Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bender and Leova

For one person, living is cheaper in Bender: $670 a month against $1,369 in Leova, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Bender
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Bender Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Leova
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Leova Living Index

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Bender

🇲🇩 Moldova

$670

/mo nomad

Leova

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,369

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bender 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 Bender and in Leova actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $670 per month in Bender vs $1,369 in Leova, rent included.

Bender $670
Leova $1,369

A couple spends around $969 per month in Bender vs $2,074 in Leova, rent included.

Bender $969
Leova $2,074

A family of three spends $1,268 per month in Bender vs $2,780 in Leova, rent included.

Bender $1,268
Leova $2,780

Bender is about 51% cheaper than Leova, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Bender sits 50% below the global median, while Leova is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 MDL 114

$10.16 MDL 180

-36.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.91 MDL 318

$33.47 MDL 595

-46.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.74 MDL 102

$9.28 MDL 165

-38.15%

Cappuccino

$1.23 MDL 21.90

$0.85 MDL 15.16

44.71%

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

$0.99 MDL 17.55

$0.52 MDL 9.21

90.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 MDL 8.44

$0.40 MDL 7.18

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.90 MDL 16.00

$2.58 MDL 45.79

-65.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 MDL 30.72

$2.66 MDL 47.17

-34.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 MDL 16.30

$1.71 MDL 30.33

-46.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 MDL 8.94

$1.48 MDL 26.35

-66.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MDL 25.28

$1.31 MDL 23.29

8.40%

Eggs

$1.93 MDL 34.35

$1.30 MDL 23.10

48.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.86 MDL 68.6

$14.20 MDL 252

-72.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.37 MDL 77.5

$2.29 MDL 40.66

90.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.34 MDL 94.8

$4.09 MDL 72.6

30.56%

Apples (1kg)

$0.82 MDL 14.60

$1.33 MDL 23.70

-38.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 MDL 31.35

$0.86 MDL 15.26

105.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 MDL 32.98

$0.96 MDL 17.06

93.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 MDL 33.03

$1.14 MDL 20.25

63.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 MDL 12.60

$1.50 MDL 26.62

-52.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 MDL 9.11

$0.57 MDL 10.13

-10.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 MDL 9.64

$0.43 MDL 7.70

25.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 MDL 14.08

$0.99 MDL 17.53

-20.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.77 MDL 49.13

$4.42 MDL 78.6

-37.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.45 MDL 43.51

$15.16 MDL 269

-83.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MDL 9.49

$1.09 MDL 19.30

-51.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 MDL 34.63

$2.60 MDL 46.21

-25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 MDL 6.67

$0.40 MDL 7.14

-5.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.63 MDL 508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 MDL 38.77

$2.86 MDL 50.9

-23.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 MDL 4.78

$0.55 MDL 9.73

-50.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.14 MDL 91.2

$3.44 MDL 61.1

49.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 MDL 25.14

$1.44 MDL 25.60

-1.39%

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

$30.0K MDL 532.3K

$33.1K MDL 588.1K

-9.49%

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

$29.4K MDL 522.1K

$34.4K MDL 611.3K

-14.58%

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

$238 MDL 4,228

$190 MDL 3,374

25.30%

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

$9.65 MDL 171

$5.61 MDL 99.7

72.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.67 MDL 190

$20.34 MDL 361

-47.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.5 MDL 1,483

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.17 MDL 198

Cinema Ticket

$8.16 MDL 145

$4.60 MDL 81.8

77.39%

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

$435 MDL 7,720

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,724 MDL 101.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.1 MDL 1,387

$82.2 MDL 1,460

-4.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.41 MDL 842

$55.8 MDL 991

-15.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 MDL 2,003

$96.5 MDL 1,713

16.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 MDL 2,027

$111 MDL 1,966

3.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$296 MDL 5,261

$625 MDL 11.1K

-52.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$537 MDL 9,543

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,536 MDL 27.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,074 MDL 19.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,425 MDL 43.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 MDL 34.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$309 MDL 5,495

$635 MDL 11.3K

-51.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

7.19

26.56%

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

Last update for Bender: October 12, 2026

Last update for Leova: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bender

$258 38.6%

Leova

$216 15.8% 16.4% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Bender

$159 23.7%

Leova

$155 11.4% 2.1% $3.3

Groceries & Markets

Bender

$135 20.1%

Leova

$190 13.9% 41.1% $55

Eating Out

Bender

$97 14.5%

Leova

$141 10.3% 45.4% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Bender

$16 * 2.4%

Leova

$93 6.8% 468% $76

Getting Around

Bender

$5 * 0.8%

Leova

$36 2.6% 613% $31

Accommodation & Living

Bender

- * 0%

Leova

$537 39.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $296 in Bender versus $625 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 105% 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 $18.00 in Bender versus $33.00 in Leova. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $135 vs $190 – making Bender the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Bender

🇲🇩 Leova

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

Same time as Bender

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

97,027

10,900

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bender Leova 100 km

From you

Bender
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

Bender vs Leova: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Leova is pricier by about 104%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,005 per month in Bender and $2,053 in Leova. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bender, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Leova, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18.00 in Bender and $33.00 in Leova. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bender, where all-in costs run around $670, than in Leova at $1,369. In Bender it covers expenses comfortably, while in Leova it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bender – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Bender. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Leova makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.