Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasov and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,314 in Brasov, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Brasov
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Brasov Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Brasov

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,314

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,314 in Brasov versus $934 in Cebu.

Brasov $1,314
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,128 in Brasov versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Brasov $2,128
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,943 in Brasov versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Brasov $2,943
Cebu $1,896

Living in Brasov is roughly 41% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasov 2% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.01 RON 52.1

$3.03 ₱190

263.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.8 RON 245

$23.48 ₱1,473

120.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 RON 35.61

$4.09 ₱256

84.11%

Cappuccino

$3.70 RON 17.48

$2.52 ₱158

46.83%

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

$2.36 RON 11.15

$1.54 ₱96.9

53.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 RON 10.10

$0.49 ₱30.98

334.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 RON 15.07

$1.79 ₱112

78.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 RON 15.64

$2.26 ₱142

46.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 RON 7.43

$1.95 ₱122

-19.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 RON 6.78

$1.43 ₱89.7

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 RON 8.39

$1.02 ₱63.8

73.53%

Eggs

$3.51 RON 16.58

$2.06 ₱129

70.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.78 RON 41.51

$9.81 ₱615

-10.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 RON 32.48

$4.61 ₱289

49.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 RON 60.5

$7.70 ₱483

66.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 RON 6.91

$3.31 ₱207

-55.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 RON 7.14

$1.45 ₱90.9

4.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 RON 7.85

$2.36 ₱148

-29.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 RON 13.01

$1.54 ₱96.4

78.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.62

$2.36 ₱148

-67.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.35

$1.99 ₱125

-53.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 RON 4.19

$1.15 ₱72.1

-22.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 RON 3.58

$0.67 ₱42.15

13.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.03 RON 28.52

$3.00 ₱188

101.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.49 RON 35.42

$6.35 ₱398

17.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 RON 5.89

$1.31 ₱81.9

-5.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 RON 8.53

$1.73 ₱108

4.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 RON 5.11

$0.25 ₱15.78

332.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.54 RON 111

$12.65 ₱793

86.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.13

$0.74 ₱46.32

-10.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.95

$0.21 ₱13.11

195.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.47 RON 30.60

$4.33 ₱271

49.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 RON 8.73

$1.33 ₱83.5

39.10%

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

$28.8K RON 136.4K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

32.45%

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

$26.2K RON 123.7K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

34.85%

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

$179 RON 846

$121 ₱7,563

48.30%

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

$7.87 RON 37.24

$14.45 ₱907

-45.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.98 RON 42.50

$28.29 ₱1,774

-68.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.5 RON 272

$32.68 ₱2,050

76.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.43 RON 63.5

$6.39 ₱401

110.17%

Cinema Ticket

$9.57 RON 45.25

$5.46 ₱342

75.27%

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

$446 RON 2,111

$273 ₱17.1K

63.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,960 RON 32.9K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-14.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 RON 242

$49.57 ₱3,109

3.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.07 RON 166

$24.87 ₱1,560

41.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 RON 355

$76.6 ₱4,804

-2.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 RON 430

$59.3 ₱3,717

53.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$694 RON 3,284

$506 ₱31.7K

37.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$468 RON 2,216

$309 ₱19.4K

51.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 RON 6,135

$1,052 ₱66.0K

23.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,066 RON 5,042

$619 ₱38.8K

72.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,104 RON 14.7K

$2,915 ₱182.9K

6.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,401 RON 11.4K

$1,867 ₱117.1K

28.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,097 RON 5,187

$341 ₱21.4K

221.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

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

Last update for Brasov: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasov

$468 35.8%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 34% $159

Groceries & Markets

Brasov

$229 17.4%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 7.9% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasov

$196 14.9%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 16.5% $32

Eating Out

Brasov

$196 14.9%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 54.8% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Brasov

$113 8.7%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 16.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Brasov

$77 5.9%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 43.1% $33

Getting Around

Brasov

$32 2.4%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 51.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $694 in Brasov and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasov pays 222% 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: $52.0 in Brasov vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $229 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Brasov

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

07:55 7:55 AM

12:55 12:55 PM

5 h ahead of Brasov

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

253,200

964,169

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 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 RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Brasov Cebu 9,830 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Brasov
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

Brasov vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasov and Cebu differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($1,314 vs $934 including rent). Cebu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 222% higher in Brasov, 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: $694 in Brasov versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cebu – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $52.0 in Brasov. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,314 per month in Brasov versus $934 in Cebu – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,314 in Brasov, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Brasov. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Brasov 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 41% less than in Brasov. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.