Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aguascalientes and Chisinau

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguascalientes: $1,092 a month against $1,285 in Chisinau, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chisinau outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Aguascalientes
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,092
/mo nomad
Chisinau
🇲🇩 Moldova
$1,285
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aguascalientes and in Chisinau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,092 in Aguascalientes versus $1,285 in Chisinau.

  • Aguascalientes $1,092
  • Chisinau $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,731 in Aguascalientes versus $1,984 in Chisinau.

  • Aguascalientes $1,731
  • Chisinau $1,984

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,369 in Aguascalientes versus $2,684 in Chisinau.

  • Aguascalientes $2,369
  • Chisinau $2,684

Living in Aguascalientes costs roughly 15% less than in Chisinau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Aguascalientes 19% lower, Chisinau 5% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Aguascalientes
Chisinau
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.38 MX$229
$11.32 MDL 201
9.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.61 MX$806
$51.0 MDL 906
-14.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.11 MX$131
$8.85 MDL 157
-19.66%
Cappuccino
$3.66 MX$67.6
$2.11 MDL 37.43
73.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$30.86
$1.19 MDL 21.13
40.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.25 MX$23.02
$0.93 MDL 16.53
34.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.22 MX$41.02
$2.25 MDL 40.03
-1.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.34 MX$61.7
$1.95 MDL 34.61
71.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Aguascalientes
Chisinau
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 MX$27.63
$1.27 MDL 22.56
18.11%
White Bread (500g)
$2.18 MX$40.35
$0.73 MDL 12.88
198.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$28.40
$1.39 MDL 24.71
10.79%
Eggs
$2.48 MX$45.90
$2.82 MDL 50.1
-12.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.06 MX$149
$9.49 MDL 169
-15.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.17 MX$151
$5.07 MDL 90.1
61.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.64 MX$215
$8.65 MDL 154
34.57%
Apples (1kg)
$2.22 MX$40.93
$0.94 MDL 16.72
136.17%
Banana (1kg)
$1.32 MX$24.42
$1.91 MDL 33.83
-30.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.54 MX$28.51
$2.11 MDL 37.42
-27.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.69 MX$31.21
$2.16 MDL 38.28
-21.76%
Potato (1kg)
$1.57 MX$28.92
$0.68 MDL 12.07
130.88%
Onion (1kg)
$1.41 MX$26.06
$0.56 MDL 10.00
151.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 MX$18.90
$1.29 MDL 22.95
-20.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 MX$15.61
$0.83 MDL 14.76
1.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.49 MX$83.0
$3.39 MDL 60.2
32.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.92 MX$165
$4.67 MDL 83.0
91.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.83 MX$33.90
$1.26 MDL 22.44
45.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.32 MX$61.3
$1.96 MDL 34.83
69.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Aguascalientes
Chisinau
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.63 MX$11.62
$0.40 MDL 7.16
57.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$24.57 MX$454
$13.50 MDL 240
82.00%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.26 MX$23.28
$2.29 MDL 40.61
-44.98%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.10 MX$20.36
$0.33 MDL 5.83
233.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.79 MX$199
$5.11 MDL 90.8
111.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 MX$28.16
$1.64 MDL 29.20
-7.32%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.5K MX$396.5K
$29.5K MDL 524.6K
-27.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K MX$437.8K
$29.7K MDL 527.0K
-20.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Aguascalientes
Chisinau
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$55.3 MX$1,023
$239 MDL 4,245
-76.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.53 MX$453
$9.40 MDL 167
160.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.95 MX$461
$10.43 MDL 185
139.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Aguascalientes
Chisinau
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.67 MX$585
$42.21 MDL 750
-24.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.89 MX$405
$20.30 MDL 361
7.83%
Cinema Ticket
$5.21 MX$96.4
$8.55 MDL 152
-39.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Aguascalientes
Chisinau
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$211 MX$3,894
$425 MDL 7,543
-50.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,871 MX$53.0K
$5,785 MDL 102.7K
-50.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Aguascalientes
Chisinau
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.1 MX$1,018
$80.8 MDL 1,434
-31.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.63 MX$695
$47.59 MDL 845
-20.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 MX$1,900
$116 MDL 2,056
-11.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.4 MX$1,319
$113 MDL 2,011
-36.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Aguascalientes
Chisinau
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$502 MX$9,285
$676 MDL 12.0K
-25.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$356 MX$6,577
$431 MDL 7,651
-17.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$806 MX$14.9K
$1,258 MDL 22.3K
-35.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$628 MX$11.6K
$846 MDL 15.0K
-25.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,163 MX$21.5K
$2,680 MDL 47.6K
-56.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,194 MX$22.1K
$1,937 MDL 34.4K
-38.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Aguascalientes
Chisinau
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$854 MX$15.8K
$866 MDL 15.4K
-1.42%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.2
9.1
23.08%

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

Last update for Aguascalientes: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chisinau: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Aguascalientes
$356
Chisinau
$431 21% $75
Groceries & Markets
Aguascalientes
$242
Chisinau
$190 21.5% $52
Eating Out
Aguascalientes
$194
Chisinau
$166 14.3% $28
Clothing & Footwear
Aguascalientes
$120
Chisinau
$161 33.9% $41
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Aguascalientes
$105
Chisinau
$259 147% $154
Sport & Entertainment
Aguascalientes
$42
Chisinau
$59 40.9% $17
Getting Around
Aguascalientes
$34
Chisinau
$19 43.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $502 in Aguascalientes and $676 in Chisinau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chisinau pays 1% 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: $44.00 in Aguascalientes vs $51.0 in Chisinau. Groceries flip the comparison at $242 vs $190, with Chisinau cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Aguascalientes
🇲🇩 Chisinau
🕒 Local time
09:53 9:53 AM
18:53 6:53 PM
9 h ahead of Aguascalientes
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
863,893
750,000 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 17.76 MDL (100 MDL = 5.63 USD). 1 EUR = 19.97 MDL (100 MDL = 5.01 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Aguascalientes Chisinau 10,920 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Aguascalientes
  • Chisinau

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
Aguascalientes vs Chisinau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Chisinau cheaper than Aguascalientes?
Aguascalientes is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and leisure. The 18% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Aguascalientes or Chisinau?
On paper, salaries run 1% lower in Chisinau. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Aguascalientes and Chisinau?
Rent for a central apartment: $502 in Aguascalientes versus $676 in Chisinau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Aguascalientes runs roughly 82% less than in Chisinau. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $211 in Aguascalientes versus $425 in Chisinau. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Aguascalientes or in Chisinau?
At $1,092 in Aguascalientes versus $1,285 in Chisinau, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Aguascalientes but tight or insufficient in Chisinau. The gap between the two cities makes Aguascalientes the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Aguascalientes or Chisinau more family-friendly?
For families, Aguascalientes is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Chisinau, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Aguascalientes or Chisinau?
Safety-wise, Aguascalientes and Chisinau are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Aguascalientes gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Chisinau. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Aguascalientes vs other spots: cost of living compared

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