Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medias and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $1,082 in Medias, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Medias
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Medias Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Medias

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,082

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,082 in Medias versus $918 in Cebu.

Medias $1,082
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,668 in Medias versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Medias $1,668
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,254 in Medias versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Medias $2,254
Cebu $1,900

Living in Medias is roughly 18% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Medias 20% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.00 RON 52.1

$3.09 ₱194

255.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.1 RON 251

$24.22 ₱1,525

119.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.16 RON 33.88

$3.92 ₱247

82.65%

Cappuccino

$3.62 RON 17.12

$2.51 ₱158

44.22%

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

$2.44 RON 11.57

$1.59 ₱100

53.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 RON 10.14

$0.53 ₱33.43

303.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 RON 14.60

$1.78 ₱112

73.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 RON 15.96

$2.17 ₱137

55.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 RON 6.05

$1.92 ₱121

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 RON 6.79

$1.36 ₱85.4

5.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 RON 8.46

$1.01 ₱63.5

77.23%

Eggs

$3.44 RON 16.27

$2.03 ₱128

69.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.63 RON 40.85

$9.86 ₱621

-12.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.79 RON 32.15

$4.39 ₱277

54.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.40 RON 58.7

$7.60 ₱479

63.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.53 RON 7.24

$3.30 ₱208

-53.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 RON 6.90

$1.39 ₱87.8

5.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 RON 7.45

$2.33 ₱147

-32.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 RON 12.32

$1.50 ₱94.3

73.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.91

$2.36 ₱149

-64.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 RON 4.04

$1.90 ₱119

-55.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 RON 4.25

$1.19 ₱74.9

-24.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 RON 3.59

$0.63 ₱39.71

20.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.92 RON 28.03

$3.00 ₱189

97.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.16 RON 33.86

$6.03 ₱379

18.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 RON 5.56

$1.23 ₱77.7

-4.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 RON 8.87

$1.75 ₱110

6.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 RON 3.60

$0.25 ₱15.86

204.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.20 RON 100

$12.64 ₱796

67.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.01

$0.77 ₱48.62

-16.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 RON 3.12

$0.23 ₱14.53

186.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.70 RON 31.69

$4.46 ₱281

50.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 RON 6.66

$1.31 ₱82.8

7.63%

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

$28.8K RON 136.5K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

35.81%

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

$25.6K RON 120.9K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

33.49%

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

$177 RON 838

$120 ₱7,569

47.33%

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

$7.69 RON 36.39

$14.00 ₱882

-45.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.07 RON 42.92

$27.54 ₱1,734

-67.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.04 RON 180

$32.33 ₱2,035

17.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.64 RON 97.6

$6.65 ₱419

210.38%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 RON 30.69

$5.65 ₱356

14.87%

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

$454 RON 2,146

$275 ₱17.3K

64.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,061 RON 33.4K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-10.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 RON 242

$49.33 ₱3,106

3.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.26 RON 167

$25.24 ₱1,589

39.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 RON 358

$77.0 ₱4,846

-1.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 RON 424

$57.2 ₱3,601

56.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 RON 1,854

$500 ₱31.5K

-21.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$281 RON 1,329

$309 ₱19.4K

-9.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$593 RON 2,806

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-44.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,126

$615 ₱38.7K

-26.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,878 RON 8,887

$2,886 ₱181.7K

-34.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,322 RON 6,253

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-31.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

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

Last update for Medias: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medias

$281 26%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 10% $28

Groceries & Markets

Medias

$222 20.5%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 7.1% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medias

$194 17.9%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 16.6% $32

Eating Out

Medias

$193 17.9%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 54.4% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Medias

$113 10.5%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 17.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Medias

$51 4.7%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 14.5% $7.4

Getting Around

Medias

$28 2.6%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 44.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $392 in Medias and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $53.0 in Medias vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Medias

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

20:18 8:18 PM

01:18 1:18 AM

5 h ahead of Medias

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,564

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 = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medias Cebu 9,910 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medias
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

Medias vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 18% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,623 in Medias 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: $392 in Medias versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,082 per month in Medias versus $918 in Cebu – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 68% less than in Medias. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $918 in Cebu versus $1,082 in Medias, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Medias. 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 Medias, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Medias 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 18% less than in Medias. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.