Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buzau and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $979 in Buzau, rent and utilities included – about $730 less a year. The total is higher in Buzau despite lower rent and utilities.

47

Cost of Living Index in Buzau
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Buzau Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Buzau

🇷🇴 Romania

$979

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $979 in Buzau versus $918 in Cebu.

Buzau $979
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,449 in Buzau versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Buzau $1,449
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,919 in Buzau versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Buzau $1,919
Cebu $1,900

Living in Buzau is roughly 7% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Buzau 27% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.42 RON 49.30

$3.09 ₱194

237.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.71 RON 117

$24.22 ₱1,525

2.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.30 RON 29.79

$3.92 ₱247

60.71%

Cappuccino

$2.02 RON 9.58

$2.51 ₱158

-19.52%

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

$1.93 RON 9.12

$1.59 ₱100

21.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 RON 7.08

$0.53 ₱33.43

183.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 RON 7.85

$1.78 ₱112

-6.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 RON 8.10

$2.17 ₱137

-21.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 RON 8.32

$1.92 ₱121

-8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 RON 6.21

$1.36 ₱85.4

-3.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.84

$1.01 ₱63.5

43.56%

Eggs

$3.10 RON 14.67

$2.03 ₱128

52.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.50 RON 35.47

$9.86 ₱621

-23.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 RON 31.33

$4.39 ₱277

50.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.10 RON 52.5

$7.60 ₱479

46.05%

Apples (1kg)

$0.95 RON 4.50

$3.30 ₱208

-71.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.72

$1.39 ₱87.8

17.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 RON 5.25

$2.33 ₱147

-52.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$1.50 ₱94.3

-18.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 RON 3.18

$2.36 ₱149

-71.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.68

$1.90 ₱119

-58.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 RON 2.28

$1.19 ₱74.9

-59.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 RON 3.11

$0.63 ₱39.71

4.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.24 RON 29.54

$3.00 ₱189

108.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.43 RON 30.42

$6.03 ₱379

6.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 RON 3.58

$1.23 ₱77.7

-38.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 RON 6.77

$1.75 ₱110

-18.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$0.25 ₱15.86

164.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.60 RON 102

$12.64 ₱796

70.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 RON 2.47

$0.77 ₱48.62

-32.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 RON 2.32

$0.23 ₱14.53

113.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.27

$4.46 ₱281

38.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.81

$1.31 ₱82.8

25.95%

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

$19.4K RON 91.7K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-8.74%

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

$21.1K RON 100.0K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

10.40%

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

$119 RON 563

$120 ₱7,569

-1.11%

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

$7.87 RON 37.24

$14.00 ₱882

-43.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.72 RON 36.53

$27.54 ₱1,734

-71.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.03 RON 152

$32.33 ₱2,035

-0.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.85 RON 84.5

$6.65 ₱419

168.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.89 RON 32.60

$5.65 ₱356

21.95%

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

$285 RON 1,348

$275 ₱17.3K

3.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,766 RON 32.0K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-14.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 RON 258

$49.33 ₱3,106

10.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.7 RON 273

$25.24 ₱1,589

128.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.5 RON 461

$77.0 ₱4,846

26.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.1 RON 398

$57.2 ₱3,601

47.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$344 RON 1,629

$500 ₱31.5K

-31.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 RON 1,379

$309 ₱19.4K

-5.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$606 RON 2,867

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-43.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 RON 2,002

$615 ₱38.7K

-31.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,475 RON 6,976

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-48.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,194 RON 5,648

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-37.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 RON 4,021

$346 ₱21.8K

145.68%

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 Buzau: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buzau

$292 29.8%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 5.9% $17

Groceries & Markets

Buzau

$196 20%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 5.1% $10

Eating Out

Buzau

$152 15.5%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 41.9% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buzau

$134 13.7%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 20.3% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Buzau

$132 13.5%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 29% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Buzau

$46 4.7%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 4.8% $2.2

Getting Around

Buzau

$27 2.8%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 42.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $344 in Buzau and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buzau pays 146% 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: $25.00 in Buzau vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $196 vs $206, with Buzau cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Buzau

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

23:42 11:42 PM

04:42 4:42 AM

5 h ahead of Buzau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,494

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

Buzau Cebu 9,740 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Buzau
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

Buzau vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buzau and Cebu differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($979 vs $918 including rent). Cebu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 146% higher in Buzau, 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: $344 in Buzau versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Buzau pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Cebu – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $25.00 in Buzau. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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, Buzau 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 7% less than in Buzau. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.