Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Galati

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,060 in Galati, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Galati
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Galati Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Galati

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,060

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Galati

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $1,060 in Galati.

Cebu $934
Galati $1,060

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $1,604 in Galati.

Cebu $1,415
Galati $1,604

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $2,148 in Galati.

Cebu $1,896
Galati $2,148

Living in Cebu costs roughly 12% less than in Galati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Galati 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱190

$10.30 RON 48.72

-70.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,473

$42.07 RON 199

-44.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱256

$7.17 RON 33.90

-42.96%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$2.53 RON 11.97

-0.40%

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

$1.54 ₱96.9

$2.13 RON 10.06

-27.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.98

$1.82 RON 8.62

-73.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱112

$2.11 RON 9.99

-15.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$3.20 RON 15.15

-29.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.24 RON 5.87

57.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.7

$0.66 RON 3.13

116.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱63.8

$1.74 RON 8.21

-41.38%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$3.49 RON 16.51

-40.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱615

$7.76 RON 36.69

26.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱289

$5.88 RON 27.79

-21.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱483

$8.53 RON 40.33

-9.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱207

$1.32 RON 6.25

150.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱90.9

$1.65 RON 7.80

-12.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.57 RON 7.42

50.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.4

$1.78 RON 8.42

-13.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$0.96 RON 4.56

145.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$1.02 RON 4.82

95.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.1

$0.80 RON 3.80

43.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.15

$0.67 RON 3.16

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱188

$5.79 RON 27.40

-48.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱398

$5.29 RON 25.03

20.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱81.9

$0.95 RON 4.51

37.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

$1.19 RON 5.65

45.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.78

$0.75 RON 3.56

-66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱793

$24.50 RON 116

-48.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.32

$0.62 RON 2.92

19.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$0.70 RON 3.32

-70.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱271

$6.94 RON 32.83

-37.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$1.76 RON 8.31

-24.43%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$28.3K RON 133.8K

-23.04%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$25.0K RON 118.2K

-22.37%

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

$121 ₱7,563

$151 RON 714

-20.07%

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

$14.45 ₱907

$7.58 RON 35.87

90.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,774

$7.84 RON 37.11

260.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,050

$38.52 RON 182

-15.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱401

$34.79 RON 165

-81.63%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

$6.14 RON 29.04

-11.07%

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

$273 ₱17.1K

$587 RON 2,777

-53.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱511.5K

$5,028 RON 23.8K

62.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,109

$97.2 RON 460

-48.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,560

$31.64 RON 150

-21.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,804

$61.8 RON 292

23.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,717

$84.6 RON 400

-29.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.7K

$381 RON 1,800

32.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$323 RON 1,526

-4.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.0K

$783 RON 3,705

34.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.8K

$571 RON 2,703

8.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱182.9K

$1,622 RON 7,672

79.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.1K

$1,250 RON 5,914

49.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.4K

$903 RON 4,270

-62.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Galati: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Galati

$323 30.8% 4.3% $13

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Galati

$184 17.6% 12.7% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Galati

$166 15.9% 1.8% $3

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Galati

$124 11.8% 30.9% $29

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Galati

$167 16% 89% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Galati

$51 4.9% 16.5% $7.2

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Galati

$32 3% 105% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $381 in Galati. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Galati pays 165% 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 $42.00 in Galati. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $184, with Galati cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇷🇴 Galati

🕒 Local time

16:23 4:23 PM

11:23 11:23 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

249,432

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 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 = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Galati 9,640 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Galati

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 Galati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 165% lower in Galati. 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 $381 in Galati. 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 $1,060 in Galati – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 94% less than in Galati. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Cebu gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

Safety-wise, Cebu and Galati 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 14% less than in Galati. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.