Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balti and Ungheni

For one person, living is cheaper in Ungheni: $647 a month against $974 in Balti, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Ungheni
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Ungheni Living Index

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Balti

🇲🇩 Moldova

$974

/mo nomad

Ungheni

🇲🇩 Moldova

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Balti and in Ungheni

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 Ungheni actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $974 per month in Balti vs $647 in Ungheni, rent included.

Balti $974
Ungheni $647

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Balti vs $1,013 in Ungheni, rent included.

Balti $1,414
Ungheni $1,013

A family of three spends $1,854 per month in Balti vs $1,378 in Ungheni, rent included.

Balti $1,854
Ungheni $1,378

Balti costs about 51% more than Ungheni, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Balti and Ungheni are more affordable than the global median – Balti 28% lower, Ungheni 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.51 MDL 152

$7.17 MDL 128

18.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.53 MDL 402

$22.35 MDL 399

0.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MDL 185

$6.60 MDL 118

56.82%

Cappuccino

$1.74 MDL 31.09

$1.36 MDL 24.36

27.94%

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

$1.06 MDL 18.97

$0.70 MDL 12.54

51.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 MDL 11.68

$0.47 MDL 8.43

38.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.12 MDL 20.06

$0.97 MDL 17.38

15.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 MDL 24.57

$1.35 MDL 24.10

2.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 MDL 21.50

$1.72 MDL 30.70

-30.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.45 MDL 8.02

$0.32 MDL 5.63

40.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 MDL 27.43

$0.87 MDL 15.49

77.01%

Eggs

$2.15 MDL 38.42

$1.93 MDL 34.45

11.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.78 MDL 121

$9.92 MDL 177

-31.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.70 MDL 84.0

$3.99 MDL 71.3

17.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.18 MDL 110

$8.41 MDL 150

-26.52%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 MDL 17.65

$0.43 MDL 7.70

130.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 MDL 40.96

$1.21 MDL 21.68

89.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 MDL 33.59

$1.04 MDL 18.49

80.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 MDL 40.80

$1.14 MDL 20.32

100.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 MDL 12.75

$0.43 MDL 7.75

65.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 MDL 9.20

$0.32 MDL 5.67

62.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 MDL 7.69

$2.21 MDL 39.46

-80.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MDL 9.71

$0.82 MDL 14.57

-34.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 MDL 58.4

$3.29 MDL 58.8

-0.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.34 MDL 77.5

$4.30 MDL 76.8

0.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 MDL 24.17

$1.38 MDL 24.55

-2.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 MDL 35.61

$1.71 MDL 30.61

16.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MDL 6.14

$0.34 MDL 6.12

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.78 MDL 299

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.76 MDL 49.33

$1.65 MDL 29.43

67.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 MDL 4.24

$0.40 MDL 7.18

-40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 MDL 97.3

$3.53 MDL 63.1

54.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 MDL 28.95

$1.41 MDL 25.21

14.89%

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

$33.4K MDL 596.1K

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

$24.1K MDL 429.8K

$20.2K MDL 360.0K

19.37%

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

$220 MDL 3,936

$139 MDL 2,478

58.80%

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

$7.74 MDL 138

$11.09 MDL 198

-30.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.03 MDL 197

$15.86 MDL 283

-30.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.85 MDL 658

$13.86 MDL 247

165.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.34 MDL 274

Cinema Ticket

$7.61 MDL 136

$3.86 MDL 68.8

97.15%

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

$113 MDL 2,009

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,113 MDL 91.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MDL 792

$47.75 MDL 852

-7.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.84 MDL 604

$16.92 MDL 302

100.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.6 MDL 992

$33.66 MDL 601

65.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.9 MDL 909

$66.5 MDL 1,187

-23.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$397 MDL 7,082

$254 MDL 4,534

56.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$280 MDL 4,996

$109 MDL 1,951

156.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$657 MDL 11.7K

$329 MDL 5,867

99.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 MDL 8,844

$276 MDL 4,931

79.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,399 MDL 25.0K

$2,220 MDL 39.6K

-36.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$992 MDL 17.7K

$1,644 MDL 29.3K

-39.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$606 MDL 10.8K

$566 MDL 10.1K

6.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Balti: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ungheni: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Balti

$280 28.7%

Ungheni

$109 16.9% 60.9% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balti

$239 24.6%

Ungheni

$166 25.6% 30.7% $73

Groceries & Markets

Balti

$162 16.7%

Ungheni

$165 25.5% 1.9% $3

Eating Out

Balti

$135 13.9%

Ungheni

$106 16.4% 21.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Balti

$83 8.5%

Ungheni

$74 11.5% 10.8% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Balti

$52 5.4%

Ungheni

$22 3.3% 58.6% $30

Getting Around

Balti

$22 2.3%

Ungheni

$5 * 0.8% 77.3% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $397 in Balti versus $254 in Ungheni. 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 7% higher in Balti, 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 $22 in Ungheni. Groceries tell a different story – $162 in Balti vs $165 in Ungheni – so Balti wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Balti

🇲🇩 Ungheni

🕒 Local time

18:52 6:52 PM

Same time as Balti

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

144,800

38,000

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.6 USD

100 MDL = 5.03 EUR

100 MDL = 5.6 USD

100 MDL = 5.03 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Balti Ungheni 63 km

From you

Balti
Ungheni

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 Ungheni: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $974 in Balti, $647 in Ungheni – roughly 51% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,461 per month in Balti and $970 in Ungheni. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ungheni, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $254 there versus $397 in Balti.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $974 in Balti and $647 in Ungheni. That’s a gap of about 51%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Balti and $22 in Ungheni. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Balti has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $647 in Ungheni to $974 in Balti. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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