Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Sfantu Gheorghe

For one person, living is cheaper in Sfantu Gheorghe: $813 a month against $915 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$915
/mo nomad
Sfantu Gheorghe
🇷🇴 Romania
$813
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Sfantu Gheorghe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Cebu versus $813 in Sfantu Gheorghe.

  • Cebu $915
  • Sfantu Gheorghe $813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Cebu versus $1,297 in Sfantu Gheorghe.

  • Cebu $1,418
  • Sfantu Gheorghe $1,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Cebu versus $1,781 in Sfantu Gheorghe.

  • Cebu $1,921
  • Sfantu Gheorghe $1,781

Living in Cebu is roughly 12% more expensive than in Sfantu Gheorghe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 33% lower, Sfantu Gheorghe 40% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Sfantu Gheorghe
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.05 ₱192
$8.56 RON 40.51
-64.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.00 ₱1,511
$41.50 RON 196
-42.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.99 ₱251
$7.21 RON 34.10
-44.66%
Cappuccino
$2.50 ₱157
$2.54 RON 12.04
-1.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 ₱97.1
$1.23 RON 5.81
25.20%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ₱31.37
$1.07 RON 5.06
-53.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.78 ₱112
$2.48 RON 11.74
-28.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 ₱136
$2.16 RON 10.20
0.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Sfantu Gheorghe
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.00 ₱126
$1.39 RON 6.55
43.88%
White Bread (500g)
$1.37 ₱86.2
$1.13 RON 5.36
21.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.03 ₱64.9
$1.40 RON 6.64
-26.43%
Eggs
$2.03 ₱128
$3.28 RON 15.52
-38.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.20 ₱642
$7.81 RON 36.97
30.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.45 ₱280
$4.61 RON 21.83
-3.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.67 ₱483
$7.72 RON 36.51
-0.65%
Apples (1kg)
$3.31 ₱208
$1.08 RON 5.11
206.48%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 ₱91.8
$1.51 RON 7.14
-3.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.32 ₱146
$1.17 RON 5.52
98.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 ₱94.0
$2.52 RON 11.92
-40.87%
Potato (1kg)
$2.34 ₱147
$0.69 RON 3.27
239.13%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 ₱122
$0.60 RON 2.84
223.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.16 ₱73.0
$1.03 RON 4.86
12.62%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68 ₱42.89
$0.81 RON 3.81
-16.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.99 ₱188
$4.90 RON 23.17
-38.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.24 ₱393
$7.42 RON 35.10
-15.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 ₱77.3
$0.96 RON 4.56
28.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 ₱109
$1.07 RON 5.05
61.68%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Sfantu Gheorghe
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.23 ₱14.36
$0.87 RON 4.10
-73.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.34 ₱777
$15.61 RON 73.9
-20.95%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.79 ₱49.96
$1.00 RON 4.72
-21.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.22 ₱13.86
$0.88 RON 4.17
-75.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.54 ₱286
$8.38 RON 39.63
-45.82%
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
$28.9K RON 136.9K
-27.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.4K ₱1.2M
$24.9K RON 117.8K
-22.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Sfantu Gheorghe
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$119 ₱7,464
$113 RON 536
4.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.22 ₱896
$9.41 RON 44.53
51.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.47 ₱1,730
$12.23 RON 57.9
124.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Sfantu Gheorghe
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.31 ₱2,034
$40.71 RON 193
-20.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.50 ₱409
$20.72 RON 98.0
-68.63%
Cinema Ticket
$5.40 ₱340
$3.13 RON 14.80
72.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Sfantu Gheorghe
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$276 ₱17.4K
$444 RON 2,102
-37.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,866 ₱495.3K
$6,646 RON 31.4K
18.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Sfantu Gheorghe
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.37 ₱3,108
$25.88 RON 122
90.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.58 ₱1,548
$13.62 RON 64.4
80.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.6 ₱4,825
$39.45 RON 187
94.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$58.9 ₱3,706
$63.3 RON 299
-6.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Sfantu Gheorghe
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$503 ₱31.7K
$294 RON 1,389
71.51%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$305 ₱19.2K
$212 RON 1,003
43.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 ₱67.7K
$524 RON 2,479
105.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$632 ₱39.8K
$401 RON 1,897
57.64%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,870 ₱180.7K
$1,843 RON 8,718
55.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,877 ₱118.2K
$1,362 RON 6,445
37.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Sfantu Gheorghe
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$336 ₱21.1K
$691 RON 3,271
-51.42%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
6.75
6.67%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sfantu Gheorghe: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$305
Sfantu Gheorghe
$212 30.4% $92
Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$210
Sfantu Gheorghe
$184 12.1% $25
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$160
Sfantu Gheorghe
$135 15.8% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94
Sfantu Gheorghe
$64 32.1% $30
Eating Out
Cebu
$88
Sfantu Gheorghe
$147 67% $59
Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$43
Sfantu Gheorghe
$47 9% $3.9
Getting Around
Cebu
$15
Sfantu Gheorghe
$24 61.6% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $503 in Cebu and $294 in Sfantu Gheorghe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sfantu Gheorghe pays 106% 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 $41.00 in Sfantu Gheorghe. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $184, with Sfantu Gheorghe cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cebu
🇷🇴 Sfantu Gheorghe
🕒 Local time
09:31 9:31 AM
04:31 4:31 AM
5 h behind Cebu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
964,169
56,006
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 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 24, 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 Sfantu Gheorghe 9,810 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cebu
  • Sfantu Gheorghe

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 Sfantu Gheorghe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sfantu Gheorghe cheaper than Cebu?
Sfantu Gheorghe is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cebu or Sfantu Gheorghe?
On paper, salaries run 106% lower in Sfantu Gheorghe. 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 Sfantu Gheorghe?
Rent for a central apartment: $503 in Cebu versus $294 in Sfantu Gheorghe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Sfantu Gheorghe?
All in, you'll spend $915 per month in Cebu versus $813 in Sfantu Gheorghe – a 12% 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 Sfantu Gheorghe runs roughly 26% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,200 enough for either Cebu or Sfantu Gheorghe?
Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Sfantu Gheorghe gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is Cebu or Sfantu Gheorghe more family-friendly?
For families, Sfantu Gheorghe 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.
Which city is safer, Cebu or Sfantu Gheorghe?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Sfantu Gheorghe 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 Sfantu Gheorghe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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