Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Deva

For one person, living is cheaper in Deva: $862 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $640 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Deva
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Deva Living Index

Jump to prices

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Deva

🇷🇴 Romania

$862

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Deva

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $862 in Deva.

Cebu $915
Deva $862

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $1,338 in Deva.

Cebu $1,418
Deva $1,338

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $1,814 in Deva.

Cebu $1,921
Deva $1,814

Living in Cebu is roughly 6% more expensive than in Deva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 33% lower, Deva 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$6.81 RON 32.20

-55.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$21.08 RON 99.7

13.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$7.28 RON 34.46

-45.19%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$1.71 RON 8.10

46.20%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$2.09 RON 9.89

-26.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$1.20 RON 5.68

-58.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.29 RON 6.13

37.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$2.09 RON 9.90

3.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.56 RON 7.39

28.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$1.27 RON 6.03

7.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$1.10 RON 5.21

-6.36%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$3.18 RON 15.03

-36.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$7.80 RON 36.91

30.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$5.29 RON 25.05

-15.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$8.12 RON 38.42

-5.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$1.37 RON 6.49

141.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$1.38 RON 6.52

5.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$1.53 RON 7.23

51.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$2.12 RON 10.05

-29.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$0.71 RON 3.37

229.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$0.96 RON 4.54

102.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$0.85 RON 4.04

36.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$0.86 RON 4.05

-20.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$5.34 RON 25.26

-44.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$7.39 RON 34.98

-15.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$1.07 RON 5.06

14.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$1.75 RON 8.28

-1.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$0.57 RON 2.67

-59.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

$32.18 RON 152

-61.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$0.79 RON 3.74

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$0.66 RON 3.12

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$8.58 RON 40.59

-47.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$1.62 RON 7.68

-18.52%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$28.8K RON 136.1K

-26.97%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$24.7K RON 116.8K

-21.42%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$133 RON 631

-11.17%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$8.71 RON 41.23

63.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$9.54 RON 45.15

187.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$39.18 RON 185

-17.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

$53.0 RON 251

-87.74%

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$6.28 RON 29.70

-14.01%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$577 RON 2,731

-52.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$9,789 RON 46.3K

-19.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$69.0 RON 326

-28.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$44.86 RON 212

-45.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$84.9 RON 402

-9.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$74.1 RON 351

-20.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$237 RON 1,122

112.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$184 RON 871

65.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$400 RON 1,892

168.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$353 RON 1,672

78.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

$4,841 RON 22.9K

-40.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

$3,476 RON 16.4K

-45.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

$1,154 RON 5,458

-70.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

6.65

8.27%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Deva: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Deva

$184 21.3% 39.6% $121

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Deva

$193 22.4% 7.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Deva

$152 17.6% 5.3% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Deva

$123 14.2% 30.3% $29

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Deva

$121 14% 37.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Deva

$52 6% 20% $8.6

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Deva

$39 4.5% 154% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $503 in Cebu and $237 in Deva. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Deva pays 243% 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 $21.00 in Deva for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $193 per month, with Deva cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇷🇴 Deva

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

15:23 3:23 PM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

61,123

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Deva 10,020 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Deva

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 Deva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Deva is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and utilities. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 243% lower in Deva. 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: $503 in Cebu versus $237 in Deva. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $915 per month in Cebu versus $862 in Deva – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Deva runs roughly 161% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Deva gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

Safety-wise, Cebu and Deva 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 Deva gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.