Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cahul and Leova

For one person, living is cheaper in Cahul: $632 a month against $1,364 in Leova, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Leova
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Leova Living Index

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Cahul

🇲🇩 Moldova

$632

/mo nomad

Leova

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $632 in Cahul versus $1,364 in Leova.

Cahul $632
Leova $1,364

Estimated couple costs with rent: $926 in Cahul versus $2,068 in Leova.

Cahul $926
Leova $2,068

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,219 in Cahul versus $2,772 in Leova.

Cahul $1,219
Leova $2,772

Living in Cahul costs roughly 54% less than in Leova, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cahul is 53% below, Leova is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.58 MDL 152

$10.40 MDL 185

-17.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.38 MDL 415

$33.29 MDL 591

-29.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.32 MDL 183

$9.10 MDL 162

13.41%

Cappuccino

$1.63 MDL 29.00

$0.82 MDL 14.50

98.78%

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

$1.05 MDL 18.73

$0.48 MDL 8.58

118.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 MDL 9.60

$0.40 MDL 7.14

35.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.92 MDL 34.05

$2.52 MDL 44.74

-23.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 MDL 31.39

$2.62 MDL 46.57

-32.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 MDL 22.46

$1.71 MDL 30.31

-26.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 MDL 8.82

$1.52 MDL 27.05

-67.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 MDL 27.25

$1.32 MDL 23.43

15.91%

Eggs

$2.26 MDL 40.21

$1.36 MDL 24.21

66.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.91 MDL 123

$13.92 MDL 247

-50.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.80 MDL 85.2

$2.20 MDL 39.03

118.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.11 MDL 108

$4.09 MDL 72.6

49.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.04 MDL 18.43

$1.28 MDL 22.69

-18.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 MDL 39.41

$0.80 MDL 14.20

177.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 MDL 32.03

$0.90 MDL 16.07

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MDL 41.09

$1.14 MDL 20.21

102.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 MDL 12.90

$1.47 MDL 26.11

-50.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 MDL 9.23

$0.54 MDL 9.55

-3.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 MDL 8.20

$0.44 MDL 7.78

4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MDL 10.20

$1.04 MDL 18.46

-45.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 MDL 60.1

$4.44 MDL 78.8

-23.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.42 MDL 78.5

$14.78 MDL 263

-70.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 MDL 24.60

$1.14 MDL 20.22

21.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 MDL 35.64

$2.65 MDL 47.07

-24.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 MDL 5.19

$0.37 MDL 6.62

-21.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.52 MDL 507

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 MDL 51.4

$2.81 MDL 49.98

2.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 MDL 4.64

$0.59 MDL 10.39

-55.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.50 MDL 97.7

$3.27 MDL 58.2

68.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 MDL 29.07

$1.37 MDL 24.31

19.71%

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

$34.2K MDL 607.9K

$33.6K MDL 597.2K

1.78%

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

$23.8K MDL 422.7K

$34.1K MDL 604.9K

-30.12%

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

$220 MDL 3,913

$186 MDL 3,309

18.27%

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

$7.63 MDL 135

$5.68 MDL 101

34.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.10 MDL 197

$20.79 MDL 369

-46.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.7 MDL 1,504

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.15 MDL 198

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 MDL 133

$4.56 MDL 81.1

63.82%

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

$111 MDL 1,974

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,144 MDL 91.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.70 MDL 812

$84.5 MDL 1,500

-45.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 MDL 996

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.9 MDL 1,011

$94.7 MDL 1,682

-39.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.7 MDL 900

$111 MDL 1,971

-54.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$642 MDL 11.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$535 MDL 9,507

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,483 MDL 26.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,069 MDL 19.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,489 MDL 44.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,928 MDL 34.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$511 MDL 9,072

$645 MDL 11.5K

-20.83%

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 Cahul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Leova: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cahul

$239 37.8%

Leova

$213 15.6% 11% $26

Groceries & Markets

Cahul

$165 26.1%

Leova

$189 13.8% 14.5% $24

Eating Out

Cahul

$139 21.9%

Leova

$142 10.4% 2.2% $3

Clothing & Footwear

Cahul

$69 * 10.9%

Leova

$156 11.4% 126% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Cahul

$15 * 2.4%

Leova

$94 6.9% 527% $79

Getting Around

Cahul

$5.4 * 0.9%

Leova

$36 2.6% 566% $30

Accommodation & Living

Cahul

- * 0%

Leova

$535 39.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

Leova pays 26% 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 $33.00 in Leova for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $165 vs $189 per month, with Cahul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Cahul

🇲🇩 Leova

🕒 Local time

14:36 2:36 PM

Same time as Cahul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,500

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cahul Leova 64 km

From you

Cahul
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

Cahul vs Leova: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cahul wins on cost – living expenses run 116% lower than in Leova. 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 26% lower in Leova. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

All in, you'll spend $632 per month in Cahul versus $1,364 in Leova – a 116% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Leova. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $632 in Cahul versus $1,364 in Leova, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cahul but tight or insufficient in Leova. The gap between the two cities makes Cahul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Cahul and Leova 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 116% less than in Leova. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.