Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Buzau

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $979 in Buzau, rent and utilities included – about $730 less a year. The total is higher in Buzau despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Buzau
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Buzau Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Buzau

🇷🇴 Romania

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Buzau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $979 in Buzau.

Cebu $918
Buzau $979

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,449 in Buzau.

Cebu $1,409
Buzau $1,449

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,919 in Buzau.

Cebu $1,900
Buzau $1,919

Living in Cebu costs roughly 6% less than in Buzau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Buzau 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$10.42 RON 49.30

-70.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$24.71 RON 117

-1.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$6.30 RON 29.79

-37.78%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.02 RON 9.58

24.26%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$1.93 RON 9.12

-17.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$1.50 RON 7.08

-64.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.66 RON 7.85

7.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$1.71 RON 8.10

26.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.76 RON 8.32

9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.31 RON 6.21

3.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.45 RON 6.84

-30.34%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$3.10 RON 14.67

-34.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$7.50 RON 35.47

31.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$6.62 RON 31.33

-33.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$11.10 RON 52.5

-31.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$0.95 RON 4.50

247.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.63 RON 7.72

-14.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.11 RON 5.25

109.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.23 RON 5.83

21.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.67 RON 3.18

252.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.78 RON 3.68

143.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.48 RON 2.28

147.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.66 RON 3.11

-4.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$6.24 RON 29.54

-51.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$6.43 RON 30.42

-6.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$0.76 RON 3.58

61.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.43 RON 6.77

22.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.66 RON 3.10

-62.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$21.60 RON 102

-41.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.52 RON 2.47

48.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.49 RON 2.32

-53.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$6.19 RON 29.27

-27.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.65 RON 7.81

-20.61%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$19.4K RON 91.7K

9.57%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$21.1K RON 100.0K

-9.42%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$119 RON 563

1.12%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$7.87 RON 37.24

77.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$7.72 RON 36.53

256.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$32.03 RON 152

0.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$17.85 RON 84.5

-62.75%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$6.89 RON 32.60

-18.00%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$285 RON 1,348

-3.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$6,766 RON 32.0K

17.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$54.5 RON 258

-9.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$57.7 RON 273

-56.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$97.5 RON 461

-21.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$84.1 RON 398

-32.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$344 RON 1,629

45.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$292 RON 1,379

5.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$606 RON 2,867

77.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$423 RON 2,002

45.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$1,475 RON 6,976

95.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,194 RON 5,648

60.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$850 RON 4,021

-59.30%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Buzau: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Buzau

$292 29.8% 5.6% $17

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Buzau

$196 20% 4.9% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Buzau

$134 13.7% 16.9% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Buzau

$132 13.5% 40.8% $38

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Buzau

$152 15.5% 72.2% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Buzau

$46 4.7% 5% $2.2

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Buzau

$27 2.8% 74.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $344 in Buzau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buzau pays 146% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $25.00 in Buzau. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $196, with Buzau cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇷🇴 Buzau

🕒 Local time

09:06 9:06 AM

04:06 4:06 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

115,494

💱 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

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Between locations

Cebu Buzau 9,740 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Buzau

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 Buzau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu and Buzau differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($918 vs $979 including rent). Cebu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 146% lower in Buzau. 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 $344 in Buzau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Buzau pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Cebu – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $25.00 in Buzau. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Cebu gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

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