Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Barlad

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $975 in Barlad, rent and utilities included – about $720 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Barlad
Learn more

Barlad Living Index

Jump to prices

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Barlad

🇷🇴 Romania

$975

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Barlad

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

A single person spends $915 per month in Cebu vs $975 in Barlad, rent included.

Cebu $915
Barlad $975

A couple spends around $1,418 per month in Cebu vs $1,521 in Barlad, rent included.

Cebu $1,418
Barlad $1,521

A family of three spends $1,921 per month in Cebu vs $2,066 in Barlad, rent included.

Cebu $1,921
Barlad $2,066

Cebu is about 6% cheaper than Barlad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cebu and Barlad are more affordable than the global median – Cebu 33% lower, Barlad 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$8.96 RON 42.41

-65.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$41.38 RON 196

-42.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$7.20 RON 34.06

-44.58%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$2.41 RON 11.40

3.73%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$1.85 RON 8.75

-16.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$1.54 RON 7.27

-67.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.17 RON 10.25

-17.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$2.69 RON 12.72

-19.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.34 RON 6.34

49.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$1.12 RON 5.31

22.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$1.40 RON 6.63

-26.43%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$3.39 RON 16.02

-40.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$7.51 RON 35.53

35.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$5.22 RON 24.69

-14.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$10.04 RON 47.49

-23.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$1.04 RON 4.92

218.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$1.63 RON 7.73

-10.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$1.38 RON 6.54

68.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$1.76 RON 8.31

-15.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$0.79 RON 3.75

196.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$0.77 RON 3.65

151.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$0.84 RON 3.99

38.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$0.89 RON 4.20

-23.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$6.64 RON 31.41

-54.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$5.58 RON 26.38

11.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$1.20 RON 5.68

2.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$1.62 RON 7.67

6.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$0.51 RON 2.40

-54.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

$19.88 RON 94.0

-37.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$0.72 RON 3.42

9.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$0.73 RON 3.46

-69.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$6.99 RON 33.08

-35.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$1.75 RON 8.30

-24.57%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$26.5K RON 125.3K

-20.72%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$25.1K RON 118.7K

-22.64%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$158 RON 748

-25.00%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$8.87 RON 41.95

60.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$8.36 RON 39.58

228.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$34.02 RON 161

-5.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

$18.05 RON 85.4

-63.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$6.61 RON 31.28

-18.31%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$465 RON 2,202

-40.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$7,715 RON 36.5K

1.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$62.0 RON 293

-20.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$34.81 RON 165

-29.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$72.7 RON 344

5.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$86.2 RON 408

-31.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$407 RON 1,927

23.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$269 RON 1,271

13.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$651 RON 3,081

65.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$505 RON 2,387

25.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

$1,755 RON 8,305

63.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

$1,263 RON 5,976

48.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

6.97

3.30%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barlad: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Barlad

$269 27.6% 11.8% $36

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Barlad

$190 19.5% 9.3% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Barlad

$175 18% 9.4% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Barlad

$115 11.8% 22.1% $21

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Barlad

$152 15.6% 73.2% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Barlad

$47 4.9% 9.6% $4.1

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Barlad

$26 2.7% 73.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $503 in Cebu versus $407 in Barlad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cebu versus $41.00 in Barlad. Groceries tell a different story – $210 in Cebu vs $190 in Barlad – so Barlad wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇷🇴 Barlad

🕒 Local time

04:15 4:15 AM

23:15 11:15 PM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

77,518

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Barlad 9,660 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Barlad

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 Barlad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $915 in Cebu, $975 in Barlad – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,372 per month in Cebu and $1,462 in Barlad. 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.

Public transport costs about 61% less in Cebu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $276 per month in Cebu and $465 in Barlad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $915 in Cebu and $975 in Barlad, 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 $915 in Cebu to $975 in Barlad. 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, Barlad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.