Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balti and Leova

For one person, living is cheaper in Balti: $974 a month against $1,341 in Leova, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Balti
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Balti Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Leova
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Leova Living Index

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Balti

🇲🇩 Moldova

$974

/mo nomad

Leova

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,341

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Balti and in Leova

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

A single person spends $974 per month in Balti vs $1,341 in Leova, rent included.

Balti $974
Leova $1,341

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Balti vs $2,057 in Leova, rent included.

Balti $1,414
Leova $2,057

A family of three spends $1,854 per month in Balti vs $2,773 in Leova, rent included.

Balti $1,854
Leova $2,773

Balti is about 27% cheaper than Leova, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.51 MDL 152

$10.31 MDL 184

-17.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.53 MDL 402

$33.24 MDL 593

-32.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MDL 184

$8.94 MDL 159

15.77%

Cappuccino

$1.74 MDL 31.05

$0.81 MDL 14.53

114.81%

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

$1.06 MDL 18.95

$0.49 MDL 8.69

116.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 MDL 11.67

$0.40 MDL 7.21

62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.12 MDL 20.04

$2.48 MDL 44.29

-54.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 MDL 24.54

$2.64 MDL 47.00

-47.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 MDL 21.48

$1.69 MDL 30.08

-28.99%

White Bread (500g)

$0.45 MDL 8.01

$1.47 MDL 26.20

-69.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 MDL 27.40

$1.38 MDL 24.57

11.59%

Eggs

$2.15 MDL 38.38

$1.36 MDL 24.32

58.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.78 MDL 121

$13.70 MDL 244

-50.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.70 MDL 83.9

$2.29 MDL 40.89

105.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.18 MDL 110

$4.03 MDL 71.8

53.35%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 MDL 17.63

$1.28 MDL 22.80

-22.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 MDL 40.91

$0.86 MDL 15.31

166.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 MDL 33.56

$0.94 MDL 16.74

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 MDL 40.75

$1.09 MDL 19.41

110.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 MDL 12.73

$1.52 MDL 27.16

-53.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 MDL 9.19

$0.53 MDL 9.50

-1.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 MDL 7.69

$0.46 MDL 8.26

-6.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MDL 9.70

$0.98 MDL 17.51

-44.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 MDL 58.4

$4.41 MDL 78.7

-25.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.34 MDL 77.4

$14.81 MDL 264

-70.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 MDL 24.14

$1.13 MDL 20.18

19.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 MDL 35.57

$2.67 MDL 47.62

-25.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MDL 6.13

$0.37 MDL 6.68

-8.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.78 MDL 299

$27.71 MDL 494

-39.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.76 MDL 49.28

$2.72 MDL 48.49

1.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 MDL 4.24

$0.54 MDL 9.55

-55.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 MDL 97.2

$3.42 MDL 61.0

59.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 MDL 28.92

$1.35 MDL 24.06

20.00%

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

$33.4K MDL 595.4K

$34.1K MDL 607.8K

-2.04%

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

$24.1K MDL 429.3K

$34.0K MDL 605.3K

-29.09%

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

$220 MDL 3,931

$184 MDL 3,276

19.99%

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

$7.74 MDL 138

$5.51 MDL 98.3

40.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.03 MDL 197

$20.70 MDL 369

-46.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.85 MDL 657

$83.2 MDL 1,484

-55.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.34 MDL 274

$11.26 MDL 201

36.23%

Cinema Ticket

$7.61 MDL 136

$4.52 MDL 80.5

68.36%

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

$113 MDL 2,007

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,113 MDL 91.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MDL 791

$83.7 MDL 1,491

-46.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.84 MDL 603

$54.4 MDL 969

-37.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.6 MDL 991

$95.4 MDL 1,700

-41.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.9 MDL 908

$110 MDL 1,959

-53.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$397 MDL 7,074

$641 MDL 11.4K

-38.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$280 MDL 4,990

$521 MDL 9,294

-46.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$657 MDL 11.7K

$1,506 MDL 26.8K

-56.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 MDL 8,834

$1,086 MDL 19.4K

-54.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,399 MDL 24.9K

$2,489 MDL 44.4K

-43.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$992 MDL 17.7K

$1,885 MDL 33.6K

-47.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$606 MDL 10.8K

$653 MDL 11.6K

-7.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.19

11.27%

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

Last update for Balti: October 26, 2026

Last update for Leova: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Balti

$280 28.7%

Leova

$521 38.9% 86.2% $241

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balti

$239 24.6%

Leova

$210 15.7% 12.2% $29

Groceries & Markets

Balti

$162 16.7%

Leova

$188 14% 15.8% $26

Eating Out

Balti

$135 13.9%

Leova

$140 10.5% 3.7% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Balti

$83 8.5%

Leova

$154 11.5% 85.8% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Balti

$52 5.4%

Leova

$92 6.9% 77.2% $40

Getting Around

Balti

$22 2.3%

Leova

$35 2.6% 56.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $397 in Balti versus $641 in Leova. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 8% higher in Leova, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Balti versus $33 in Leova. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $162 vs $188 – making Balti the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Balti

🇲🇩 Leova

🕒 Local time

03:45 3:45 AM

Same time as Balti

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

144,800

10,900

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.61 USD

100 MDL = 5.02 EUR

100 MDL = 5.61 USD

100 MDL = 5.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Balti Leova 140 km

From you

Balti
Leova

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

Balti vs Leova: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $974 in Balti, $1,341 in Leova – Balti comes out roughly 27% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,461 per month in Balti and $2,011 in Leova. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Balti, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $397 there versus $641 in Leova.

Public transport costs about 39% less in Balti. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Leova, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Balti, where all-in costs run around $974, than in Leova at $1,341. In Balti it covers expenses comfortably, while in Leova it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Balti has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $974 in Balti to $1,341 in Leova. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Balti. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Leova makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.