Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calarasi and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Calarasi: $358 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Calarasi
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Calarasi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Calarasi

🇲🇩 Moldova

$358

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $358 per month in Calarasi vs $918 in Cebu, rent included.

Calarasi $358
Cebu $918

A couple spends around $585 per month in Calarasi vs $1,409 in Cebu, rent included.

Calarasi $585
Cebu $1,409

A family of three spends $811 per month in Calarasi vs $1,900 in Cebu, rent included.

Calarasi $811
Cebu $1,900

Calarasi is about 61% cheaper than Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Calarasi and Cebu are more affordable than the global median – Calarasi 74% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.15 MDL 198

$3.09 ₱194

260.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.51 MDL 400

$24.22 ₱1,525

-7.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.93 MDL 123

$3.92 ₱247

76.79%

Cappuccino

$1.42 MDL 25.19

$2.51 ₱158

-43.43%

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

$0.75 MDL 13.24

$1.59 ₱100

-52.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MDL 8.31

$0.53 ₱33.43

-11.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.09 MDL 19.42

$1.78 ₱112

-38.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 MDL 25.22

$2.17 ₱137

-34.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 MDL 17.59

$1.92 ₱121

-48.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.36 MDL 6.31

$1.36 ₱85.4

-73.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

Eggs

$1.93 MDL 34.20

$2.03 ₱128

-4.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MDL 34.42

$1.39 ₱87.8

39.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

Potato (1kg)

$0.63 MDL 11.18

$2.36 ₱149

-73.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MDL 9.20

$0.63 ₱39.71

-17.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 MDL 19.54

$0.77 ₱48.62

42.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.68 MDL 29.75

$1.31 ₱82.8

28.24%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

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

$20.5K MDL 364.8K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

7.29%

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

$58.4 MDL 1,038

$120 ₱7,569

-51.39%

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

$6.57 MDL 117

$14.00 ₱882

-53.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.12 MDL 180

$27.54 ₱1,734

-63.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$3.41 MDL 60.5

$5.65 ₱356

-39.65%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.26 MDL 591

$49.33 ₱3,106

-32.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.87 MDL 584

$25.24 ₱1,589

30.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MDL 1,922

$77.0 ₱4,846

40.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.44 MDL 594

$57.2 ₱3,601

-41.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

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 Calarasi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Calarasi

$140 39.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 37% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Calarasi

$94 26.2%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 0.4% $0.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calarasi

$75 21%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 115% $87

Groceries & Markets

Calarasi

$41 * 11.4%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 403% $165

Sport & Entertainment

Calarasi

$6.8 * 1.9%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 541% $37

Getting Around

Calarasi

$1.1 * 0.3%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 1316% $14

Accommodation & Living

Calarasi

- * 0%

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Calarasi versus $24.00 in Cebu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $41.00 vs $206 – making Calarasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Calarasi

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

06:24 6:24 AM

11:24 11:24 AM

5 h ahead of Calarasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,100

964,169

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to MDL – Moldovan Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇩 Moldovan Leu (L)

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 17.76 MDL (100 MDL = 5.63 USD). 1 EUR = 19.97 MDL (100 MDL = 5.01 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MDL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calarasi Cebu 9,590 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Calarasi
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

Calarasi vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cebu is pricier by about 157%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $536 per month in Calarasi and $1,377 in Cebu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 403% more in Cebu, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Calarasi and $24.00 in Cebu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $358 in Calarasi and $918 in Cebu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Calarasi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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