Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mamaia and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,038 in Mamaia, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Mamaia
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Mamaia Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Mamaia

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,038

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,038 in Mamaia versus $918 in Cebu.

Mamaia $1,038
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,573 in Mamaia versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Mamaia $1,573
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,108 in Mamaia versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Mamaia $2,108
Cebu $1,900

Living in Mamaia is roughly 13% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mamaia 23% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.93 RON 46.98

$3.09 ₱194

221.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.60 RON 216

$24.22 ₱1,525

88.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 RON 35.96

$3.92 ₱247

93.88%

Cappuccino

$2.65 RON 12.55

$2.51 ₱158

5.58%

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

$1.97 RON 9.34

$1.59 ₱100

23.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 RON 8.52

$0.53 ₱33.43

239.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 RON 10.77

$1.78 ₱112

28.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 RON 13.38

$2.17 ₱137

30.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 RON 6.92

$1.92 ₱121

-23.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 RON 5.89

$1.36 ₱85.4

-8.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 RON 7.96

$1.01 ₱63.5

66.34%

Eggs

$3.36 RON 15.91

$2.03 ₱128

65.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.27 RON 39.11

$9.86 ₱621

-16.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 RON 31.88

$4.39 ₱277

53.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.56 RON 45.24

$7.60 ₱479

25.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.17 RON 5.54

$3.30 ₱208

-64.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 RON 7.46

$1.39 ₱87.8

13.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.65

$2.33 ₱147

-30.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 RON 10.53

$1.50 ₱94.3

48.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.81

$2.36 ₱149

-65.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 RON 4.19

$1.90 ₱119

-53.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 RON 4.40

$1.19 ₱74.9

-21.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 RON 3.67

$0.63 ₱39.71

23.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 RON 27.68

$3.00 ₱189

95.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.14 RON 29.04

$6.03 ₱379

1.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 RON 5.02

$1.23 ₱77.7

-13.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 RON 7.62

$1.75 ₱110

-8.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 RON 3.19

$0.25 ₱15.86

168.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.50 RON 92.3

$12.64 ₱796

54.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.71 RON 3.36

$0.77 ₱48.62

-7.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 RON 3.58

$0.23 ₱14.53

230.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.96 RON 32.95

$4.46 ₱281

56.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 RON 7.34

$1.31 ₱82.8

18.32%

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

$27.6K RON 130.7K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

30.03%

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

$27.7K RON 131.0K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

44.56%

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

$146 RON 693

$120 ₱7,569

21.84%

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

$7.93 RON 37.52

$14.00 ₱882

-43.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.06 RON 42.86

$27.54 ₱1,734

-67.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.75 RON 198

$32.33 ₱2,035

29.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 RON 89.5

$6.65 ₱419

184.36%

Cinema Ticket

$6.96 RON 32.94

$5.65 ₱356

23.19%

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

$429 RON 2,027

$275 ₱17.3K

55.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,889 RON 32.6K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-13.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.6 RON 329

$49.33 ₱3,106

41.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 RON 187

$25.24 ₱1,589

56.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 RON 355

$77.0 ₱4,846

-2.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 RON 442

$57.2 ₱3,601

63.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$390 RON 1,845

$500 ₱31.5K

-21.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 RON 1,400

$309 ₱19.4K

-4.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$583 RON 2,758

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-45.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$432 RON 2,042

$615 ₱38.7K

-29.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,901 RON 8,996

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-34.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,517 RON 7,175

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-20.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

7.2

-9.72%

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

Last update for Mamaia: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mamaia

$296 28.5%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 4.4% $13

Groceries & Markets

Mamaia

$205 19.8%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 0.2% $0.5

Eating Out

Mamaia

$166 16%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 46.9% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mamaia

$163 15.7%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 1% $1.7

Clothing & Footwear

Mamaia

$125 12%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 24.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Mamaia

$56 5.4%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 21.7% $12

Getting Around

Mamaia

$27 2.6%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 41.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $390 in Mamaia and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Mamaia vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $205 vs $206, with Mamaia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Mamaia

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

02:38 2:38 AM

07:38 7:38 AM

5 h ahead of Mamaia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

441

964,169

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mamaia Cebu 9,630 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Mamaia
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

Mamaia vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,557 in Mamaia and $1,377 in Cebu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $390 in Mamaia versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,038 per month in Mamaia versus $918 in Cebu – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 54% less than in Mamaia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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

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

Safety-wise, Mamaia 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 13% less than in Mamaia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.