Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Cahul

For one person, living is cheaper in Cahul: $635 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cahul
Learn more

Cahul Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Cahul

🇲🇩 Moldova

$635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Cahul

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $635 in Cahul.

Cebu $918
Cahul $635

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $927 in Cahul.

Cebu $1,409
Cahul $927

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,219 in Cahul.

Cebu $1,900
Cahul $1,219

Living in Cebu is roughly 45% more expensive than in Cahul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Cahul 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$8.54 MDL 152

-63.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$23.42 MDL 416

3.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$10.36 MDL 184

-62.16%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.67 MDL 29.62

50.30%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$1.10 MDL 19.60

44.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.58 MDL 10.39

-8.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.97 MDL 35.05

-9.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$1.80 MDL 32.05

20.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.21 MDL 21.41

58.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.46 MDL 8.13

195.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.55 MDL 27.58

-34.84%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.15 MDL 38.13

-5.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$6.65 MDL 118

48.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$4.69 MDL 83.3

-6.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$6.09 MDL 108

24.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$1.00 MDL 17.74

230.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$2.26 MDL 40.16

-38.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.89 MDL 33.62

23.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$2.28 MDL 40.46

-34.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.77 MDL 13.69

206.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.48 MDL 8.51

295.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.46 MDL 8.18

158.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.55 MDL 9.76

14.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$3.31 MDL 58.8

-9.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$4.54 MDL 80.7

32.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.41 MDL 25.07

-12.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.94 MDL 34.54

-9.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.27 MDL 4.78

-7.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$2.87 MDL 51.0

-73.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.26 MDL 4.62

-11.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$5.69 MDL 101

-21.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.57 MDL 27.84

-16.56%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$33.4K MDL 593.4K

-36.42%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$23.8K MDL 422.6K

-19.54%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$225 MDL 3,990

-46.48%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$8.06 MDL 143

73.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$11.01 MDL 196

150.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$7.74 MDL 137

-27.00%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$111 MDL 1,978

147.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$5,302 MDL 94.2K

49.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$44.70 MDL 794

10.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$55.5 MDL 985

38.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$51.1 MDL 908

11.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$500 MDL 8,884

-30.84%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Cahul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Cahul

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Cahul

$162 25.6% 21.1% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Cahul

$244 38.4% 50.7% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Cahul

$68 * 10.7% 27.5% $26

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Cahul

$140 22% 58.2% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Cahul

$15 * 2.4% 64.5% $28

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Cahul

$5.3 * 0.8% 66.3% $10

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Cahul pays 45% 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 $23.00 in Cahul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $162 per month, with Cahul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇲🇩 Cahul

🕒 Local time

12:03 12:03 PM

07:03 7:03 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

39,500

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 17.76 MDL (100 MDL = 5.63 USD). 1 EUR = 19.97 MDL (100 MDL = 5.01 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Cahul 9,620 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Cahul

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 Cahul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cahul wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Cebu. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cahul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Cahul. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $635 in Cahul – a 45% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Cahul 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 Cahul delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $635 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cahul hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Cahul 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 Cahul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.