Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and the Philippines

Name: Philippines
Address: PH

For one person, living is cheaper in the Philippines: $771 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
Learn more

United Kingdom Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in the Philippines
Learn more

Philippines Living Index

Jump to prices

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇵🇭 Philippines

$771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom and in the Philippines

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in the United Kingdom and in the Philippines actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,462 in the United Kingdom versus $771 in the Philippines.

United Kingdom $2,462
Philippines $771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,600 in the United Kingdom versus $1,185 in the Philippines.

United Kingdom $3,600
Philippines $1,185

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,738 in the United Kingdom versus $1,599 in the Philippines.

United Kingdom $4,738
Philippines $1,599

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $429–$1,230 in the Philippines. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in the United Kingdom is roughly 219% more expensive than in the Philippines on average.

The United Kingdom (81% above) and the Philippines (43% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.06

$3.86 ₱246

456.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.1

$21.54 ₱1,375

298.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.93

$3.37 ₱215

214.84%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.67

$2.18 ₱139

125.23%

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

$2.66 £1.99

$0.70 ₱44.54

280.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.40

$0.36 ₱22.71

419.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.95

$1.23 ₱78.3

439.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.12

$1.90 ₱121

260.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.72 ₱110

-2.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.21 ₱77.5

42.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.62

$0.85 ₱54.5

155.29%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.99

$1.92 ₱123

108.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.04

$7.17 ₱458

31.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.87

$4.07 ₱260

125.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.04

$6.78 ₱433

117.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.22

$2.72 ₱173

9.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.35 ₱86.4

20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.13

$2.38 ₱152

19.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.63

$1.42 ₱90.8

147.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$2.16 ₱138

-15.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.20

$2.52 ₱161

-36.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.93

$1.34 ₱85.2

-6.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$0.63 ₱40.03

163.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.68

$2.74 ₱175

763.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.85

$6.41 ₱409

63.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.23

$1.16 ₱74.1

156.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.62

$1.75 ₱112

100.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.97

$0.24 ₱15.34

1558.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.3

$13.17 ₱841

715.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.87

$0.76 ₱48.24

581.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.75

$0.23 ₱14.69

921.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.06

$1.91 ₱122

1305.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.09 ₱69.6

82.57%

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

$39.4K £29.5K

$20.6K ₱1.3M

91.37%

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

$40.5K £30.3K

$19.3K ₱1.2M

109.64%

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

$327 £245

$101 ₱6,433

224.71%

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

$18.21 £13.61

$13.64 ₱871

33.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.59

$26.68 ₱1,704

63.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.66

$29.58 ₱1,889

43.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.62

$5.72 ₱365

218.53%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.35

$5.49 ₱351

152.28%

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

$1,868 £1,396

$140 ₱8,952

1232.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$5,614 ₱358.4K

303.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.5

$42.27 ₱2,699

119.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.32

$23.59 ₱1,506

94.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.0

$67.6 ₱4,313

50.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.4

$58.4 ₱3,727

75.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,003

$353 ₱22.6K

279.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £802

$218 ₱13.9K

391.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,668

$732 ₱46.7K

204.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,302

$424 ₱27.1K

311.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,187

$3,393 ₱216.6K

65.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,188

$1,818 ₱116.1K

134.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,504

$307 ₱19.6K

990.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

7.2

-26.11%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for the Philippines: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Philippines

$218 28.3% 79.7% $855

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Philippines

$141 18.3% 63.7% $248

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Philippines

$81 10.5% 75.2% $246

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Philippines

$187 24.3% 39% $120

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Philippines

$86 11.2% 44% $68

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Philippines

$16 2.1% 88.6% $124

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Philippines

$41 5.3% 42.1% $29

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,287 in the United Kingdom, $261 in the Philippines. Capital cities: $2,811 in London vs $526 in Manila.

National salary averages: $3,251 in the United Kingdom, $283 in the Philippines. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 393% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 361% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 677% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 11 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇵🇭 Philippines

🕒 Local time

06:24 6:24 AM

14:24 2:24 PM

8 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

109,035,343

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 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 30, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.833 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 63.85 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.15 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

United Kingdom Philippines 10,740 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
Philippines

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

United Kingdom vs Philippines: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $771 per month in the Philippines and $2,462 in the United Kingdom, the Philippines comes out about 69% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in the Philippines: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 in the United Kingdom and $261 in the Philippines. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In the Philippines, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in the United Kingdom it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: the Philippines wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.