Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Sannicolau Mare

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $915 a month against $1,009 in Sannicolau Mare, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Sannicolau Mare despite lower rent and utilities.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Sannicolau Mare
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Sannicolau Mare Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Sannicolau Mare

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Sannicolau Mare

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $1,009 in Sannicolau Mare.

Cebu $915
Sannicolau Mare $1,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $1,531 in Sannicolau Mare.

Cebu $1,418
Sannicolau Mare $1,531

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $2,053 in Sannicolau Mare.

Cebu $1,921
Sannicolau Mare $2,053

Living in Cebu costs roughly 9% less than in Sannicolau Mare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 33% lower, Sannicolau Mare 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ₱192

$8.64 RON 40.88

-64.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 ₱1,511

$41.76 RON 198

-42.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$7.58 RON 35.88

-47.36%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱157

$3.22 RON 15.24

-22.36%

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

$1.54 ₱97.1

$2.06 RON 9.74

-25.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.37

$1.76 RON 8.32

-71.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$3.13 RON 14.83

-43.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱136

$3.84 RON 18.18

-43.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.39 RON 6.60

43.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$1.15 RON 5.43

19.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$1.38 RON 6.54

-25.36%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$3.35 RON 15.85

-39.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 ₱642

$8.03 RON 37.98

27.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ₱280

$6.02 RON 28.47

-26.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 ₱483

$8.14 RON 38.52

-5.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$1.15 RON 5.44

187.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ₱91.8

$1.56 RON 7.39

-6.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$1.51 RON 7.15

53.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$2.61 RON 12.35

-42.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$0.71 RON 3.37

229.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$0.64 RON 3.05

203.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$1.00 RON 4.71

16.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.89

$0.87 RON 4.11

-21.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$5.83 RON 27.58

-48.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱393

$7.20 RON 34.08

-13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.3

$0.91 RON 4.29

35.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$1.35 RON 6.39

28.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$0.69 RON 3.28

-66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱777

$19.24 RON 91.0

-35.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.96

$0.91 RON 4.30

-13.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.86

$0.88 RON 4.17

-75.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 ₱286

$8.51 RON 40.24

-46.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$1.94 RON 9.20

-31.96%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$28.7K RON 136.0K

-26.91%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$25.0K RON 118.4K

-22.43%

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

$119 ₱7,464

$114 RON 539

4.01%

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

$14.22 ₱896

$8.92 RON 42.19

59.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 ₱1,730

$12.03 RON 56.9

128.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 ₱2,034

$39.39 RON 186

-17.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.50 ₱409

$22.45 RON 106

-71.05%

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 ₱340

$6.96 RON 32.91

-22.41%

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

$276 ₱17.4K

$451 RON 2,131

-38.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,866 ₱495.3K

$6,686 RON 31.6K

17.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ₱3,108

$75.3 RON 356

-34.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.58 ₱1,548

$31.52 RON 149

-22.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,825

$85.5 RON 404

-10.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,706

$88.2 RON 417

-33.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱31.7K

$396 RON 1,875

27.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₱19.2K

$302 RON 1,428

0.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$520 RON 2,462

106.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₱39.8K

$443 RON 2,096

42.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ₱180.7K

$2,107 RON 9,971

36.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₱118.2K

$1,416 RON 6,701

32.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₱21.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

7.02

2.56%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sannicolau Mare: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$305 33.3%

Sannicolau Mare

$302 29.9% 0.9% $2.6

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.9%

Sannicolau Mare

$197 19.5% 6.2% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$160 17.5%

Sannicolau Mare

$135 13.4% 15.8% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.3%

Sannicolau Mare

$126 12.5% 33.9% $32

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Sannicolau Mare

$169 16.8% 92.8% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$43 4.7%

Sannicolau Mare

$53 5.3% 23.7% $10

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Sannicolau Mare

$27 2.7% 80.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $503 in Cebu and $396 in Sannicolau Mare. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $42.00 in Sannicolau Mare. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $197, with Sannicolau Mare cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇷🇴 Sannicolau Mare

🕒 Local time

00:02 12:02 AM

19:02 7:02 PM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

13,083

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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 Sannicolau Mare 10,190 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Sannicolau Mare

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 Sannicolau Mare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,372 in Cebu and $1,514 in Sannicolau Mare to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $503 in Cebu versus $396 in Sannicolau Mare. 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 $1,009 in Sannicolau Mare – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 56% less than in Sannicolau Mare. 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 Sannicolau Mare, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Sannicolau Mare 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 10% less than in Sannicolau Mare. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.