Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Satu Mare

For one person, living costs are similar in Cebu and in Satu Mare: $918 and $922 a month, rent and utilities included.

Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Satu Mare
🇷🇴 Romania
$922
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Satu 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 Satu Mare actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $922 in Satu Mare.

  • Cebu $918
  • Satu Mare $922

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,392 in Satu Mare.

  • Cebu $1,409
  • Satu Mare $1,392

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,862 in Satu Mare.

  • Cebu $1,900
  • Satu Mare $1,862

Living in Cebu costs roughly 1% less than in Satu Mare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Satu Mare 32% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Satu Mare
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.09 ₱194
$8.30 RON 39.26
-62.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.22 ₱1,525
$32.02 RON 152
-24.36%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.92 ₱247
$6.23 RON 29.50
-37.08%
Cappuccino
$2.51 ₱158
$2.48 RON 11.73
1.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 ₱100
$1.49 RON 7.07
6.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 ₱33.43
$1.30 RON 6.14
-59.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.78 ₱112
$1.90 RON 8.98
-6.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 ₱137
$2.46 RON 11.65
-11.79%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Satu Mare
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.92 ₱121
$1.12 RON 5.29
71.43%
White Bread (500g)
$1.36 ₱85.4
$1.02 RON 4.83
33.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.01 ₱63.5
$1.15 RON 5.42
-12.17%
Eggs
$2.03 ₱128
$2.66 RON 12.58
-23.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.86 ₱621
$7.03 RON 33.24
40.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.39 ₱277
$7.34 RON 34.71
-40.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.60 ₱479
$10.74 RON 50.8
-29.24%
Apples (1kg)
$3.30 ₱208
$1.08 RON 5.12
205.56%
Banana (1kg)
$1.39 ₱87.8
$1.33 RON 6.29
4.51%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.33 ₱147
$1.23 RON 5.82
89.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ₱94.3
$1.41 RON 6.66
6.38%
Potato (1kg)
$2.36 ₱149
$1.16 RON 5.51
103.45%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 ₱119
$1.34 RON 6.32
41.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 ₱74.9
$0.94 RON 4.47
26.60%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63 ₱39.71
$0.69 RON 3.26
-8.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00 ₱189
$5.31 RON 25.11
-43.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.03 ₱379
$6.17 RON 29.18
-2.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 ₱77.7
$1.21 RON 5.73
1.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₱110
$1.76 RON 8.33
-0.57%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Satu Mare
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 ₱15.86
$0.54 RON 2.57
-53.70%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.64 ₱796
$23.25 RON 110
-45.63%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.77 ₱48.62
$0.84 RON 4.00
-8.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.23 ₱14.53
$0.82 RON 3.90
-71.95%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.46 ₱281
$7.93 RON 37.54
-43.76%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ₱82.8
$1.56 RON 7.36
-16.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ₱1.3M
$22.3K RON 105.4K
-4.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.1K ₱1.2M
$24.6K RON 116.6K
-22.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Satu Mare
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 ₱7,569
$123 RON 581
-2.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.00 ₱882
$7.13 RON 33.74
96.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.54 ₱1,734
$7.26 RON 34.37
279.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Satu Mare
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.33 ₱2,035
$41.96 RON 199
-22.95%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.65 ₱419
$10.54 RON 49.84
-36.91%
Cinema Ticket
$5.65 ₱356
$6.11 RON 28.92
-7.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Satu Mare
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$275 ₱17.3K
$154 RON 728
78.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,918 ₱498.5K
$3,826 RON 18.1K
106.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Satu Mare
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.33 ₱3,106
$60.6 RON 287
-18.60%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.24 ₱1,589
$27.58 RON 130
-8.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.0 ₱4,846
$83.9 RON 397
-8.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.2 ₱3,601
$70.6 RON 334
-18.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Satu Mare
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$500 ₱31.5K
$327 RON 1,545
52.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ₱19.4K
$259 RON 1,226
19.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 ₱67.9K
$654 RON 3,093
64.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$615 ₱38.7K
$402 RON 1,904
52.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,886 ₱181.7K
$984 RON 4,654
193.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,917 ₱120.7K
$1,043 RON 4,937
83.67%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Satu Mare
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$346 ₱21.8K
$650 RON 3,076
-46.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
7.05
2.13%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Satu Mare: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$309
Satu Mare
$259 16.1% $50
Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$206
Satu Mare
$192 6.7% $14
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$162
Satu Mare
$137 15.2% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94
Satu Mare
$109 16.2% $15
Eating Out
Cebu
$88
Satu Mare
$140 59.1% $52
Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44
Satu Mare
$54 24.2% $11
Getting Around
Cebu
$16
Satu Mare
$30 95.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $327 in Satu Mare. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Satu Mare pays 88% 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 $32.00 in Satu Mare. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $192, with Satu Mare cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cebu
🇷🇴 Satu Mare
🕒 Local time
02:39 2:39 AM
21:39 9:39 PM
5 h behind Cebu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
964,169
102,411
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cebu Satu Mare 9,970 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cebu
  • Satu 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 Satu Mare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Satu Mare cheaper than Cebu?
Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cebu or Satu Mare?
On paper, salaries run 88% lower in Satu Mare. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Cebu and Satu Mare?
Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $327 in Satu Mare. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Satu Mare?
All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $922 in Satu Mare – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 84% less than in Satu Mare. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,000 enough for either Cebu or Satu Mare?
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.
Is Cebu or Satu Mare more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Satu Mare, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Cebu or Satu Mare?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Satu 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Satu Mare. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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