Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Swansea and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $2,186 in Swansea, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Swansea
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Swansea Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Swansea

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,186

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,186 in Swansea versus $934 in Cebu.

Swansea $2,186
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,158 in Swansea versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Swansea $3,158
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,131 in Swansea versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Swansea $4,131
Cebu $1,896

Living in Swansea is roughly 134% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Swansea is 63% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.61 £14.82

$3.03 ₱190

547.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.6 £46.56

$23.48 ₱1,473

162.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.41 £7.87

$4.09 ₱256

154.52%

Cappuccino

$4.83 £3.65

$2.52 ₱158

91.67%

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

$2.32 £1.76

$1.54 ₱96.9

50.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 £0.92

$0.49 ₱30.98

148.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 £4.47

$1.79 ₱112

230.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 £4.78

$2.26 ₱142

180.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 £0.97

$1.95 ₱122

-34.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 £1.46

$1.43 ₱89.7

34.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 £1.52

$1.02 ₱63.8

97.06%

Eggs

$3.52 £2.66

$2.06 ₱129

70.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.46 £5.64

$9.81 ₱615

-23.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.53 £6.45

$4.61 ₱289

85.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.52 £9.46

$7.70 ₱483

62.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 £1.80

$3.31 ₱207

-27.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 £0.96

$1.45 ₱90.9

-12.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 £2.10

$2.36 ₱148

17.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.63 £2.74

$1.54 ₱96.4

135.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 £1.75

$2.36 ₱148

-1.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 £2.21

$1.99 ₱125

46.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 £0.99

$1.15 ₱72.1

13.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 £1.75

$0.67 ₱42.15

246.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.24 £17.56

$3.00 ₱188

674.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.43 £7.88

$6.35 ₱398

64.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.66

$1.31 ₱81.9

67.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 £2.45

$1.73 ₱108

87.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.99 £3.02

$0.25 ₱15.78

1496.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.0 £72.6

$12.65 ₱793

659.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 £2.91

$0.74 ₱46.32

421.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.65 £2.01

$0.21 ₱13.11

1161.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.61 £24.64

$4.33 ₱271

653.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.49

$1.33 ₱83.5

48.12%

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

$39.0K £29.4K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

78.97%

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

$41.2K £31.1K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

112.19%

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

$304 £230

$121 ₱7,563

152.22%

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

$14.67 £11.08

$14.45 ₱907

1.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.04 £32.52

$28.29 ₱1,774

52.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.43 £26.02

$32.68 ₱2,050

5.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.90 £11.26

$6.39 ₱401

133.18%

Cinema Ticket

$10.16 £7.68

$5.46 ₱342

86.08%

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

$1,463 £1,105

$273 ₱17.1K

435.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 £68.4

$49.57 ₱3,109

82.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.37 £36.55

$24.87 ₱1,560

94.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 £89.0

$76.6 ₱4,804

53.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.4 £63.8

$59.3 ₱3,717

42.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 £822

$506 ₱31.7K

115.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$844 £638

$309 ₱19.4K

172.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,387 £1,048

$1,052 ₱66.0K

31.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 £1,064

$619 ₱38.8K

127.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,880 £2,932

$2,915 ₱182.9K

33.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,949 £2,228

$1,867 ₱117.1K

57.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,165 £2,392

$341 ₱21.4K

827.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.04

7.2

-16.11%

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

Last update for Swansea: October 6, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Swansea

$844 39.5%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 63.3% $534

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Swansea

$362 16.9%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 54.9% $199

Eating Out

Swansea

$303 14.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 70.8% $214

Groceries & Markets

Swansea

$290 13.6%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 27.4% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Swansea

$153 7.2%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 38.3% $59

Getting Around

Swansea

$129 6.1%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 88% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Swansea

$55 2.6%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 20.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,088 in Swansea and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Swansea pays 828% 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 Swansea vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Swansea

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

06:13 6:13 AM

13:13 1:13 PM

7 h ahead of Swansea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

239,000

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

Swansea Cebu 11,520 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Swansea
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

Swansea vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 134% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 828% higher in Swansea, 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: $1,088 in Swansea versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,186 per month in Swansea versus $934 in Cebu – a 134% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 659% less than in Swansea. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $2,186 in Swansea, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Swansea. 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 Swansea, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Swansea 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 134% less than in Swansea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.