Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Southampton and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $2,681 in Southampton, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Southampton
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Southampton Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Southampton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,681

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,681 in Southampton versus $934 in Cebu.

Southampton $2,681
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,835 in Southampton versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Southampton $3,835
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,989 in Southampton versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Southampton $4,989
Cebu $1,896

Living in Southampton is roughly 187% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Southampton is 100% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.05 £19.68

$3.03 ₱190

759.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 £68.5

$23.48 ₱1,473

286.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.35 £8.57

$4.09 ₱256

177.51%

Cappuccino

$5.14 £3.89

$2.52 ₱158

103.97%

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

$2.97 £2.24

$1.54 ₱96.9

92.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 £1.62

$0.49 ₱30.98

336.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 £5.65

$1.79 ₱112

317.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 £4.94

$2.26 ₱142

188.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.48

$1.95 ₱122

0.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 £1.31

$1.43 ₱89.7

20.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 £2.25

$1.02 ₱63.8

192.16%

Eggs

$4.54 £3.43

$2.06 ₱129

120.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.89 £7.47

$9.81 ₱615

0.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 £7.12

$4.61 ₱289

104.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.27 £10.78

$7.70 ₱483

85.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.26

$3.31 ₱207

-9.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 £1.32

$1.45 ₱90.9

20.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 £2.18

$2.36 ₱148

22.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 £2.68

$1.54 ₱96.4

130.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 £1.34

$2.36 ₱148

-24.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 £1.14

$1.99 ₱125

-24.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.94

$1.15 ₱72.1

7.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 £1.32

$0.67 ₱42.15

159.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.37 £16.15

$3.00 ₱188

612.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.85 £8.20

$6.35 ₱398

70.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 £2.23

$1.31 ₱81.9

125.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 £2.62

$1.73 ₱108

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.36

$0.25 ₱15.78

1152.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.2 £65.1

$12.65 ₱793

581.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.27 £3.23

$0.74 ₱46.32

477.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 £1.46

$0.21 ₱13.11

819.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.36 £23.70

$4.33 ₱271

624.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.58

$1.33 ₱83.5

57.14%

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

$37.7K £28.5K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

73.34%

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

$40.2K £30.3K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

107.00%

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

$325 £245

$121 ₱7,563

169.36%

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

$29.44 £22.25

$14.45 ₱907

103.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 £40.75

$28.29 ₱1,774

90.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.02 £31.00

$32.68 ₱2,050

25.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.46 £12.44

$6.39 ₱401

157.59%

Cinema Ticket

$15.69 £11.85

$5.46 ₱342

187.36%

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

$1,560 £1,179

$273 ₱17.1K

470.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K £13.4K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

118.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 £77.8

$49.57 ₱3,109

107.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 £38.49

$24.87 ₱1,560

104.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.4 £75.1

$76.6 ₱4,804

29.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 £101

$59.3 ₱3,717

124.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,500 £1,133

$506 ₱31.7K

196.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,192 £901

$309 ₱19.4K

285.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,397 £1,811

$1,052 ₱66.0K

127.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,859 £1,405

$619 ₱38.8K

200.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,870 £4,436

$2,915 ₱182.9K

101.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,381 £4,066

$1,867 ₱117.1K

188.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,333 £2,519

$341 ₱21.4K

877.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.96

7.2

-31.11%

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

Last update for Southampton: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Southampton

$1.2K 45%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 74% $883

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Southampton

$408 15.4%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 60% $245

Eating Out

Southampton

$375 14.1%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 76.4% $287

Groceries & Markets

Southampton

$319 12%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 34% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Southampton

$174 6.6%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 45.6% $79

Getting Around

Southampton

$113 4.2%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 86.3% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Southampton

$72 2.7%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 39.8% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,500 in Southampton and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Southampton pays 877% 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: $91.0 in Southampton vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $319 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Southampton

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

06:00 6:00 AM

13:00 1:00 PM

7 h ahead of Southampton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

228,600

964,169

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Southampton Cebu 11,420 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Southampton
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

Southampton vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 187% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 877% higher in Southampton, 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: $1,500 in Southampton versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,681 per month in Southampton versus $934 in Cebu – a 187% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 581% less than in Southampton. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $2,681 in Southampton, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Southampton. 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 Southampton, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Southampton 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 187% less than in Southampton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.