Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portsmouth and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,763 in Portsmouth, rent and utilities included – about $22,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Portsmouth
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Portsmouth Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Portsmouth

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,763

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,763 in Portsmouth versus $918 in Cebu.

Portsmouth $2,763
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,798 in Portsmouth versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Portsmouth $3,798
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,834 in Portsmouth versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Portsmouth $4,834
Cebu $1,900

Living in Portsmouth is roughly 201% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Portsmouth is 105% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.81 £14.86

$3.09 ₱194

541.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.4 £49.78

$24.22 ₱1,525

173.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.34 £7.76

$3.92 ₱247

163.78%

Cappuccino

$4.79 £3.59

$2.51 ₱158

90.84%

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

$2.66 £1.99

$1.59 ₱100

67.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 £1.71

$0.53 ₱33.43

328.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.18 £4.63

$1.78 ₱112

247.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.83 £4.38

$2.17 ₱137

168.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.92 ₱121

-26.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.36 ₱85.4

16.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 £2.77

$1.01 ₱63.5

265.35%

Eggs

$3.39 £2.55

$2.03 ₱128

67.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.26 £9.95

$9.86 ₱621

34.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.32 £6.24

$4.39 ₱277

89.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.02 £9.77

$7.60 ₱479

71.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.86 £2.90

$3.30 ₱208

16.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 £1.43

$1.39 ₱87.8

37.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.14

$2.33 ₱147

22.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 £2.51

$1.50 ₱94.3

122.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 £1.23

$2.36 ₱149

-30.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 £1.23

$1.90 ₱119

-14.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.90

$1.19 ₱74.9

0.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 £1.14

$0.63 ₱39.71

141.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.07 £17.31

$3.00 ₱189

669.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.29 £8.47

$6.03 ₱379

87.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 £2.21

$1.23 ₱77.7

139.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 £1.60

$1.75 ₱110

22.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.08 £3.06

$0.25 ₱15.86

1532.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.0 £66.0

$12.64 ₱796

596.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.16 £3.87

$0.77 ₱48.62

570.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 £1.20

$0.23 ₱14.53

595.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.02 £15.02

$4.46 ₱281

348.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$1.31 ₱82.8

58.78%

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

$38.6K £29.0K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

81.84%

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

$40.1K £30.1K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

109.63%

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

$654 £491

$120 ₱7,569

444.31%

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

$14.83 £11.12

$14.00 ₱882

5.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.05 £31.55

$27.54 ₱1,734

52.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.39 £28.80

$32.33 ₱2,035

18.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.15 £12.86

$6.65 ₱419

157.89%

Cinema Ticket

$10.65 £7.99

$5.65 ₱356

88.50%

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

$1,249 £937

$275 ₱17.3K

353.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K £15.0K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

153.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.5 £67.9

$49.33 ₱3,106

83.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.83 £29.88

$25.24 ₱1,589

57.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 £74.0

$77.0 ₱4,846

28.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 £89.8

$57.2 ₱3,601

109.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,457 £1,093

$500 ₱31.5K

191.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 £824

$309 ₱19.4K

255.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,091 £1,569

$1,078 ₱67.9K

94.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,714 £1,286

$615 ₱38.7K

178.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,504 £3,378

$2,886 ₱181.7K

56.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,703 £2,778

$1,917 ₱120.7K

93.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,350 £2,513

$346 ₱21.8K

868.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.16

7.2

-28.33%

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

Last update for Portsmouth: 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

Portsmouth

$1.1K 39.8%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 71.9% $789

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portsmouth

$711 25.7%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 77.3% $550

Groceries & Markets

Portsmouth

$310 11.2%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 33.7% $104

Eating Out

Portsmouth

$309 11.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 71.5% $221

Clothing & Footwear

Portsmouth

$157 5.7%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 40.1% $63

Getting Around

Portsmouth

$118 4.3%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 86.8% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Portsmouth

$60 2.2%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 26.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,457 in Portsmouth and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portsmouth pays 868% 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: $66.0 in Portsmouth vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Portsmouth

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

11:45 11:45 AM

7 h ahead of Portsmouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

198,974

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

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Highest

Between locations

Portsmouth Cebu 11,410 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Portsmouth
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

Portsmouth vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 201% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 868% higher in Portsmouth, 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: $1,457 in Portsmouth versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,763 per month in Portsmouth versus $918 in Cebu – a 201% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 596% less than in Portsmouth. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $2,763 in Portsmouth, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Portsmouth. 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 Portsmouth, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Portsmouth 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 201% less than in Portsmouth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.