Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Baia Mare

For one person, living costs are similar in Cebu and in Baia Mare: $934 and $935 a month, rent and utilities included.

Cebu, Philippines
Baia Mare, Romania
Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$934
/mo nomad
Baia Mare
🇷🇴 Romania
$935
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Baia Mare

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 Baia Mare actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $935 in Baia Mare.

  • Cebu $934
  • Baia Mare $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Cebu versus $1,452 in Baia Mare.

  • Cebu $1,423
  • Baia Mare $1,452

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,913 in Cebu versus $1,969 in Baia Mare.

  • Cebu $1,913
  • Baia Mare $1,969

Monthly costs are close between Cebu and Baia Mare; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 31% lower, Baia Mare 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Baia Mare
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.79 ₱241
$12.61 RON 60.1
-69.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.33 ₱1,479
$32.99 RON 157
-29.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.94 ₱250
$8.16 RON 38.92
-51.72%
Cappuccino
$2.54 ₱161
$2.07 RON 9.86
22.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 ₱99.4
$1.81 RON 8.64
-13.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 ₱29.58
$1.39 RON 6.63
-66.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.77 ₱112
$1.61 RON 7.67
9.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 ₱141
$2.15 RON 10.23
3.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Baia Mare
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.90 ₱120
$1.45 RON 6.91
31.03%
White Bread (500g)
$1.36 ₱86.4
$1.40 RON 6.70
-2.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.94 ₱59.4
$1.54 RON 7.33
-38.96%
Eggs
$1.99 ₱126
$2.82 RON 13.45
-29.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.70 ₱615
$5.92 RON 28.24
63.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.32 ₱274
$6.82 RON 32.50
-36.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.51 ₱476
$10.77 RON 51.3
-30.27%
Apples (1kg)
$3.31 ₱210
$1.08 RON 5.16
206.48%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 ₱86.8
$1.47 RON 6.99
-6.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.34 ₱148
$1.37 RON 6.52
70.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 ₱94.6
$2.61 RON 12.45
-42.91%
Potato (1kg)
$2.30 ₱146
$0.92 RON 4.39
150.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.87 ₱119
$1.08 RON 5.16
73.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.10 ₱69.8
$1.11 RON 5.30
-0.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63 ₱40.04
$0.81 RON 3.85
-22.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.86 ₱181
$6.12 RON 29.15
-53.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.08 ₱386
$4.52 RON 21.53
34.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 ₱80.8
$1.05 RON 4.98
20.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 ₱109
$1.62 RON 7.72
6.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Baia Mare
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.22 ₱13.87
$0.71 RON 3.37
-69.01%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.34 ₱782
$14.38 RON 68.6
-14.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.74 ₱47.15
$0.77 RON 3.66
-3.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.22 ₱13.97
$0.75 RON 3.55
-70.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.28 ₱271
$5.94 RON 28.34
-27.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ₱83.0
$1.73 RON 8.27
-24.28%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.8K ₱1.3M
$28.5K RON 136.0K
-27.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.0K ₱1.2M
$25.2K RON 119.9K
-24.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Baia Mare
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$118 ₱7,505
$102 RON 488
15.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.76 ₱999
$15.11 RON 72.0
4.30%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.33 ₱1,795
$11.75 RON 56.0
141.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Baia Mare
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.94 ₱2,088
$37.40 RON 178
-11.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.49 ₱411
$16.21 RON 77.3
-59.96%
Cinema Ticket
$5.45 ₱346
$10.01 RON 47.70
-45.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Baia Mare
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$276 ₱17.5K
$520 RON 2,480
-47.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,789 ₱493.7K
$5,441 RON 25.9K
43.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Baia Mare
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.18 ₱3,054
$37.34 RON 178
29.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.47 ₱1,551
$42.05 RON 200
-41.81%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.3 ₱4,772
$62.3 RON 297
20.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$58.0 ₱3,677
$74.7 RON 356
-22.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Baia Mare
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$477 ₱30.3K
$368 RON 1,753
29.78%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$322 ₱20.4K
$255 RON 1,215
26.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 ₱61.0K
$582 RON 2,774
65.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$626 ₱39.7K
$440 RON 2,096
42.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,551 ₱288.5K
$2,187 RON 10.4K
108.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,028 ₱191.9K
$1,477 RON 7,041
105.02%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Baia Mare
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$333 ₱21.1K
$853 RON 4,069
-60.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
7.48
-3.74%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Baia Mare: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$322
Baia Mare
$255 20.8% $67
Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$204
Baia Mare
$199 2.1% $4.3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$163
Baia Mare
$129 20.5% $33
Eating Out
Cebu
$94
Baia Mare
$175 86.3% $81
Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$93
Baia Mare
$97 5.1% $4.7
Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44
Baia Mare
$57 30.9% $14
Getting Around
Cebu
$15
Baia Mare
$22 44.1% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $477 in Cebu and $368 in Baia Mare. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Baia Mare pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Cebu vs $33 in Baia Mare. Groceries flip the comparison at $204 vs $199, with Baia Mare cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cebu
🇷🇴 Baia Mare
🕒 Local time
18:17 6:17 PM
12:17 12:17 PM
6 h behind Cebu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
964,169
123,738
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.38 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cebu Baia Mare 9,920 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cebu
  • Baia Mare

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 Baia Mare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Where can you earn more: Cebu or Baia Mare?
On paper, salaries run 61% lower in Cebu. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Cebu and Baia Mare?
Rent for a central apartment: $477 in Cebu versus $368 in Baia Mare. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Cebu or in Baia Mare?
Dining out is cheaper in Cebu – a meal for two runs $23 versus $33 in Baia Mare. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $276 in Cebu versus $520 in Baia Mare. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is it better to live in Cebu or in Baia Mare?
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.
Which city is safer, Cebu or Baia Mare?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Baia Mare are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Cebu wins on affordability, Baia Mare on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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