Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Miercurea Ciuc and Calamba

For one person, living is cheaper in Calamba: $518 a month against $735 in Miercurea Ciuc, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Miercurea Ciuc
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Miercurea Ciuc Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Calamba
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Calamba Living Index

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Miercurea Ciuc

🇷🇴 Romania

$735

/mo nomad

Calamba

🇵🇭 Philippines

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Miercurea Ciuc and in Calamba

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Miercurea Ciuc and in Calamba actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $735 in Miercurea Ciuc versus $518 in Calamba.

Miercurea Ciuc $735
Calamba $518

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,172 in Miercurea Ciuc versus $764 in Calamba.

Miercurea Ciuc $1,172
Calamba $764

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,609 in Miercurea Ciuc versus $1,010 in Calamba.

Miercurea Ciuc $1,609
Calamba $1,010

Living in Miercurea Ciuc is roughly 42% more expensive than in Calamba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Miercurea Ciuc 46% lower, Calamba 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.29 RON 29.78

$3.92 ₱247

60.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.86 RON 98.7

$12.02 ₱757

73.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.10 RON 28.85

$2.82 ₱178

116.31%

Cappuccino

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.79 ₱113

-3.91%

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

$1.61 RON 7.63

$0.56 ₱35.44

187.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 RON 6.55

$0.33 ₱21.06

321.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 RON 9.56

$0.94 ₱59.5

114.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 RON 9.18

$1.55 ₱97.7

25.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 RON 6.45

$1.60 ₱101

-15.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 RON 5.41

$1.11 ₱70.1

2.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 RON 6.28

$0.97 ₱61.0

37.11%

Eggs

$3.39 RON 16.03

$2.00 ₱126

69.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.97 RON 37.72

$5.20 ₱327

53.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.57 RON 21.61

$3.40 ₱214

34.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.97 RON 37.72

$7.80 ₱491

2.18%

Apples (1kg)

$0.71 RON 3.37

$2.31 ₱145

-69.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.05

$1.54 ₱96.9

-3.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.04

$2.40 ₱151

-37.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$1.06 ₱66.9

133.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$1.73 ₱109

-61.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$1.78 ₱112

-62.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 RON 1.91

$0.61 ₱38.68

-34.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 RON 3.11

$0.49 ₱31.10

34.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 RON 24.05

$2.92 ₱184

73.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.18 RON 24.52

$8.87 ₱558

-41.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 RON 4.49

$0.96 ₱60.3

-1.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 RON 6.04

$2.10 ₱132

-39.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 RON 3.91

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.11 RON 99.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 RON 4.59

$0.82 ₱51.9

18.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 RON 4.03

$0.25 ₱15.75

240.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$1.88 ₱119

355.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.68 RON 7.96

$0.93 ₱58.7

80.65%

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

$24.9K RON 117.8K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

17.86%

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

$24.6K RON 116.4K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

29.38%

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

$114 RON 540

$139 ₱8,759

-17.93%

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

$5.37 RON 25.39

$17.36 ₱1,093

-69.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.08 RON 24.05

$23.85 ₱1,502

-78.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.21 RON 148

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.57 RON 50.0

Cinema Ticket

$4.77 RON 22.55

$5.04 ₱317

-5.36%

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

$446 RON 2,109

$130 ₱8,193

242.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,729 RON 31.8K

$10.6K ₱668.9K

-36.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.42 RON 201

$28.54 ₱1,797

48.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.62 RON 78.6

$19.73 ₱1,242

-15.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 RON 325

$71.0 ₱4,468

-3.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.9 RON 392

$55.3 ₱3,482

49.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$185 RON 878

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$155 RON 731

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 RON 1,957

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 RON 1,750

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,476 RON 6,982

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,363 RON 6,447

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$691 RON 3,270

$260 ₱16.4K

165.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

6.75

1.48%

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

Last update for Miercurea Ciuc: October 12, 2026

Last update for Calamba: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Miercurea Ciuc

$176 23.9%

Calamba

$175 33.7% 0.8% $1.3

Accommodation & Living

Miercurea Ciuc

$155 21%

Calamba

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Miercurea Ciuc

$125 17%

Calamba

$180 34.8% 44.7% $56

Eating Out

Miercurea Ciuc

$115 15.7%

Calamba

$73 14% 36.9% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Miercurea Ciuc

$95 12.9%

Calamba

$79 15.2% 17.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Miercurea Ciuc

$41 5.5%

Calamba

$10 * 1.9% 75.3% $31

Getting Around

Miercurea Ciuc

$30 4%

Calamba

$2.1 * 0.4% 93% $28

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Miercurea Ciuc pays 166% 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: $21.00 in Miercurea Ciuc vs $12.00 in Calamba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $176 vs $175 per month, with Calamba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Miercurea Ciuc

🇵🇭 Calamba

🕒 Local time

15:33 3:33 PM

20:33 8:33 PM

5 h ahead of Miercurea Ciuc

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,966

539,671

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

Miercurea Ciuc Calamba 9,270 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Miercurea Ciuc
Calamba

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

Miercurea Ciuc vs Calamba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calamba wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Miercurea Ciuc. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Calamba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 166% higher in Miercurea Ciuc, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Miercurea Ciuc. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $735 per month in Miercurea Ciuc versus $518 in Calamba – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Calamba gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Miercurea Ciuc and Calamba 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 Calamba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Miercurea Ciuc. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.