Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Alexandria

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $859 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $710 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
Learn more

Alexandria Living Index

Jump to prices

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇷🇴 Romania

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Alexandria

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cebu and in Alexandria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $859 in Alexandria.

Cebu $918
Alexandria $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,320 in Alexandria.

Cebu $1,409
Alexandria $1,320

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,781 in Alexandria.

Cebu $1,900
Alexandria $1,781

Living in Cebu is roughly 7% more expensive than in Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Alexandria 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$8.30 RON 39.26

-62.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$30.10 RON 142

-19.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.24 RON 34.24

-45.86%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.62 RON 7.68

54.94%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$1.76 RON 8.34

-9.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$1.49 RON 7.03

-64.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.11 RON 9.99

-15.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$2.46 RON 11.66

-11.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.39 RON 6.56

38.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.80 RON 3.78

70.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.10 RON 5.21

-8.18%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.16 RON 10.23

-6.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$4.98 RON 23.57

97.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$4.30 RON 20.35

2.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$7.67 RON 36.31

-0.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$0.88 RON 4.16

275.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.18 RON 5.57

17.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$0.98 RON 4.61

137.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$0.98 RON 4.62

53.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.70 RON 3.33

237.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.61 RON 2.87

211.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.72 RON 3.40

65.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.86 RON 4.06

-26.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$5.43 RON 25.69

-44.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$5.15 RON 24.38

17.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$0.92 RON 4.34

33.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.08 RON 5.10

62.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.60 RON 2.86

-58.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$42.28 RON 200

-70.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.44 RON 2.07

75.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.40 RON 1.91

-42.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$5.49 RON 25.97

-18.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.72 RON 8.14

-23.84%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$16.1K RON 76.2K

31.92%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$23.1K RON 109.4K

-17.19%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$115 RON 545

4.37%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$5.18 RON 24.53

170.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$7.60 RON 35.96

262.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$58.6 RON 277

-44.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$24.59 RON 116

-72.96%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$6.36 RON 30.10

-11.16%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$308 RON 1,459

-10.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$6,663 RON 31.5K

18.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$51.7 RON 245

-4.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$22.37 RON 106

12.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$63.2 RON 299

21.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$64.0 RON 303

-10.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$319 RON 1,511

56.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$238 RON 1,127

29.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$577 RON 2,731

86.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$419 RON 1,981

46.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$1,235 RON 5,842

133.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$778 RON 3,679

146.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$844 RON 3,995

-59.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

6.73

6.98%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Alexandria

$238 27.7% 22.9% $71

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Alexandria

$148 17.2% 28% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Alexandria

$128 14.9% 20.9% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Alexandria

$91 10.5% 3.6% $3.4

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Alexandria

$136 15.8% 54.1% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Alexandria

$71 8.3% 63.4% $28

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Alexandria

$47 5.5% 203% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $319 in Alexandria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alexandria pays 144% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $30.00 in Alexandria. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $148, with Alexandria cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇷🇴 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

09:39 9:39 AM

04:39 4:39 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

45,434

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

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).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Alexandria 9,890 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Alexandria

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

Cebu vs Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alexandria wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Cebu. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alexandria the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 144% lower in Alexandria. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $319 in Alexandria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $859 in Alexandria – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Alexandria runs roughly 234% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Alexandria gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alexandria delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $859 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alexandria hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Alexandria 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 Alexandria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.