Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barlad and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $975 in Barlad, rent and utilities included – about $720 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Barlad
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Barlad Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Barlad

🇷🇴 Romania

$975

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $975 per month in Barlad vs $915 in Cebu, rent included.

Barlad $975
Cebu $915

A couple spends around $1,521 per month in Barlad vs $1,418 in Cebu, rent included.

Barlad $1,521
Cebu $1,418

A family of three spends $2,066 per month in Barlad vs $1,921 in Cebu, rent included.

Barlad $2,066
Cebu $1,921

Barlad costs about 7% more than Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Barlad and Cebu are more affordable than the global median – Barlad 28% lower, Cebu 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.96 RON 42.41

$3.05 ₱192

193.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.38 RON 196

$24.00 ₱1,511

72.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.20 RON 34.06

$3.99 ₱251

80.45%

Cappuccino

$2.41 RON 11.40

$2.50 ₱157

-3.60%

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

$1.85 RON 8.75

$1.54 ₱97.1

20.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 RON 7.27

$0.50 ₱31.37

208.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 RON 10.25

$1.78 ₱112

21.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 RON 12.72

$2.17 ₱136

23.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 RON 6.34

$2.00 ₱126

-33.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 RON 5.31

$1.37 ₱86.2

-18.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.63

$1.03 ₱64.9

35.92%

Eggs

$3.39 RON 16.02

$2.03 ₱128

67.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 RON 35.53

$10.20 ₱642

-26.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.22 RON 24.69

$4.45 ₱280

17.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.04 RON 47.49

$7.67 ₱483

30.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.04 RON 4.92

$3.31 ₱208

-68.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.46 ₱91.8

11.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 RON 6.54

$2.32 ₱146

-40.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 RON 8.31

$1.49 ₱94.0

18.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$2.34 ₱147

-66.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.65

$1.94 ₱122

-60.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.99

$1.16 ₱73.0

-27.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RON 4.20

$0.68 ₱42.89

30.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 RON 31.41

$2.99 ₱188

122.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.58 RON 26.38

$6.24 ₱393

-10.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 RON 5.68

$1.23 ₱77.3

-2.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.67

$1.73 ₱109

-6.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 RON 2.40

$0.23 ₱14.36

121.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.88 RON 94.0

$12.34 ₱777

61.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 RON 3.42

$0.79 ₱49.96

-8.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 RON 3.46

$0.22 ₱13.86

231.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 RON 33.08

$4.54 ₱286

53.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 RON 8.30

$1.32 ₱82.9

32.58%

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

$26.5K RON 125.3K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

26.13%

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

$25.1K RON 118.7K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

29.26%

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

$158 RON 748

$119 ₱7,464

33.34%

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

$8.87 RON 41.95

$14.22 ₱896

-37.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.36 RON 39.58

$27.47 ₱1,730

-69.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.02 RON 161

$32.31 ₱2,034

5.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 RON 85.4

$6.50 ₱409

177.69%

Cinema Ticket

$6.61 RON 31.28

$5.40 ₱340

22.41%

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

$465 RON 2,202

$276 ₱17.4K

68.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,715 RON 36.5K

$7,866 ₱495.3K

-1.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 RON 293

$49.37 ₱3,108

25.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.81 RON 165

$24.58 ₱1,548

41.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 RON 344

$76.6 ₱4,825

-5.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.2 RON 408

$58.9 ₱3,706

46.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 RON 1,927

$503 ₱31.7K

-19.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 RON 1,271

$305 ₱19.2K

-11.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$651 RON 3,081

$1,075 ₱67.7K

-39.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 RON 2,387

$632 ₱39.8K

-20.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,755 RON 8,305

$2,870 ₱180.7K

-38.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,263 RON 5,976

$1,877 ₱118.2K

-32.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

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 Barlad: October 17, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barlad

$269 27.6%

Cebu

$305 33.3% 13.3% $36

Groceries & Markets

Barlad

$190 19.5%

Cebu

$210 22.9% 10.2% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barlad

$175 18%

Cebu

$160 17.5% 8.6% $15

Eating Out

Barlad

$152 15.6%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 42.3% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Barlad

$115 11.8%

Cebu

$94 10.3% 18.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Barlad

$47 4.9%

Cebu

$43 4.7% 8.8% $4.1

Getting Around

Barlad

$26 2.7%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 42.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $407 in Barlad versus $503 in Cebu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Barlad versus $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries tell a different story – $190 in Barlad vs $210 in Cebu – so Barlad wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Barlad

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

01:17 1:17 AM

06:17 6:17 AM

5 h ahead of Barlad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,518

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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barlad Cebu 9,660 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barlad
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

Barlad vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $975 in Barlad, $915 in Cebu – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,462 per month in Barlad and $1,372 in Cebu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cebu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 61% less in Cebu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $465 per month in Barlad and $276 in Cebu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $975 in Barlad and $915 in Cebu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Cebu has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $915 in Cebu to $975 in Barlad. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cebu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barlad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.