Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cluj-Napoca and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,382 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cluj-Napoca
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Cluj-Napoca Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,382

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cluj-Napoca and in Cebu

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cluj-Napoca and in Cebu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,382 in Cluj-Napoca versus $934 in Cebu.

Cluj-Napoca $1,382
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,085 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Cluj-Napoca $2,085
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,787 in Cluj-Napoca versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Cluj-Napoca $2,787
Cebu $1,896

Living in Cluj-Napoca is roughly 48% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cluj-Napoca is 3% above, Cebu is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.81 RON 61.0

$3.03 ₱191

322.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.4 RON 269

$23.48 ₱1,476

140.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 RON 44.50

$4.09 ₱257

128.36%

Cappuccino

$3.73 RON 17.80

$2.52 ₱158

48.02%

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

$2.33 RON 11.09

$1.54 ₱97.2

51.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.95

$0.49 ₱31.06

369.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 RON 15.22

$1.79 ₱113

78.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 RON 20.51

$2.26 ₱142

90.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 RON 7.75

$1.95 ₱122

-16.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 RON 7.24

$1.43 ₱89.9

6.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 RON 8.35

$1.02 ₱64.0

71.57%

Eggs

$3.86 RON 18.40

$2.06 ₱129

87.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.35 RON 44.57

$9.81 ₱617

-4.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.28 RON 34.70

$4.61 ₱290

57.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.45 RON 54.6

$7.70 ₱484

48.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 RON 6.83

$3.31 ₱208

-56.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 RON 7.84

$1.45 ₱91.2

13.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 RON 8.99

$2.36 ₱148

-19.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 RON 11.91

$1.54 ₱96.6

62.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 RON 4.63

$2.36 ₱148

-58.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 RON 4.35

$1.99 ₱125

-54.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 RON 4.68

$1.15 ₱72.3

-14.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 RON 4.86

$0.67 ₱42.26

52.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.12 RON 29.14

$3.00 ₱189

104.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.37 RON 35.11

$6.35 ₱399

16.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 RON 6.11

$1.31 ₱82.1

-2.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 RON 8.22

$1.73 ₱109

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.25 ₱15.82

208.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.49 RON 145

$12.65 ₱796

141.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 RON 4.10

$0.74 ₱46.44

16.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 RON 4.74

$0.21 ₱13.15

376.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.42 RON 40.12

$4.33 ₱272

94.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 RON 9.22

$1.33 ₱83.7

45.11%

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

$28.2K RON 134.3K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

29.48%

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

$24.9K RON 118.7K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

28.38%

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

$157 RON 748

$121 ₱7,583

30.21%

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

$8.59 RON 40.94

$14.45 ₱909

-40.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.79 RON 46.65

$28.29 ₱1,779

-65.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.00 RON 224

$32.68 ₱2,055

43.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.48 RON 107

$6.39 ₱402

251.80%

Cinema Ticket

$9.65 RON 45.99

$5.46 ₱343

76.74%

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

$591 RON 2,815

$273 ₱17.2K

116.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,697 RON 46.2K

$8,156 ₱512.9K

18.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.2 RON 416

$49.57 ₱3,117

75.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.80 RON 218

$24.87 ₱1,564

84.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 RON 480

$76.6 ₱4,817

31.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 RON 521

$59.3 ₱3,727

84.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$630 RON 3,003

$506 ₱31.8K

24.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$519 RON 2,475

$309 ₱19.5K

67.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 RON 5,540

$1,052 ₱66.1K

10.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$829 RON 3,951

$619 ₱38.9K

33.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,711 RON 22.5K

$2,915 ₱183.4K

61.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,394 RON 16.2K

$1,867 ₱117.4K

81.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,223 RON 5,826

$341 ₱21.5K

258.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

7.2

-5.56%

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

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cluj-Napoca

$519 36.9%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 40.4% $210

Groceries & Markets

Cluj-Napoca

$235 16.7%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 10.6% $25

Eating Out

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.5%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 59.5% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cluj-Napoca

$175 12.5%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 6.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Cluj-Napoca

$154 11%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 38.7% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.7%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 34.2% $23

Getting Around

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 60.8% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $630 in Cluj-Napoca and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 258% 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: $56.0 in Cluj-Napoca vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

09:23 9:23 AM

14:23 2:23 PM

5 h ahead of Cluj-Napoca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,576

964,169

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cluj-Napoca Cebu 9,950 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cluj-Napoca
Cebu

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

Cluj-Napoca vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 48% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 258% higher in Cluj-Napoca, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $630 in Cluj-Napoca versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,382 per month in Cluj-Napoca versus $934 in Cebu – a 48% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 141% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,382 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cluj-Napoca, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cluj-Napoca and Cebu 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 48% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.