Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Craiova and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,187 in Craiova, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Craiova
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Craiova Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Craiova

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,187

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,187 in Craiova versus $934 in Cebu.

Craiova $1,187
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,763 in Craiova versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Craiova $1,763
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,338 in Craiova versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Craiova $2,338
Cebu $1,896

Living in Craiova is roughly 27% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Craiova 11% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.53 RON 35.62

$3.03 ₱190

148.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.41 RON 196

$23.48 ₱1,473

76.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.20 RON 34.05

$4.09 ₱256

76.04%

Cappuccino

$2.62 RON 12.40

$2.52 ₱158

3.97%

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

$2.21 RON 10.44

$1.54 ₱96.9

43.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 RON 8.51

$0.49 ₱30.98

267.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 RON 11.14

$1.79 ₱112

31.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 RON 16.35

$2.26 ₱142

53.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 RON 6.26

$1.95 ₱122

-32.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 RON 4.09

$1.43 ₱89.7

-39.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 RON 6.54

$1.02 ₱63.8

35.29%

Eggs

$3.41 RON 16.12

$2.06 ₱129

65.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.11 RON 33.61

$9.81 ₱615

-27.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.46 RON 30.57

$4.61 ₱289

40.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 RON 53.7

$7.70 ₱483

47.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.04 RON 4.90

$3.31 ₱207

-68.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 RON 6.82

$1.45 ₱90.9

-0.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 RON 6.90

$2.36 ₱148

-38.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 RON 8.66

$1.54 ₱96.4

18.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.64

$2.36 ₱148

-67.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.84 RON 4.00

$1.99 ₱125

-57.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 RON 3.24

$1.15 ₱72.1

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 RON 3.56

$0.67 ₱42.15

11.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.36 RON 30.08

$3.00 ₱188

112.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.27 RON 29.66

$6.35 ₱398

-1.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 RON 5.66

$1.31 ₱81.9

-8.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 RON 6.96

$1.73 ₱108

-15.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 RON 3.87

$0.25 ₱15.78

228.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.32 RON 120

$12.65 ₱793

100.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.04

$0.74 ₱46.32

-13.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.89

$0.21 ₱13.11

190.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.40 RON 30.25

$4.33 ₱271

47.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.09

$1.33 ₱83.5

44.36%

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

$28.0K RON 132.6K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

28.77%

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

$26.2K RON 124.0K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

35.16%

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

$214 RON 1,011

$121 ₱7,563

77.29%

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

$9.61 RON 45.43

$14.45 ₱907

-33.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.51 RON 54.5

$28.29 ₱1,774

-59.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.51 RON 211

$32.68 ₱2,050

36.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 RON 101

$6.39 ₱401

235.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 RON 35.30

$5.46 ₱342

36.63%

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

$421 RON 1,992

$273 ₱17.1K

54.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,039 RON 38.0K

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-1.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.1 RON 298

$49.57 ₱3,109

27.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 RON 241

$24.87 ₱1,560

104.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.9 RON 392

$76.6 ₱4,804

8.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 RON 481

$59.3 ₱3,717

71.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 RON 2,379

$506 ₱31.7K

-0.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 RON 1,851

$309 ₱19.4K

26.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$874 RON 4,132

$1,052 ₱66.0K

-16.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 RON 2,845

$619 ₱38.8K

-2.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,655 RON 12.6K

$2,915 ₱182.9K

-8.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,024 RON 9,575

$1,867 ₱117.1K

8.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$941 RON 4,449

$341 ₱21.4K

175.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.84

7.2

-5.00%

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

Last update for Craiova: 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

Craiova

$391 32.7%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 20.9% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Craiova

$235 19.7%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 30.5% $72

Groceries & Markets

Craiova

$195 16.3%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 8% $16

Eating Out

Craiova

$148 12.4%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 40.3% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Craiova

$134 11.2%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 29.6% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Craiova

$59 5%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 26.6% $16

Getting Around

Craiova

$32 2.7%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 52.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $503 in Craiova and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Craiova pays 176% 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: $41.00 in Craiova vs $23.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $195 vs $210, with Craiova cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Craiova

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

08:00 8:00 AM

13:00 1:00 PM

5 h ahead of Craiova

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

269,506

964,169

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 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 = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Craiova Cebu 10,000 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Craiova
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

Craiova vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 27% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 176% higher in Craiova, 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: $503 in Craiova versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,187 per month in Craiova versus $934 in Cebu – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 100% less than in Craiova. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,187 in Craiova, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Craiova. 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 Craiova, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Craiova 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 27% less than in Craiova. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.