Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cricova and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,022 in Cricova, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Cricova
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Cricova Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Cricova

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,022

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,022 in Cricova versus $918 in Cebu.

Cricova $1,022
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,858 in Cricova versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Cricova $1,858
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,693 in Cricova versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Cricova $2,693
Cebu $1,900

Living in Cricova is roughly 11% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cricova 24% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.25 MDL 146

$3.09 ₱194

166.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.53 MDL 489

$24.22 ₱1,525

13.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.30 MDL 183

$3.92 ₱247

162.76%

Cappuccino

$1.08 MDL 19.20

$2.51 ₱158

-56.97%

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

$1.05 MDL 18.59

$1.59 ₱100

-33.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 MDL 12.14

$0.53 ₱33.43

28.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.00 MDL 35.55

$1.78 ₱112

12.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 MDL 39.25

$2.17 ₱137

1.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 MDL 42.52

$1.92 ₱121

24.48%

White Bread (500g)

$0.46 MDL 8.18

$1.36 ₱85.4

-66.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 MDL 19.38

$1.01 ₱63.5

7.92%

Eggs

$1.25 MDL 22.22

$2.03 ₱128

-38.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.90 MDL 123

$9.86 ₱621

-30.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 MDL 81.5

$4.39 ₱277

4.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.35 MDL 219

$7.60 ₱479

62.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.08 MDL 19.14

$3.30 ₱208

-67.27%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 MDL 15.21

$1.39 ₱87.8

-38.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 MDL 18.33

$2.33 ₱147

-55.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 MDL 19.29

$1.50 ₱94.3

-27.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 MDL 13.44

$2.36 ₱149

-67.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 MDL 19.36

$1.90 ₱119

-42.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MDL 19.24

$1.19 ₱74.9

-9.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MDL 19.37

$0.63 ₱39.71

73.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 MDL 58.8

$3.00 ₱189

10.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.45 MDL 79.1

$6.03 ₱379

-26.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 MDL 45.88

$1.23 ₱77.7

109.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 MDL 75.9

$1.75 ₱110

144.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MDL 9.48

$0.25 ₱15.86

112.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.39 MDL 398

$12.64 ₱796

77.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 MDL 19.57

$0.77 ₱48.62

42.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 MDL 4.63

$0.23 ₱14.53

13.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.53 MDL 116

$4.46 ₱281

46.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 MDL 23.12

$1.31 ₱82.8

-0.76%

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

$29.2K MDL 517.9K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

37.27%

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

$23.8K MDL 422.4K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

24.24%

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

$235 MDL 4,176

$120 ₱7,569

95.57%

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

$7.70 MDL 137

$14.00 ₱882

-45.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.02 MDL 196

$27.54 ₱1,734

-59.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.5 MDL 1,003

$32.33 ₱2,035

74.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.20 MDL 199

$6.65 ₱419

68.42%

Cinema Ticket

$7.42 MDL 132

$5.65 ₱356

31.33%

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

$111 MDL 1,972

$275 ₱17.3K

-59.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,220 MDL 92.7K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-34.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 MDL 998

$49.33 ₱3,106

13.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.60 MDL 490

$25.24 ₱1,589

9.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 MDL 1,464

$77.0 ₱4,846

7.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 MDL 2,021

$57.2 ₱3,601

98.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$884 MDL 15.7K

$500 ₱31.5K

76.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 MDL 3,943

$309 ₱19.4K

-28.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,373 MDL 24.4K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

27.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MDL 19.7K

$615 ₱38.7K

80.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,775 MDL 49.3K

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-3.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,943 MDL 34.5K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

1.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$562 MDL 9,989

$346 ₱21.8K

62.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

-2.78%

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

Last update for Cricova: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cricova

$254 24.8%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 36.3% $92

Accommodation & Living

Cricova

$222 21.7%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 39.1% $87

Groceries & Markets

Cricova

$191 18.7%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 7.8% $15

Eating Out

Cricova

$131 12.8%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 32.7% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Cricova

$126 12.3%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 25.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Cricova

$71 7%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 38.9% $28

Getting Around

Cricova

$27 2.6%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 42.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $884 in Cricova and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cricova pays 63% 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: $28.00 in Cricova vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $191 vs $206, with Cricova cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Cricova

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

08:00 8:00 AM

13:00 1:00 PM

5 h ahead of Cricova

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,642

964,169

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to MDL – Moldovan Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇩 Moldovan Leu (L)

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).

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).

USD to MDL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cricova Cebu 9,550 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cricova
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

Cricova vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 63% higher in Cricova, 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: $884 in Cricova versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,022 per month in Cricova versus $918 in Cebu – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 77% less than in Cricova. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,022 in Cricova, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Cricova. 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 Cricova, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cricova 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 11% less than in Cricova. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.