Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iasi and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,251 in Iasi, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,251

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,251 in Iasi versus $934 in Cebu.

Iasi $1,251
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,834 in Iasi versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Iasi $1,834
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,417 in Iasi versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Iasi $2,417
Cebu $1,896

Living in Iasi is roughly 34% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Iasi 7% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.54 RON 50.2

$3.03 ₱191

247.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.58 RON 198

$23.48 ₱1,476

77.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.96 RON 33.17

$4.09 ₱257

70.17%

Cappuccino

$2.95 RON 14.07

$2.52 ₱158

17.06%

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

$2.29 RON 10.89

$1.54 ₱97.2

48.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.46

$0.49 ₱31.06

263.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 RON 14.58

$1.79 ₱113

70.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 RON 17.59

$2.26 ₱142

63.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 RON 7.14

$1.95 ₱122

-23.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 RON 6.34

$1.43 ₱89.9

-6.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 RON 9.44

$1.02 ₱64.0

94.12%

Eggs

$3.35 RON 15.95

$2.06 ₱129

62.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.21 RON 39.11

$9.81 ₱617

-16.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.61 RON 31.52

$4.61 ₱290

43.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.76 RON 46.50

$7.70 ₱484

26.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 RON 6.53

$3.31 ₱208

-58.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.74

$1.45 ₱91.2

11.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 RON 7.92

$2.36 ₱148

-29.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 RON 10.28

$1.54 ₱96.6

40.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 RON 4.02

$2.36 ₱148

-64.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.95

$1.99 ₱125

-58.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 RON 5.30

$1.15 ₱72.3

-3.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.46

$0.67 ₱42.26

40.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.26 RON 29.82

$3.00 ₱189

108.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.87 RON 32.76

$6.35 ₱399

8.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 RON 6.22

$1.31 ₱82.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 RON 9.84

$1.73 ₱109

19.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.25 ₱15.82

244.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 RON 133

$12.65 ₱796

119.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 RON 4.12

$0.74 ₱46.44

16.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 RON 4.05

$0.21 ₱13.15

304.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.30 RON 39.57

$4.33 ₱272

91.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 RON 9.08

$1.33 ₱83.7

42.86%

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

$28.5K RON 135.7K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

30.82%

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

$27.3K RON 130.2K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

40.81%

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

$183 RON 870

$121 ₱7,583

51.37%

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

$7.40 RON 35.28

$14.45 ₱909

-48.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.66 RON 41.28

$28.29 ₱1,779

-69.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.73 RON 213

$32.68 ₱2,055

36.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.73 RON 75.0

$6.39 ₱402

146.17%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.86

$5.46 ₱343

49.27%

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

$412 RON 1,962

$273 ₱17.2K

50.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,959 RON 33.2K

$8,156 ₱512.9K

-14.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.9 RON 352

$49.57 ₱3,117

49.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.35 RON 188

$24.87 ₱1,564

58.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.1 RON 453

$76.6 ₱4,817

24.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.0 RON 438

$59.3 ₱3,727

55.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$539 RON 2,567

$506 ₱31.8K

6.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$427 RON 2,036

$309 ₱19.5K

38.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$874 RON 4,163

$1,052 ₱66.1K

-16.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$668 RON 3,185

$619 ₱38.9K

7.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,932 RON 14.0K

$2,915 ₱183.4K

0.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 RON 9,103

$1,867 ₱117.4K

2.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,117 RON 5,324

$341 ₱21.5K

227.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

7.2

-0.28%

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

Last update for Iasi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iasi

$427 34.1%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 27.6% $118

Groceries & Markets

Iasi

$215 17.2%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 2.1% $4.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iasi

$199 15.9%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 17.8% $35

Eating Out

Iasi

$180 14.3%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 50.8% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Iasi

$135 10.8%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 30% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Iasi

$61 4.9%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 28.6% $17

Getting Around

Iasi

$36 2.9%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 57.5% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $539 in Iasi and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iasi pays 228% 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: $42.00 in Iasi vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Iasi

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

04:53 4:53 AM

09:53 9:53 AM

5 h ahead of Iasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,422

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

Iasi Cebu 9,640 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Iasi
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

Iasi vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 34% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 228% higher in Iasi, 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: $539 in Iasi versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,251 per month in Iasi versus $934 in Cebu – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 120% less than in Iasi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,251 in Iasi, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Iasi. 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 Iasi, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Iasi 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 34% less than in Iasi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.