Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Mangalia

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,056 in Mangalia, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Mangalia
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Mangalia Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Mangalia

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,056

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Mangalia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $1,056 in Mangalia.

Cebu $918
Mangalia $1,056

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,639 in Mangalia.

Cebu $1,409
Mangalia $1,639

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $2,222 in Mangalia.

Cebu $1,900
Mangalia $2,222

Living in Cebu costs roughly 13% less than in Mangalia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Mangalia 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$11.69 RON 55.3

-73.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$45.26 RON 214

-46.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$7.65 RON 36.19

-48.76%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$2.99 RON 14.13

-16.05%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$2.11 RON 9.98

-24.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$2.07 RON 9.80

-74.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.53 RON 11.96

-29.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$3.40 RON 16.10

-36.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.62 RON 7.65

18.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.13 RON 5.33

20.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.48 RON 6.98

-31.76%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$3.10 RON 14.67

-34.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$7.92 RON 37.47

24.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$6.77 RON 32.03

-35.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$9.37 RON 44.35

-18.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$1.30 RON 6.13

153.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.68 RON 7.96

-17.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.45 RON 6.85

60.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.99 RON 9.42

-24.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.73 RON 3.43

223.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.75 RON 3.57

153.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$0.68 RON 3.21

75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.76 RON 3.58

-17.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$6.25 RON 29.56

-52.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$6.41 RON 30.31

-5.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$0.95 RON 4.49

29.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.39 RON 6.57

25.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.84 RON 3.95

-70.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

$19.86 RON 94.0

-36.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.64 RON 3.03

20.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.61 RON 2.89

-62.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$6.46 RON 30.55

-30.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.80 RON 8.50

-27.22%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$28.7K RON 135.7K

-25.91%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$24.8K RON 117.2K

-22.68%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$162 RON 766

-25.69%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$6.12 RON 28.98

128.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$8.86 RON 41.92

210.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$38.09 RON 180

-15.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

$21.13 RON 100.0

-68.53%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$8.39 RON 39.71

-32.66%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

$395 RON 1,869

-30.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

$5,724 RON 27.1K

38.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$73.6 RON 348

-33.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$41.69 RON 197

-39.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$90.8 RON 429

-15.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$94.6 RON 447

-39.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$381 RON 1,801

31.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$274 RON 1,296

12.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$574 RON 2,716

87.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$478 RON 2,262

28.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$1,991 RON 9,419

44.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,331 RON 6,299

43.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$746 RON 3,528

-53.60%

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 Mangalia: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Mangalia

$274 26% 11.3% $35

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Mangalia

$200 18.9% 3% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Mangalia

$177 16.7% 9.3% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Mangalia

$135 12.8% 44% $41

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Mangalia

$189 17.9% 114% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Mangalia

$55 5.2% 25.8% $11

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Mangalia

$27 2.6% 72.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $381 in Mangalia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mangalia pays 116% 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: $24.00 in Cebu vs $45.00 in Mangalia. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $200, with Mangalia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇷🇴 Mangalia

🕒 Local time

08:00 8:00 AM

03:00 3:00 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

36,364

💱 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 Mangalia 9,640 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Mangalia

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 Mangalia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 15% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 116% lower in Mangalia. 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: $500 in Cebu versus $381 in Mangalia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $1,056 in Mangalia – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 57% less than in Mangalia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,056 in Mangalia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Mangalia. 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 Mangalia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Mangalia 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 15% less than in Mangalia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.