Cost of living comparison
compared to
Manila vs. Zalau Cost of Living Summary
Manila is 3.0% more expensive than Zalau.
- Restaurants
-
pay 37.0% less in Manila
- Groceries
-
pay 98.6% more in Manila
- Transportation
-
pay 33.8% less in Manila
- Housing
-
pay 88.5% more in Manila
- Childcare
-
pay 90.1% less in Manila
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 0.6% more in Manila
- Clothing
-
pay 5.6% less in Manila
The cost of groceries, housing, and entertainment and sports in Manila are more expensive than in Zalau. Expenses including childcare, restaurants, transportation, and clothing are lower in Manila. Notably, groceries and housing are significantly more expensive in Manila.
Manila vs. Zalau Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Manila instead of Zalau, you would:
pay 37.0% less for restaurants
|
Zalau
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$8.05
RON34.91
|
$6.02
₱355.94
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.75
RON24.94
|
$4.30
₱254.24
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.61
RON6.98
|
$0.97
₱57.42
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.20
RON5.19
|
$0.50
₱29.77
|
|
Zalau vs. Manila - Cost of restaurants
pay 98.6% more for groceries
|
Zalau
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.26
RON5.45
|
$1.33
₱78.84
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.31
RON18.70
|
$4.28
₱252.76
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.66
RON24.54
|
$7.32
₱432.73
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.21
RON9.58
|
$2.21
₱130.84
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.77
RON11.99
|
$2.28
₱134.98
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.42
RON1.81
|
$1.52
₱89.60
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.61
RON2.64
|
$0.82
₱48.61
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.68
RON2.94
|
$1.64
₱96.75
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.89
RON3.85
|
$1.02
₱60.52
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.31
RON1.36
|
$1.17
₱69.16
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.31
RON1.36
|
$1.37
₱81.25
|
|
Zalau vs. Manila - Cost of groceries
pay 33.8% less for transportation
|
Zalau
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.00
RON26.00
|
$4.18
₱247.09
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$19.55
RON84.78
|
$13.76
₱813.57
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,327.85
RON122,826.72
|
$25,288.58
₱1,494,934.54
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.28
RON35.91
|
$2.92
₱172.88
|
|
Zalau vs. Manila - Cost of transportation
pay 88.5% more for housing
|
Zalau
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$6.90
RON29.92
|
$27.10
₱1,602.13
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$291.85
RON1,265.42
|
$512.96
₱30,323.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$233.48
RON1,012.33
|
$251.74
₱14,881.48
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$129.74
RON562.53
|
$100.49
₱5,940.52
|
|
Zalau vs. Manila - Cost of housing
pay 90.1% less for childcare
|
Zalau
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,401.10
RON6,075.02
|
$138.58
₱8,192.20
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | ?? |
$17,035.39
₱1,007,046.89
|
|
Zalau vs. Manila - Cost of childcare
pay 0.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Zalau
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.07
RON8.98
|
$1.46
₱86.44
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.07
RON8.98
|
$2.59
₱152.95
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$5.52
RON23.94
|
$3.27
₱193.22
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$35.66
RON154.60
|
$42.13
₱2,490.71
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.75
RON24.94
|
$7.48
₱442.38
|
|
Zalau vs. Manila - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 5.6% less for clothing
|
Zalau
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$57.51
RON249.36
|
$49.23
₱2,910.08
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$32.21
RON139.64
|
$29.70
₱1,755.55
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$63.26
RON274.30
|
$80.85
₱4,779.65
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$69.01
RON299.23
|
$49.70
₱2,937.78
|
|
Zalau vs. Manila - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in Romania vs. Philippines.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Romania and Philippines.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Manila or Zalau. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.