Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Carei

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $982 in Carei, rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. The total is higher in Carei despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Carei
Learn more

Carei Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Carei

🇷🇴 Romania

$982

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Carei

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

A single person spends $918 per month in Cebu vs $982 in Carei, rent included.

Cebu $918
Carei $982

A couple spends around $1,409 per month in Cebu vs $1,492 in Carei, rent included.

Cebu $1,409
Carei $1,492

A family of three spends $1,900 per month in Cebu vs $2,001 in Carei, rent included.

Cebu $1,900
Carei $2,001

Cebu is about 7% cheaper than Carei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cebu and Carei are more affordable than the global median – Cebu 32% lower, Carei 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$9.03 RON 42.71

-65.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$39.88 RON 189

-39.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.16 RON 33.87

-45.25%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.31 RON 10.91

8.66%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$1.93 RON 9.11

-17.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$1.52 RON 7.18

-65.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.07 RON 9.77

-14.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$2.54 RON 12.02

-14.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.37 RON 6.49

40.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.15 RON 5.43

18.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.41 RON 6.65

-28.37%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$2.92 RON 13.83

-30.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$7.68 RON 36.34

28.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$6.16 RON 29.17

-28.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$9.69 RON 45.84

-21.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$1.10 RON 5.21

200.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.45 RON 6.87

-4.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.43 RON 6.75

62.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$2.04 RON 9.63

-26.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.80 RON 3.77

195.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.79 RON 3.74

140.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.87 RON 4.10

36.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.81 RON 3.84

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$5.78 RON 27.37

-48.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$6.38 RON 30.17

-5.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.07 RON 5.04

14.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.59 RON 7.53

10.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.75 RON 3.56

-66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$21.70 RON 103

-41.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.71 RON 3.34

8.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.70 RON 3.33

-67.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$6.98 RON 33.00

-36.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.81 RON 8.59

-27.62%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$28.5K RON 134.7K

-25.40%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$25.5K RON 120.6K

-24.92%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$138 RON 653

-12.88%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$7.84 RON 37.11

78.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$8.05 RON 38.09

242.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$37.36 RON 177

-13.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$20.18 RON 95.5

-67.05%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$6.98 RON 33.04

-19.05%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$417 RON 1,971

-33.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$6,823 RON 32.3K

16.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$60.4 RON 286

-18.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$35.63 RON 169

-29.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$76.1 RON 360

1.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$83.2 RON 394

-31.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$384 RON 1,815

30.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$289 RON 1,367

6.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$600 RON 2,839

79.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$448 RON 2,121

37.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$1,878 RON 8,885

53.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,331 RON 6,297

43.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

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 Carei: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Carei

$289 29.4% 6.5% $20

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Carei

$194 19.8% 5.8% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Carei

$154 15.7% 4.9% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Carei

$115 11.7% 22.3% $21

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Carei

$151 15.3% 70.6% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Carei

$51 5.2% 17.7% $7.7

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Carei

$29 3% 85.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $500 in Cebu versus $384 in Carei. 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 $40.00 in Carei. Groceries tell a different story – $206 in Cebu vs $194 in Carei – so Carei wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇷🇴 Carei

🕒 Local time

03:02 3:02 AM

22:02 10:02 PM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

25,911

💱 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 Carei 10,000 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Carei

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 Carei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Carei costs about 7% more than Cebu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,377 per month in Cebu and $1,474 in Carei. 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.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Carei – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cebu and $40.00 in Carei. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $918 in Cebu and $982 in Carei, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cebu costs $918 versus $982 in Carei. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Carei makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.