Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Calafat

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,009 in Calafat, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Calafat
Learn more

Calafat Living Index

Jump to prices

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Calafat

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Calafat

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

A single person spends $918 per month in Cebu vs $1,009 in Calafat, rent included.

Cebu $918
Calafat $1,009

A couple spends around $1,409 per month in Cebu vs $1,485 in Calafat, rent included.

Cebu $1,409
Calafat $1,485

A family of three spends $1,900 per month in Cebu vs $1,961 in Calafat, rent included.

Cebu $1,900
Calafat $1,961

Cebu is about 9% cheaper than Calafat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cebu and Calafat are more affordable than the global median – Cebu 32% lower, Calafat 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$7.28 RON 34.45

-57.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$38.41 RON 182

-36.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.46 RON 35.29

-47.45%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.05 RON 9.69

22.44%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$1.50 RON 7.08

6.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.80 RON 3.80

-33.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.02 RON 4.84

74.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$1.95 RON 9.21

11.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.19 RON 5.65

61.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.82 RON 3.89

65.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.34 RON 6.35

-24.63%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.37 RON 11.20

-14.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$6.91 RON 32.68

42.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$6.19 RON 29.29

-29.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$6.14 RON 29.03

23.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$0.98 RON 4.62

236.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.50 RON 7.10

-7.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.24 RON 5.89

87.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.50 RON 7.10

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.62 RON 2.92

280.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.72 RON 3.39

163.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.74 RON 3.51

60.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.77 RON 3.64

-18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$5.28 RON 25.00

-43.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$6.37 RON 30.13

-5.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$0.80 RON 3.79

53.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.47 RON 6.95

19.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.76 RON 3.57

-67.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$21.28 RON 101

-40.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.54 RON 2.56

42.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.52 RON 2.46

-55.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$6.20 RON 29.34

-28.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.43 RON 6.78

-8.39%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$25.9K RON 122.7K

-18.10%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$26.7K RON 126.1K

-28.18%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$217 RON 1,029

-44.72%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$7.32 RON 34.61

91.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$6.42 RON 30.39

328.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$37.74 RON 179

-14.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$19.94 RON 94.4

-66.65%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$7.33 RON 34.70

-22.92%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$419 RON 1,983

-34.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$8,102 RON 38.3K

-2.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$61.9 RON 293

-20.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$42.75 RON 202

-40.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$82.0 RON 388

-6.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$84.7 RON 401

-32.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$382 RON 1,808

30.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$286 RON 1,354

7.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$597 RON 2,827

80.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$445 RON 2,106

38.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$1,861 RON 8,807

55.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,356 RON 6,414

41.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$810 RON 3,833

-57.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

20.00%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Calafat: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Calafat

$286 28.3% 7.3% $23

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Calafat

$167 16.5% 19.1% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Calafat

$231 22.9% 42.9% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Calafat

$122 12.1% 30% $28

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Calafat

$123 12.2% 39.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Calafat

$52 5.2% 20.1% $8.8

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Calafat

$27 2.7% 76.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $500 in Cebu versus $382 in Calafat. 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 134% higher in Calafat, 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 $24.00 in Cebu versus $38.00 in Calafat. Groceries tell a different story – $206 in Cebu vs $167 in Calafat – so Calafat wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇷🇴 Calafat

🕒 Local time

03:02 3:02 AM

22:02 10:02 PM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

18,500

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 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 Calafat 10,070 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Calafat

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 Calafat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $918 in Cebu, $1,009 in Calafat – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,377 per month in Cebu and $1,514 in Calafat. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $918 in Cebu and $1,009 in Calafat. That's a gap of about 10%.

Public transport costs about 68% less in Cebu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $918 in Cebu and $1,009 in Calafat, 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 $918 in Cebu to $1,009 in Calafat. 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, Calafat makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.