Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Sighetu Marmatiei

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $958 in Sighetu Marmatiei, rent and utilities included – about $290 less a year. The total is higher in Sighetu Marmatiei despite lower rent and utilities.

Cebu, Philippines
Sighetu Marmatiei, Romania
Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$934
/mo nomad
Sighetu Marmatiei
🇷🇴 Romania
$958
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Sighetu Marmatiei

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $958 in Sighetu Marmatiei.

  • Cebu $934
  • Sighetu Marmatiei $958

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Cebu versus $1,401 in Sighetu Marmatiei.

  • Cebu $1,423
  • Sighetu Marmatiei $1,401

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,913 in Cebu versus $1,843 in Sighetu Marmatiei.

  • Cebu $1,913
  • Sighetu Marmatiei $1,843

Living in Cebu costs roughly 3% less than in Sighetu Marmatiei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 31% lower, Sighetu Marmatiei 30% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Sighetu Marmatiei
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.79 ₱242
$8.62 RON 41.42
-56.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.33 ₱1,491
$20.80 RON 100.0
12.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.94 ₱252
$7.31 RON 35.14
-46.10%
Cappuccino
$2.54 ₱163
$2.68 RON 12.89
-5.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 ₱100
$1.84 RON 8.86
-14.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 ₱29.82
$1.77 RON 8.51
-73.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.77 ₱113
$2.06 RON 9.89
-14.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 ₱142
$3.15 RON 15.12
-29.52%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Sighetu Marmatiei
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.90 ₱121
$1.44 RON 6.92
31.94%
White Bread (500g)
$1.36 ₱87.1
$1.01 RON 4.87
34.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.94 ₱59.8
$1.20 RON 5.77
-21.67%
Eggs
$1.99 ₱127
$2.83 RON 13.61
-29.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.70 ₱620
$8.02 RON 38.54
20.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.32 ₱276
$6.34 RON 30.45
-31.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.51 ₱480
$9.18 RON 44.10
-18.19%
Apples (1kg)
$3.31 ₱211
$1.12 RON 5.38
195.54%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 ₱87.5
$1.49 RON 7.16
-8.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.34 ₱149
$1.49 RON 7.17
57.05%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 ₱95.4
$1.36 RON 6.56
9.56%
Potato (1kg)
$2.30 ₱147
$0.86 RON 4.16
167.44%
Onion (1kg)
$1.87 ₱120
$0.95 RON 4.57
96.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.10 ₱70.3
$0.69 RON 3.32
59.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63 ₱40.36
$0.84 RON 4.01
-25.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.86 ₱183
$5.46 RON 26.23
-47.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.08 ₱389
$5.77 RON 27.73
5.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 ₱81.4
$1.03 RON 4.95
23.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 ₱110
$1.76 RON 8.44
-2.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Sighetu Marmatiei
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.22 ₱13.99
$0.76 RON 3.64
-71.05%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.34 ₱788
$21.76 RON 105
-43.29%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.74 ₱47.53
$0.72 RON 3.45
2.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.22 ₱14.08
$0.77 RON 3.69
-71.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.28 ₱273
$7.41 RON 35.63
-42.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ₱83.7
$1.73 RON 8.31
-24.28%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.8K ₱1.3M
$29.0K RON 139.3K
-28.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.0K ₱1.2M
$25.5K RON 122.5K
-25.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Sighetu Marmatiei
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$118 ₱7,565
$138 RON 663
-14.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.76 ₱1,007
$6.50 RON 31.22
142.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.33 ₱1,810
$7.73 RON 37.13
266.49%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Sighetu Marmatiei
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.94 ₱2,105
$38.48 RON 185
-14.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.49 ₱415
$20.29 RON 97.5
-68.01%
Cinema Ticket
$5.45 ₱348
$4.31 RON 20.73
26.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Sighetu Marmatiei
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$276 ₱17.6K
$396 RON 1,904
-30.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,789 ₱497.7K
$8,844 RON 42.5K
-11.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Sighetu Marmatiei
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.18 ₱3,078
$59.9 RON 288
-19.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.47 ₱1,564
$37.56 RON 180
-34.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.3 ₱4,810
$54.8 RON 263
37.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$58.0 ₱3,707
$63.4 RON 305
-8.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Sighetu Marmatiei
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$477 ₱30.5K
$378 RON 1,818
26.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$322 ₱20.6K
$290 RON 1,392
11.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 ₱61.5K
$602 RON 2,893
60.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$626 ₱40.0K
$441 RON 2,120
41.84%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,551 ₱290.8K
$1,865 RON 8,961
144.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,028 ₱193.5K
$1,333 RON 6,404
127.25%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Sighetu Marmatiei
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$333 ₱21.3K
$522 RON 2,510
-36.15%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
7.1
1.41%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sighetu Marmatiei: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cebu
$322
Sighetu Marmatiei
$290 10% $32
Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$204
Sighetu Marmatiei
$189 7.4% $15
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$163
Sighetu Marmatiei
$152 6.4% $10
Eating Out
Cebu
$94
Sighetu Marmatiei
$154 63.7% $60
Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$93
Sighetu Marmatiei
$97 4.7% $4.4
Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44
Sighetu Marmatiei
$47 7.4% $3.3
Getting Around
Cebu
$15
Sighetu Marmatiei
$29 94.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $477 in Cebu and $378 in Sighetu Marmatiei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sighetu Marmatiei pays 57% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Cebu vs $21 in Sighetu Marmatiei for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $189 per month, with Sighetu Marmatiei cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cebu
🇷🇴 Sighetu Marmatiei
🕒 Local time
04:19 4:19 AM
22:19 10:19 PM
6 h behind Cebu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
964,169
37,640
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cebu Sighetu Marmatiei 9,890 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cebu
  • Sighetu Marmatiei

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 Sighetu Marmatiei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cebu cheaper than Sighetu Marmatiei?
Cebu is about 3% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cebu or Sighetu Marmatiei?
On paper, salaries run 36% lower in Cebu. 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 Sighetu Marmatiei?
Rent for a central apartment: $477 in Cebu versus $378 in Sighetu Marmatiei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Sighetu Marmatiei?
All in, you’ll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $958 in Sighetu Marmatiei – Cebu is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 43% less than in Sighetu Marmatiei. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Is it better to live in Cebu or in Sighetu Marmatiei?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Which city is safer, Cebu or Sighetu Marmatiei?
Safety-wise, Cebu and Sighetu Marmatiei are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Cebu wins on affordability, Sighetu Marmatiei on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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