Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,382 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cluj-Napoca
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Cluj-Napoca Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,382

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Cluj-Napoca

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 Cluj-Napoca actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $1,382 in Cluj-Napoca.

Cebu $934
Cluj-Napoca $1,382

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $2,085 in Cluj-Napoca.

Cebu $1,415
Cluj-Napoca $2,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $2,787 in Cluj-Napoca.

Cebu $1,896
Cluj-Napoca $2,787

Living in Cebu costs roughly 32% less than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 30% below, Cluj-Napoca is 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱191

$12.81 RON 61.0

-76.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,476

$56.4 RON 269

-58.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱257

$9.34 RON 44.50

-56.21%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$3.73 RON 17.80

-32.44%

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

$1.54 ₱97.2

$2.33 RON 11.09

-33.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.06

$2.30 RON 10.95

-78.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱113

$3.19 RON 15.22

-43.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$4.30 RON 20.51

-47.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.63 RON 7.75

19.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.9

$1.52 RON 7.24

-5.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.0

$1.75 RON 8.35

-41.71%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$3.86 RON 18.40

-46.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱617

$9.35 RON 44.57

4.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱290

$7.28 RON 34.70

-36.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱484

$11.45 RON 54.6

-32.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$1.43 RON 6.83

131.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱91.2

$1.64 RON 7.84

-11.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.89 RON 8.99

24.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.6

$2.50 RON 11.91

-38.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$0.97 RON 4.63

143.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$0.91 RON 4.35

118.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.3

$0.98 RON 4.68

17.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.26

$1.02 RON 4.86

-34.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$6.12 RON 29.14

-50.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱399

$7.37 RON 35.11

-13.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱82.1

$1.28 RON 6.11

2.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$1.73 RON 8.22

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.82

$0.77 RON 3.66

-67.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱796

$30.49 RON 145

-58.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.44

$0.86 RON 4.10

-13.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.15

$1.00 RON 4.74

-79.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱272

$8.42 RON 40.12

-48.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.7

$1.93 RON 9.22

-31.09%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$28.2K RON 134.3K

-22.77%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$24.9K RON 118.7K

-22.11%

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

$121 ₱7,583

$157 RON 748

-23.20%

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

$14.45 ₱909

$8.59 RON 40.94

68.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,779

$9.79 RON 46.65

188.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,055

$47.00 RON 224

-30.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱402

$22.48 RON 107

-71.57%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱343

$9.65 RON 45.99

-43.42%

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

$273 ₱17.2K

$591 RON 2,815

-53.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱512.9K

$9,697 RON 46.2K

-15.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,117

$87.2 RON 416

-43.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,564

$45.80 RON 218

-45.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,817

$101 RON 480

-23.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,727

$109 RON 521

-45.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.8K

$630 RON 3,003

-19.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.5K

$519 RON 2,475

-40.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.1K

$1,163 RON 5,540

-9.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.9K

$829 RON 3,951

-25.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱183.4K

$4,711 RON 22.5K

-38.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.4K

$3,394 RON 16.2K

-44.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.5K

$1,223 RON 5,826

-72.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

6.8

5.88%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$519 36.9% 67.9% $210

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$235 16.7% 11.8% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$175 12.5% 7.4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Cluj-Napoca

$154 11% 63.1% $60

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.5% 147% $130

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.7% 52.1% $23

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8% 155% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $630 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 258% 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: $23.00 in Cebu vs $56.0 in Cluj-Napoca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $235 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

15:06 3:06 PM

10:06 10:06 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

324,576

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Cluj-Napoca 9,950 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Cluj-Napoca

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 Cluj-Napoca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 48% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 258% lower in Cluj-Napoca. 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: $506 in Cebu versus $630 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $1,382 in Cluj-Napoca – a 48% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 141% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,382 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cluj-Napoca, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Cluj-Napoca 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 48% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.