upon Thames is roughly 257% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kingston upon Thames is 143% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 £16.58

$3.09 ₱194

615.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.6 £65.0

$24.22 ₱1,525

257.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.42 £7.82

$3.92 ₱247

165.82%

Cappuccino

$5.46 £4.09

$2.51 ₱158

117.53%

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

$3.00 £2.25

$1.59 ₱100

88.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.53 ₱33.43

239.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.20 £6.91

$1.78 ₱112

416.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.93

$2.17 ₱137

264.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.92 ₱121

-12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.36 ₱85.4

27.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.84

$1.01 ₱63.5

142.57%

Eggs

$4.91 £3.68

$2.03 ₱128

141.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.46 £6.35

$9.86 ₱621

-14.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.72 £6.54

$4.39 ₱277

98.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 £9.74

$7.60 ₱479

70.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 £2.35

$3.30 ₱208

-5.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.39 ₱87.8

-2.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 £1.96

$2.33 ₱147

12.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 £2.18

$1.50 ₱94.3

93.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$2.36 ₱149

-29.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.90 ₱119

-10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$1.19 ₱74.9

4.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.63 ₱39.71

185.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$3.00 ₱189

676.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.31 £6.99

$6.03 ₱379

54.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 £2.32

$1.23 ₱77.7

151.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 £3.34

$1.75 ₱110

154.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 £1.78

$0.25 ₱15.86

848.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.49 £31.88

$12.64 ₱796

236.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 £3.69

$0.77 ₱48.62

537.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 £1.07

$0.23 ₱14.53

521.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.70 £17.78

$4.46 ₱281

431.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 £1.49

$1.31 ₱82.8

51.15%

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

$37.7K £28.3K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

77.41%

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

$39.8K £29.9K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

107.96%

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

$371 £278

$120 ₱7,569

208.21%

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

$15.63 £11.73

$14.00 ₱882

11.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.78 £30.60

$27.54 ₱1,734

48.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 £76.8

$32.33 ₱2,035

216.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.49 £7.87

$6.65 ₱419

57.74%

Cinema Ticket

$19.46 £14.60

$5.65 ₱356

244.42%

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

$2,594 £1,946

$275 ₱17.3K

842.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K £16.6K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

179.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.7

$49.33 ₱3,106

131.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.6 £40.19

$25.24 ₱1,589

112.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 £58.6

$77.0 ₱4,846

1.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.7

$57.2 ₱3,601

85.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,035 £1,527

$500 ₱31.5K

307.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,832 £1,374

$309 ₱19.4K

493.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,567 £2,676

$1,078 ₱67.9K

230.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,164 £2,374

$615 ₱38.7K

414.31%

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)

$5,303 £3,978

$346 ₱21.8K

1432.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

7.2

-34.17%

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

Last update for Kingston upon Thames: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston upon Thames

$1.8K 55.9%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 83.1% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston upon Thames

$427 13%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 62.1% $265

Eating Out

Kingston upon Thames

$355 10.8%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 75.1% $266

Groceries & Markets

Kingston upon Thames

$298 9.1%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 31% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston upon Thames

$158 4.8%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 40.7% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston upon Thames

$141 4.3%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 69.1% $98

Getting Around

Kingston upon Thames

$64 2%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 75.7% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,035 in Kingston upon Thames and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kingston upon Thames pays 1433% 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: $87.0 in Kingston upon Thames vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Kingston upon Thames

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

05:09 5:09 AM

12:09 12:09 PM

7 h ahead of Kingston upon Thames

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,013

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 18, 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 18, 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

Kingston upon Thames Cebu 11,330 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Kingston upon Thames
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

Kingston upon Thames vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 257% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1433% higher in Kingston upon Thames, 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: $2,035 in Kingston upon Thames versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,276 per month in Kingston upon Thames versus $918 in Cebu – a 257% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 236% less than in Kingston upon Thames. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $3,276 in Kingston upon Thames, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Kingston upon Thames. 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 Kingston upon Thames, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Kingston upon Thames 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 257% less than in Kingston upon Thames. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.