Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cahul and Chisinau

For one person, living is cheaper in Cahul: $635 a month against $1,285 in Chisinau, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cahul
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Cahul Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Chisinau
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Chisinau Living Index

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Cahul

🇲🇩 Moldova

$635

/mo nomad

Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $635 in Cahul versus $1,285 in Chisinau.

Cahul $635
Chisinau $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $927 in Cahul versus $1,984 in Chisinau.

Cahul $927
Chisinau $1,984

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,219 in Cahul versus $2,684 in Chisinau.

Cahul $1,219
Chisinau $2,684

Living in Cahul costs roughly 51% less than in Chisinau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cahul 53% lower, Chisinau 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.54 MDL 152

$11.32 MDL 201

-24.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.42 MDL 416

$51.0 MDL 906

-54.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.36 MDL 184

$8.85 MDL 157

17.06%

Cappuccino

$1.67 MDL 29.62

$2.11 MDL 37.43

-20.85%

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

$1.10 MDL 19.60

$1.19 MDL 21.13

-7.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 MDL 10.39

$0.93 MDL 16.53

-37.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 MDL 35.05

$2.25 MDL 40.03

-12.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 MDL 32.05

$1.95 MDL 34.61

-7.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 MDL 21.41

$1.27 MDL 22.56

-4.72%

White Bread (500g)

$0.46 MDL 8.13

$0.73 MDL 12.88

-36.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 MDL 27.58

$1.39 MDL 24.71

11.51%

Eggs

$2.15 MDL 38.13

$2.82 MDL 50.1

-23.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.65 MDL 118

$9.49 MDL 169

-29.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.69 MDL 83.3

$5.07 MDL 90.1

-7.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.09 MDL 108

$8.65 MDL 154

-29.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.00 MDL 17.74

$0.94 MDL 16.72

6.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 MDL 40.16

$1.91 MDL 33.83

18.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 MDL 33.62

$2.11 MDL 37.42

-10.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.28 MDL 40.46

$2.16 MDL 38.28

5.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 MDL 13.69

$0.68 MDL 12.07

13.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 MDL 8.51

$0.56 MDL 10.00

-14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 MDL 8.18

$1.29 MDL 22.95

-64.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MDL 9.76

$0.83 MDL 14.76

-33.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 MDL 58.8

$3.39 MDL 60.2

-2.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.54 MDL 80.7

$4.67 MDL 83.0

-2.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 MDL 25.07

$1.26 MDL 22.44

11.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 MDL 34.54

$1.96 MDL 34.83

-1.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 MDL 4.78

$0.40 MDL 7.16

-32.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.50 MDL 240

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.87 MDL 51.0

$2.29 MDL 40.61

25.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 MDL 4.62

$0.33 MDL 5.83

-21.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MDL 101

$5.11 MDL 90.8

11.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 MDL 27.84

$1.64 MDL 29.20

-4.27%

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

$33.4K MDL 593.4K

$29.5K MDL 524.6K

13.12%

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

$23.8K MDL 422.6K

$29.7K MDL 527.0K

-19.81%

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

$225 MDL 3,990

$239 MDL 4,245

-6.02%

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

$8.06 MDL 143

$9.40 MDL 167

-14.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.01 MDL 196

$10.43 MDL 185

5.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.21 MDL 750

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.30 MDL 361

Cinema Ticket

$7.74 MDL 137

$8.55 MDL 152

-9.47%

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

$111 MDL 1,978

$425 MDL 7,543

-73.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,302 MDL 94.2K

$5,785 MDL 102.7K

-8.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.70 MDL 794

$80.8 MDL 1,434

-44.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.59 MDL 845

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.5 MDL 985

$116 MDL 2,056

-52.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.1 MDL 908

$113 MDL 2,011

-54.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$676 MDL 12.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$431 MDL 7,651

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 MDL 22.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$846 MDL 15.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,680 MDL 47.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,937 MDL 34.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 MDL 8,884

$866 MDL 15.4K

-42.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

-12.09%

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

Last update for Cahul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chisinau: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cahul

$244 38.4%

Chisinau

$259 20.2% 6.2% $15

Groceries & Markets

Cahul

$162 25.6%

Chisinau

$190 14.8% 16.9% $27

Eating Out

Cahul

$140 22%

Chisinau

$166 12.9% 18.9% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Cahul

$68 * 10.7%

Chisinau

$161 12.5% 136% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Cahul

$15 * 2.4%

Chisinau

$59 4.6% 283% $44

Getting Around

Cahul

$5.3 * 0.8%

Chisinau

$19 1.5% 263% $14

Accommodation & Living

Cahul

- * 0%

Chisinau

$431 33.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

Chisinau pays 73% 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: $23.00 in Cahul vs $51.0 in Chisinau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $162 vs $190 per month, with Cahul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Cahul

🇲🇩 Chisinau

🕒 Local time

12:34 12:34 PM

Same time as Cahul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,500

750,000 Capital

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Cahul Chisinau 130 km

From you

Cahul
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

Cahul vs Chisinau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cahul wins on cost – living expenses run 102% lower than in Chisinau. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cahul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 73% 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Chisinau. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $635 per month in Cahul versus $1,285 in Chisinau – a 102% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $635 in Cahul versus $1,285 in Chisinau, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cahul but tight or insufficient in Chisinau. The gap between the two cities makes Cahul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cahul delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $635 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cahul hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cahul 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.

Expats usually find Cahul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 102% less than in Chisinau. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.