Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merthyr Tydfil and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,067 in Merthyr Tydfil, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Merthyr Tydfil
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,067
/mo nomad
Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,067 in Merthyr Tydfil versus $918 in Cebu.

  • Merthyr Tydfil $2,067
  • Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,860 in Merthyr Tydfil versus $1,409 in Cebu.

  • Merthyr Tydfil $2,860
  • Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,654 in Merthyr Tydfil versus $1,900 in Cebu.

  • Merthyr Tydfil $3,654
  • Cebu $1,900

Living in Merthyr Tydfil is roughly 125% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Merthyr Tydfil is 53% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Merthyr Tydfil
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$23.35 £17.52
$3.09 ₱194
655.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.9 £46.41
$24.22 ₱1,525
155.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.50 £7.88
$3.92 ₱247
167.86%
Cappuccino
$4.62 £3.46
$2.51 ₱158
84.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.50 £1.87
$1.59 ₱100
57.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 £1.27
$0.53 ₱33.43
220.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.33 £4.75
$1.78 ₱112
255.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.76 £4.32
$2.17 ₱137
165.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Merthyr Tydfil
Cebu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 £1.04
$1.92 ₱121
-28.13%
White Bread (500g)
$0.60 £0.45
$1.36 ₱85.4
-55.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.69 £1.27
$1.01 ₱63.5
67.33%
Eggs
$4.07 £3.05
$2.03 ₱128
100.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.31 £6.24
$9.86 ₱621
-15.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.83 £6.63
$4.39 ₱277
101.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.98 £9.74
$7.60 ₱479
70.79%
Apples (1kg)
$2.66 £1.99
$3.30 ₱208
-19.39%
Banana (1kg)
$1.71 £1.28
$1.39 ₱87.8
23.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.59 £1.94
$2.33 ₱147
11.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.20 £2.40
$1.50 ₱94.3
113.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.22 £0.91
$2.36 ₱149
-48.31%
Onion (1kg)
$1.33 £1.00
$1.90 ₱119
-30.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.16 £0.87
$1.19 ₱74.9
-2.52%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 £0.81
$0.63 ₱39.71
71.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$22.78 £17.09
$3.00 ₱189
659.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.38 £7.79
$6.03 ₱379
72.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.75 £2.06
$1.23 ₱77.7
123.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.53 £2.65
$1.75 ₱110
101.71%
🚌 Getting Around
Merthyr Tydfil
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.25 ₱15.86
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$97.5 £73.1
$12.64 ₱796
671.04%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.52 £2.64
$0.77 ₱48.62
357.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.68 £1.26
$0.23 ₱14.53
630.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.25 £19.69
$4.46 ₱281
488.57%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.06 £1.54
$1.31 ₱82.8
57.25%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.9K £29.2K
$21.2K ₱1.3M
83.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.7K £29.8K
$19.1K ₱1.2M
107.46%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Merthyr Tydfil
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$314 £236
$120 ₱7,569
161.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.39 £10.04
$14.00 ₱882
-4.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.97 £27.74
$27.54 ₱1,734
34.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Merthyr Tydfil
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.66 £29.75
$32.33 ₱2,035
22.67%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$6.65 ₱419
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.81 £5.86
$5.65 ₱356
38.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Merthyr Tydfil
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,255 £1,692
$275 ₱17.3K
719.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.7K £18.5K
$7,918 ₱498.5K
211.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Merthyr Tydfil
Cebu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 £76.5
$49.33 ₱3,106
106.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.36 £36.28
$25.24 ₱1,589
91.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 £78.6
$77.0 ₱4,846
36.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.9 £72.7
$57.2 ₱3,601
69.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Merthyr Tydfil
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$784 £588
$500 ₱31.5K
56.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$779 £585
$309 ₱19.4K
152.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,144 £859
$1,078 ₱67.9K
6.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$989 £742
$615 ₱38.7K
60.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,886 ₱181.7K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,917 ₱120.7K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Merthyr Tydfil
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,581 £1,186
$346 ₱21.8K
357.08%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.87
7.2
-32.36%

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

Last update for Merthyr Tydfil: 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
Merthyr Tydfil
$779
Cebu
$309 60.4% $471
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Merthyr Tydfil
$364
Cebu
$162 55.6% $203
Eating Out
Merthyr Tydfil
$334
Cebu
$88 73.5% $245
Groceries & Markets
Merthyr Tydfil
$266
Cebu
$206 22.7% $60
Clothing & Footwear
Merthyr Tydfil
$158
Cebu
$94 40.7% $65
Getting Around
Merthyr Tydfil
$109 *
Cebu
$16 85.8% $94
Sport & Entertainment
Merthyr Tydfil
$55
Cebu
$44 21.1% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $784 in Merthyr Tydfil and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Merthyr Tydfil pays 357% 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: $62.0 in Merthyr Tydfil vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Merthyr Tydfil
🇵🇭 Cebu
🕒 Local time
20:50 8:50 PM
03:50 3:50 AM
7 h ahead of Merthyr Tydfil
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
43,820
964,169
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Merthyr Tydfil Cebu 11,480 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Merthyr Tydfil
  • 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
Merthyr Tydfil vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cebu cheaper than Merthyr Tydfil?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 125% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Merthyr Tydfil or Cebu?
Average pay runs 357% higher in Merthyr Tydfil, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Merthyr Tydfil and Cebu?
Rent for a central apartment: $784 in Merthyr Tydfil versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Merthyr Tydfil and in Cebu?
All in, you'll spend $2,067 per month in Merthyr Tydfil versus $918 in Cebu – a 125% 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 671% less than in Merthyr Tydfil. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Merthyr Tydfil or in Cebu?
At $918 in Cebu versus $2,067 in Merthyr Tydfil, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Merthyr Tydfil. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Merthyr Tydfil or Cebu more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Merthyr Tydfil, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Merthyr Tydfil or Cebu?
Safety-wise, Merthyr Tydfil 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 125% less than in Merthyr Tydfil. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Merthyr Tydfil vs other spots: cost of living compared

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