Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Totnes and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $2,559 in Totnes, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Totnes
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,559
/mo nomad
Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$915
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,559 in Totnes versus $915 in Cebu.

  • Totnes $2,559
  • Cebu $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,763 in Totnes versus $1,418 in Cebu.

  • Totnes $3,763
  • Cebu $1,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,967 in Totnes versus $1,921 in Cebu.

  • Totnes $4,967
  • Cebu $1,921

Living in Totnes is roughly 180% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Totnes is 89% above, Cebu is 33% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Totnes
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.89 £15.67
$3.05 ₱192
584.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$100.0 £75.0
$24.00 ₱1,511
316.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.14 £9.11
$3.99 ₱251
204.26%
Cappuccino
$4.89 £3.67
$2.50 ₱157
95.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.06 £2.30
$1.54 ₱97.1
98.70%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 £1.57
$0.50 ₱31.37
318.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.69 £5.02
$1.78 ₱112
275.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.35 £5.51
$2.17 ₱136
238.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Totnes
Cebu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 £1.27
$2.00 ₱126
-15.50%
White Bread (500g)
$1.49 £1.12
$1.37 ₱86.2
8.76%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.21 £1.66
$1.03 ₱64.9
114.56%
Eggs
$4.20 £3.15
$2.03 ₱128
106.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.18 £4.64
$10.20 ₱642
-39.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.89 £8.92
$4.45 ₱280
167.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.75 £9.56
$7.67 ₱483
66.23%
Apples (1kg)
$2.20 £1.65
$3.31 ₱208
-33.53%
Banana (1kg)
$1.78 £1.34
$1.46 ₱91.8
21.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.96 £1.47
$2.32 ₱146
-15.52%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 £1.63
$1.49 ₱94.0
45.64%
Potato (1kg)
$2.17 £1.63
$2.34 ₱147
-7.26%
Onion (1kg)
$1.27 £0.95
$1.94 ₱122
-34.54%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.94 £1.46
$1.16 ₱73.0
67.24%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.94 £1.46
$0.68 ₱42.89
185.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.85 £17.89
$2.99 ₱188
697.66%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.79 £7.34
$6.24 ₱393
56.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.84 £2.13
$1.23 ₱77.3
130.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 £1.81
$1.73 ₱109
39.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Totnes
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.03 £3.02
$0.23 ₱14.36
1652.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$95.8 £71.9
$12.34 ₱777
676.50%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.41 £2.55
$0.79 ₱49.96
331.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.43 £1.83
$0.22 ₱13.86
1004.55%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.93 £24.70
$4.54 ₱286
625.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.09 £1.57
$1.32 ₱82.9
58.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.7K
$21.0K ₱1.3M
82.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.7K £29.8K
$19.4K ₱1.2M
104.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Totnes
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$366 £274
$119 ₱7,464
208.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.02 £12.02
$14.22 ₱896
12.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.55 £32.68
$27.47 ₱1,730
58.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Totnes
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.72 £34.30
$32.31 ₱2,034
41.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$6.50 ₱409
-
Cinema Ticket
$20.96 £15.73
$5.40 ₱340
288.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Totnes
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,264 £1,699
$276 ₱17.4K
720.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$34.6K £25.9K
$7,866 ₱495.3K
339.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Totnes
Cebu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.3 £66.2
$49.37 ₱3,108
78.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.61 £37.22
$24.58 ₱1,548
101.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$156 £117
$76.6 ₱4,825
103.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$142 £107
$58.9 ₱3,706
141.78%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Totnes
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,297 £973
$503 ₱31.7K
157.52%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,098 £824
$305 ₱19.2K
260.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,795 £1,346
$1,075 ₱67.7K
66.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,815 £1,362
$632 ₱39.8K
187.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,128 £3,847
$2,870 ₱180.7K
78.71%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,321 £3,242
$1,877 ₱118.2K
130.17%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Totnes
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$336 ₱21.1K
-
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 Totnes: October 20, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Totnes
$1.1K
Cebu
$305 72.3% $794
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Totnes
$425
Cebu
$160 62.3% $265
Eating Out
Totnes
$331
Cebu
$88 73.5% $243
Groceries & Markets
Totnes
$293
Cebu
$210 28.4% $83
Clothing & Footwear
Totnes
$196
Cebu
$94 52% $102
Getting Around
Totnes
$128
Cebu
$15 88.1% $112
Sport & Entertainment
Totnes
$88
Cebu
$43 50.8% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,297 in Totnes and $503 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $100 in Totnes vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Totnes
🇵🇭 Cebu
🕒 Local time
20:06 8:06 PM
03:06 3:06 AM
7 h ahead of Totnes
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,000
964,169
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Totnes Cebu 11,580 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Totnes
  • 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
Totnes vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cebu cheaper than Totnes?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 180% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $3,839 in Totnes and $1,372 in Cebu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Totnes and Cebu?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,297 in Totnes versus $503 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Totnes and in Cebu?
All in, you'll spend $2,559 per month in Totnes versus $915 in Cebu – a 180% 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 676% less than in Totnes. 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 Totnes or in Cebu?
At $915 in Cebu versus $2,559 in Totnes, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Totnes. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Totnes or Cebu more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Totnes, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Totnes or Cebu?
Safety-wise, Totnes 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 180% less than in Totnes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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