Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Moldova

Name: Moldova
Address: MD

For one person, living is cheaper in Moldova: $1,185 a month against $2,589 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Moldova
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Moldova Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,589

/mo nomad

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Moldova

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

A single person spends $2,589 per month in Australia vs $1,185 in Moldova, rent included.

Australia $2,589
Moldova $1,185

A couple spends around $3,789 per month in Australia vs $1,768 in Moldova, rent included.

Australia $3,789
Moldova $1,768

A family of three spends $4,990 per month in Australia vs $2,352 in Moldova, rent included.

Australia $4,990
Moldova $2,352

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,299) than in Moldova ($356–$1,356), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 118% higher than in Moldova on average.

Australia sits 91% above the global median, while Moldova is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.24 A$24.73

$9.10 MDL 163

89.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.1 A$122

$33.05 MDL 592

157.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.18 A$16.04

$8.47 MDL 152

32.00%

Cappuccino

$4.01 A$5.75

$1.80 MDL 32.18

122.78%

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

$2.90 A$4.16

$1.06 MDL 19.05

173.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 A$3.30

$0.72 MDL 12.98

219.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.74 A$11.11

$1.91 MDL 34.16

305.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.71

$1.98 MDL 35.41

312.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 A$2.48

$1.21 MDL 21.69

42.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 A$3.86

$0.61 MDL 10.92

340.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.21

$1.33 MDL 23.78

68.42%

Eggs

$4.95 A$7.10

$2.71 MDL 48.48

82.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 A$13.52

$9.45 MDL 169

-0.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.40 A$13.48

$5.10 MDL 91.3

84.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.30 A$21.95

$8.33 MDL 149

83.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 A$5.24

$0.94 MDL 16.91

288.30%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 A$4.42

$1.84 MDL 33.03

67.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 A$4.69

$1.89 MDL 33.90

73.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 A$6.58

$2.10 MDL 37.68

118.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 A$4.06

$0.71 MDL 12.65

298.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 A$3.25

$0.57 MDL 10.15

296.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 A$3.41

$1.28 MDL 22.89

85.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 A$2.38

$0.85 MDL 15.24

95.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.43 A$55.1

$3.37 MDL 60.3

1040.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.21 A$20.39

$4.53 MDL 81.2

213.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.95 A$7.11

$1.23 MDL 21.99

302.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 A$7.36

$1.98 MDL 35.46

159.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.37 MDL 6.69

564.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.0 A$133

$15.39 MDL 276

504.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 A$5.25

$2.24 MDL 40.14

63.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 A$2.61

$0.31 MDL 5.63

487.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.83 A$62.9

$5.07 MDL 90.9

764.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.93

$1.62 MDL 28.94

-16.67%

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

$29.8K A$42.8K

$29.7K MDL 532.2K

0.44%

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

$26.1K A$37.4K

$28.2K MDL 504.3K

-7.32%

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

$208 A$299

$219 MDL 3,919

-4.89%

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

$29.05 A$41.67

$9.14 MDL 164

217.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.7 A$84.2

$10.67 MDL 191

449.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 A$80.9

$40.65 MDL 728

38.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.40 A$27.84

$17.87 MDL 320

8.56%

Cinema Ticket

$15.11 A$21.68

$8.19 MDL 147

84.49%

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

$2,113 A$3,031

$388 MDL 6,945

444.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K A$33.1K

$7,593 MDL 136.0K

203.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$66.3 MDL 1,187

20.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 A$77.8

$40.97 MDL 734

32.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$160

$102 MDL 1,820

9.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 A$179

$108 MDL 1,940

15.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,620 A$2,325

$588 MDL 10.5K

175.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,256 A$1,802

$401 MDL 7,174

213.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,616 A$3,753

$1,142 MDL 20.4K

129.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,007 A$2,880

$733 MDL 13.1K

173.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,539 A$12.3K

$2,427 MDL 43.5K

251.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,404 A$9,187

$1,764 MDL 31.6K

263.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,931 A$5,639

$760 MDL 13.6K

416.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

8.76

-31.96%

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

Last update for Australia: November 3, 2026

Last update for Moldova: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.3K 48.5%

Moldova

$401 33.8% 68.1% $855

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$373 14.4%

Moldova

$185 15.6% 50.4% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$296 11.4%

Moldova

$239 20.1% 19.3% $57

Eating Out

Australia

$295 11.4%

Moldova

$140 11.9% 52.5% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$167 6.4%

Moldova

$143 12.1% 14.3% $24

Getting Around

Australia

$116 4.5%

Moldova

$21 1.8% 82.1% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$87 3.4%

Moldova

$57 4.8% 34.2% $30

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,381 in Australia vs $402 in Moldova. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,761 in Canberra and $700 in Chisinau.

Average salary: $3,863 in Australia vs $543 in Moldova. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 244% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 219% more in Australia.

Public transport is 372% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are about 7.1 times higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇲🇩 Moldova

🕒 Local time

19:16 7:16 PM

10:16 10:16 AM

9 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

2,603,813

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.697 USD

1 AUD = 0.622 EUR

100 MDL = 5.58 USD

100 MDL = 4.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.697 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.622 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 17.91 MDL (100 MDL = 5.58 USD). 1 EUR = 20.08 MDL (100 MDL = 4.98 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Australia Moldova 14,980 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Moldova

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

Australia vs Moldova: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Moldova is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 54% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,381 versus $402 in Moldova.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Moldova – part of why living there is about 54% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Moldova, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Moldova is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.