Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Balti

For one person, living costs are similar in Cebu and in Balti: $934 and $977 a month, rent and utilities included.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Balti
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Balti Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Balti

🇲🇩 Moldova

$977

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Balti

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

A single person spends $934 per month in Cebu vs $977 in Balti, rent included.

Cebu $934
Balti $977

A couple spends around $1,415 per month in Cebu vs $1,405 in Balti, rent included.

Cebu $1,415
Balti $1,405

A family of three spends $1,896 per month in Cebu vs $1,832 in Balti, rent included.

Cebu $1,896
Balti $1,832

Cebu is about 4% cheaper than Balti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cebu and Balti are more affordable than the global median – Cebu 30% lower, Balti 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱190

$8.14 MDL 144

-62.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,473

$22.56 MDL 400

4.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱256

$10.40 MDL 184

-60.67%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$1.78 MDL 31.46

41.57%

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

$1.54 ₱96.9

$1.10 MDL 19.54

40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.98

$0.69 MDL 12.16

-28.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

$1.11 MDL 19.67

61.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$1.43 MDL 25.39

58.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.26 MDL 22.42

54.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.7

$0.46 MDL 8.13

210.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱63.8

$1.60 MDL 28.35

-36.25%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$2.19 MDL 38.78

-5.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱615

$6.89 MDL 122

42.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱289

$4.78 MDL 84.6

-3.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱483

$6.27 MDL 111

22.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱207

$1.02 MDL 18.08

224.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱90.9

$2.18 MDL 38.70

-33.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.87 MDL 33.07

26.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.4

$2.30 MDL 40.71

-33.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$0.76 MDL 13.43

210.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$0.52 MDL 9.20

282.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

$0.46 MDL 8.23

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.15

$0.54 MDL 9.65

24.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

$3.30 MDL 58.5

-9.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

$4.36 MDL 77.3

45.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

$1.38 MDL 24.42

-5.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

$1.99 MDL 35.26

-13.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

$0.33 MDL 5.80

-24.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

$17.05 MDL 302

-25.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

$2.83 MDL 50.1

-73.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$0.24 MDL 4.23

-12.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

$5.63 MDL 99.8

-23.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$1.60 MDL 28.39

-16.88%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$33.2K MDL 587.5K

-34.35%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$24.0K MDL 424.9K

-19.09%

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

$121 ₱7,563

$228 MDL 4,036

-47.06%

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

$14.45 ₱907

$7.65 MDL 136

88.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,774

$11.35 MDL 201

149.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

$36.50 MDL 647

-10.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

$15.11 MDL 268

-57.71%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

$7.73 MDL 137

-29.37%

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

$273 ₱17.1K

$111 MDL 1,975

145.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

$5,202 MDL 92.2K

56.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

$44.48 MDL 788

11.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

$33.04 MDL 586

-24.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

$55.2 MDL 979

38.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,717

$51.0 MDL 904

16.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.7K

$390 MDL 6,915

29.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$278 MDL 4,932

11.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.0K

$674 MDL 12.0K

55.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

$506 MDL 8,960

22.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

$1,419 MDL 25.2K

105.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

$999 MDL 17.7K

86.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

$605 MDL 10.7K

-43.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

-10.00%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Balti: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Balti

$278 28.4% 10.1% $31

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Balti

$164 16.8% 21.9% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Balti

$247 25.2% 51.1% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Balti

$83 8.4% 12.6% $12

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Balti

$133 13.6% 50.7% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Balti

$52 5.3% 19.2% $8.4

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Balti

$22 2.3% 45% $7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $506 in Cebu versus $390 in Balti. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 78% higher in Balti, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Cebu versus $23.00 in Balti. Groceries tell a different story – $210 in Cebu vs $164 in Balti – so Balti wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇲🇩 Balti

🕒 Local time

16:24 4:24 PM

11:24 11:24 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

144,800

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

100 MDL = 5.64 USD

100 MDL = 5.03 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

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).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17.72 MDL (100 MDL = 5.64 USD). 1 EUR = 19.88 MDL (100 MDL = 5.03 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Balti 9,600 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Balti

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 Balti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $934 in Cebu, $977 in Balti – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,401 per month in Cebu and $1,466 in Balti. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cebu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $273 per month in Cebu and $111 in Balti. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 28% cheaper in Balti – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $934 in Cebu and $977 in Balti, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Cebu has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $934 in Cebu to $977 in Balti. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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