Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Ungheni

For one person, living is cheaper in Ungheni: $652 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Ungheni
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Ungheni Living Index

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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Ungheni

🇲🇩 Moldova

$652

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cebu and in Ungheni

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $652 in Ungheni.

Cebu $918
Ungheni $652

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,019 in Ungheni.

Cebu $1,409
Ungheni $1,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,385 in Ungheni.

Cebu $1,900
Ungheni $1,385

Living in Cebu is roughly 41% more expensive than in Ungheni, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Ungheni 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ₱194

$7.49 MDL 133

-58.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.22 ₱1,525

$22.20 MDL 394

9.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₱247

$6.57 MDL 117

-40.33%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱158

$1.42 MDL 25.24

76.76%

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

$1.59 ₱100

$0.70 MDL 12.36

127.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.43

$0.44 MDL 7.79

20.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₱112

$0.99 MDL 17.59

79.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱137

$1.42 MDL 25.24

52.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.71 MDL 30.30

12.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$0.35 MDL 6.27

288.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$0.87 MDL 15.51

16.09%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.89 MDL 33.57

7.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 ₱621

$10.15 MDL 180

-2.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 ₱277

$3.99 MDL 70.9

10.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

$8.17 MDL 145

-6.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$0.44 MDL 7.78

650.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.8

$1.25 MDL 22.13

11.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.08 MDL 19.25

115.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.3

$1.14 MDL 20.18

31.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$0.47 MDL 8.36

402.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱119

$0.35 MDL 6.23

442.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$2.21 MDL 39.33

-46.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱39.71

$0.77 MDL 13.61

-18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$3.37 MDL 59.8

-10.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 ₱379

$4.12 MDL 73.2

46.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.43 MDL 25.46

-13.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.63 MDL 28.97

7.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

$0.36 MDL 6.34

-30.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.62

$1.64 MDL 29.17

-53.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.38 MDL 6.72

-39.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ₱281

$3.71 MDL 66.0

20.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.8

$1.36 MDL 24.13

-3.68%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$20.2K MDL 358.3K

-5.09%

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

$120 ₱7,569

$136 MDL 2,422

-11.82%

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

$14.00 ₱882

$11.08 MDL 197

26.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.54 ₱1,734

$15.88 MDL 282

73.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

$14.19 MDL 252

127.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₱356

$3.88 MDL 69.0

45.62%

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

$275 ₱17.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 ₱498.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 ₱3,106

$47.80 MDL 849

3.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ₱1,589

$16.72 MDL 297

50.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ₱4,846

$34.18 MDL 607

125.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 ₱3,601

$68.3 MDL 1,213

-16.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

$251 MDL 4,449

99.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

$113 MDL 2,003

173.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

$333 MDL 5,909

223.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

$277 MDL 4,914

122.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

$2,280 MDL 40.5K

26.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

$1,706 MDL 30.3K

12.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

$552 MDL 9,805

-37.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

-10.00%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ungheni: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Ungheni

$113 17.3% 63.5% $196

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$206 22.4%

Ungheni

$165 25.3% 19.8% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$162 17.6%

Ungheni

$163 25% 1% $1.5

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$94 10.2%

Ungheni

$75 11.5% 20% $19

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Ungheni

$109 16.7% 23.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.8%

Ungheni

$22 3.4% 49.7% $22

Getting Around

Cebu

$16 1.7%

Ungheni

$5 * 0.8% 68.1% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $500 in Cebu and $251 in Ungheni. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ungheni pays 60% 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 $22.00 in Ungheni for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $165 per month, with Ungheni cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇲🇩 Ungheni

🕒 Local time

09:34 9:34 AM

04:34 4:34 AM

5 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

38,000

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, 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).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 17.76 MDL (100 MDL = 5.63 USD). 1 EUR = 19.97 MDL (100 MDL = 5.01 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cebu Ungheni 9,620 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
Ungheni

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 Ungheni: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ungheni is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 41% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 60% lower in Ungheni. 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 $251 in Ungheni. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Ungheni – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $24.00 in Cebu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Ungheni gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Ungheni 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.

Safety-wise, Cebu and Ungheni 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 Ungheni gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.