Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Calarasi

For one person, living costs are similar in Cebu and in Calarasi: $918 and $882 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Calarasi
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Calarasi Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Calarasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$882

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Calarasi

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

A single person spends $918 per month in Cebu vs $882 in Calarasi, rent included.

Cebu $918
Calarasi $882

A couple spends around $1,409 per month in Cebu vs $1,363 in Calarasi, rent included.

Cebu $1,409
Calarasi $1,363

A family of three spends $1,900 per month in Cebu vs $1,844 in Calarasi, rent included.

Cebu $1,900
Calarasi $1,844

Cebu costs about 4% more than Calarasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cebu and Calarasi are more affordable than the global median – Cebu 32% lower, Calarasi 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$8.90 RON 42.12

-65.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$33.15 RON 157

-26.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.57 RON 35.83

-48.22%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.07 RON 9.81

21.26%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$1.78 RON 8.42

-10.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$1.63 RON 7.70

-67.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.59 RON 7.52

11.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$1.44 RON 6.79

50.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.45 RON 6.85

32.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.90 RON 4.24

51.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.49 RON 7.06

-32.21%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.80 RON 13.26

-27.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$7.71 RON 36.46

27.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$4.17 RON 19.71

5.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$8.28 RON 39.16

-8.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$1.07 RON 5.06

208.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.38 RON 6.55

0.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.22 RON 5.80

90.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.45 RON 6.84

3.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.40 RON 1.89

490.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.65 RON 3.06

192.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.43 RON 2.05

176.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.75 RON 3.55

-16.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$6.31 RON 29.87

-52.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$4.11 RON 19.43

46.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$0.98 RON 4.64

25.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.42 RON 6.73

23.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.41 RON 1.92

-39.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$12.57 RON 59.5

0.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.66 RON 3.13

16.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.62 RON 2.93

-62.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$6.09 RON 28.82

-26.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.62 RON 7.68

-19.14%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$28.2K RON 133.6K

-24.75%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$24.8K RON 117.5K

-22.91%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$164 RON 778

-26.88%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$6.30 RON 29.82

122.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$6.51 RON 30.81

323.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$46.84 RON 222

-30.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$51.8 RON 245

-87.16%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$8.23 RON 38.94

-31.35%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$404 RON 1,913

-31.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$5,678 RON 26.9K

39.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$71.6 RON 339

-31.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$21.03 RON 99.5

20.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$91.2 RON 432

-15.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$97.0 RON 459

-41.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$312 RON 1,476

60.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$190 RON 898

62.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$419 RON 1,981

157.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$325 RON 1,539

89.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$1,206 RON 5,706

139.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$949 RON 4,490

101.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$729 RON 3,449

-52.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

7.85

-8.28%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Calarasi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Calarasi

$190 21.5% 38.5% $119

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Calarasi

$164 18.6% 20.1% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Calarasi

$177 20.1% 9.6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Calarasi

$126 14.3% 34.5% $32

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Calarasi

$143 16.2% 62.3% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Calarasi

$63 7.2% 45.1% $20

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Calarasi

$18 2% 15.3% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $500 in Cebu versus $312 in Calarasi. 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 111% higher in Calarasi, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cebu versus $33.00 in Calarasi. Groceries tell a different story – $206 in Cebu vs $164 in Calarasi – so Calarasi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇷🇴 Calarasi

🕒 Local time

13:05 1:05 PM

08:05 8:05 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

65,181

💱 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 Calarasi 9,730 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Calarasi

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 Calarasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $918 in Cebu, $882 in Calarasi – roughly 4% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,377 per month in Cebu and $1,324 in Calarasi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $275 per month in Cebu and $404 in Calarasi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Cebu, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $918 in Cebu and $882 in Calarasi, 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 $882 in Calarasi to $918 in Cebu. 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 Calarasi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cebu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.