Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alba Iulia and Cebu

For one person, living costs are similar in Alba Iulia and in Cebu: $902 and $918 a month, rent and utilities included.

44

Cost of Living Index in Alba Iulia
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Alba Iulia Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Alba Iulia

🇷🇴 Romania

$902

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $902 in Alba Iulia versus $918 in Cebu.

Alba Iulia $902
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,372 in Alba Iulia versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Alba Iulia $1,372
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,841 in Alba Iulia versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Alba Iulia $1,841
Cebu $1,900

Living in Alba Iulia costs roughly 2% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Alba Iulia 33% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.42 RON 39.84

$3.09 ₱194

172.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.94 RON 146

$24.22 ₱1,525

27.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.67 RON 26.85

$3.92 ₱247

44.64%

Cappuccino

$2.16 RON 10.24

$2.51 ₱158

-13.94%

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

$1.76 RON 8.32

$1.59 ₱100

10.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RON 6.85

$0.53 ₱33.43

173.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 RON 9.50

$1.78 ₱112

12.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 RON 10.10

$2.17 ₱137

-1.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.92 ₱121

-35.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 RON 5.15

$1.36 ₱85.4

-19.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.07

$1.01 ₱63.5

47.52%

Eggs

$2.67 RON 12.65

$2.03 ₱128

31.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.53 RON 35.62

$9.86 ₱621

-23.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.82 RON 27.54

$4.39 ₱277

32.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.61 RON 50.2

$7.60 ₱479

39.61%

Apples (1kg)

$0.96 RON 4.52

$3.30 ₱208

-70.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 RON 6.38

$1.39 ₱87.8

-2.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 RON 5.77

$2.33 ₱147

-47.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 RON 11.06

$1.50 ₱94.3

56.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 RON 3.38

$2.36 ₱149

-69.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 RON 2.75

$1.90 ₱119

-69.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 RON 3.89

$1.19 ₱74.9

-31.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 RON 3.04

$0.63 ₱39.71

1.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.31 RON 25.13

$3.00 ₱189

77.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.21 RON 19.90

$6.03 ₱379

-30.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 RON 5.29

$1.23 ₱77.7

-8.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 RON 5.75

$1.75 ₱110

-30.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 RON 3.38

$0.25 ₱15.86

184.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.66 RON 78.8

$12.64 ₱796

31.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 RON 2.98

$0.77 ₱48.62

-18.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 RON 3.21

$0.23 ₱14.53

195.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.55 RON 21.51

$4.46 ₱281

2.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 RON 7.22

$1.31 ₱82.8

16.79%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

32.39%

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

$24.3K RON 115.1K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

27.05%

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

$123 RON 583

$120 ₱7,569

2.47%

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

$7.40 RON 35.00

$14.00 ₱882

-47.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.34 RON 44.20

$27.54 ₱1,734

-66.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.80 RON 136

$32.33 ₱2,035

-10.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.03 RON 147

$6.65 ₱419

366.62%

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 RON 23.57

$5.65 ₱356

-11.86%

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

$442 RON 2,090

$275 ₱17.3K

60.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,914 RON 32.7K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-12.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.88 RON 184

$49.33 ₱3,106

-21.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.97 RON 113

$25.24 ₱1,589

-5.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 RON 348

$77.0 ₱4,846

-4.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.0 RON 303

$57.2 ₱3,601

11.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$293 RON 1,386

$500 ₱31.5K

-41.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$289 RON 1,367

$309 ₱19.4K

-6.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$621 RON 2,938

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-42.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$474 RON 2,243

$615 ₱38.7K

-22.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,602 RON 7,578

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-44.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,414 RON 6,688

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-26.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$904 RON 4,278

$346 ₱21.8K

161.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

7.2

-3.19%

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

Last update for Alba Iulia: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alba Iulia

$289 32%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 6.9% $20

Groceries & Markets

Alba Iulia

$184 20.3%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 12.2% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alba Iulia

$140 15.5%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 15.6% $22

Eating Out

Alba Iulia

$137 15.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 35.8% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Alba Iulia

$90 10%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 4.2% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Alba Iulia

$39 4.3%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 12.5% $4.9

Getting Around

Alba Iulia

$24 2.6%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 33.9% $8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $293 in Alba Iulia and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alba Iulia pays 161% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31.00 in Alba Iulia vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $184 vs $206, with Alba Iulia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Alba Iulia

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

18:37 6:37 PM

23:37 11:37 PM

5 h ahead of Alba Iulia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,536

964,169

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Alba Iulia Cebu 9,970 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Alba Iulia
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

Alba Iulia vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alba Iulia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 161% higher in Alba Iulia, 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: $293 in Alba Iulia versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $902 per month in Alba Iulia versus $918 in Cebu – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Alba Iulia runs roughly 32% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Alba Iulia gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Alba Iulia is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cebu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Alba Iulia 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 Alba Iulia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.