Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheras and Chisinau

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheras: $1,139 a month against $1,316 in Chisinau, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chisinau outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

55

Cost of Living Index in Cheras
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Cheras Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Chisinau
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Chisinau Living Index

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Cheras

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,139

/mo nomad

Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,316

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,139 per month in Cheras vs $1,316 in Chisinau, rent included.

Cheras $1,139
Chisinau $1,316

A couple spends around $1,560 per month in Cheras vs $1,991 in Chisinau, rent included.

Cheras $1,560
Chisinau $1,991

A family of three spends $1,982 per month in Cheras vs $2,666 in Chisinau, rent included.

Cheras $1,982
Chisinau $2,666

Cheras is about 13% cheaper than Chisinau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cheras and Chisinau are more affordable than the global median – Cheras 16% lower, Chisinau 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.61 MYR 14.72

$11.34 MDL 203

-68.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.03 MYR 97.9

$56.7 MDL 1,013

-57.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.02 MYR 20.44

$8.14 MDL 146

-38.33%

Cappuccino

$2.99 MYR 12.17

$2.19 MDL 39.17

36.53%

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

$0.91 MYR 3.71

$1.22 MDL 21.73

-25.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.32

$0.90 MDL 16.04

-36.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.33 MYR 17.63

$2.20 MDL 39.35

96.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.32 MYR 25.74

$1.92 MDL 34.36

229.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MYR 7.69

$1.26 MDL 22.60

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 MYR 4.36

$0.71 MDL 12.78

50.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.07

$1.40 MDL 25.00

6.43%

Eggs

$1.78 MYR 7.26

$2.72 MDL 48.60

-34.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.03 MYR 73.5

$9.70 MDL 173

85.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 MYR 18.59

$5.00 MDL 89.5

-8.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.89 MYR 44.39

$8.77 MDL 157

24.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 MYR 14.59

$0.97 MDL 17.38

269.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 MYR 7.58

$1.93 MDL 34.54

-3.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 MYR 10.73

$2.01 MDL 35.99

30.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.80

$2.16 MDL 38.54

-22.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 MYR 8.48

$0.65 MDL 11.66

220.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.73

$0.56 MDL 10.06

194.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 MYR 5.43

$1.30 MDL 23.21

2.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 MYR 2.05

$0.89 MDL 15.97

-43.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MYR 17.53

$3.31 MDL 59.2

29.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.15 MYR 57.7

$4.82 MDL 86.2

193.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 MYR 10.82

$1.22 MDL 21.72

118.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 MYR 12.83

$1.89 MDL 33.81

66.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MYR 3.11

$0.38 MDL 6.75

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.45 MYR 50.7

$13.55 MDL 242

-8.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 MYR 3.84

$2.27 MDL 40.57

-58.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 MYR 1.46

$0.34 MDL 6.15

5.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.17 MYR 37.38

$4.94 MDL 88.3

85.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 MYR 3.52

$1.65 MDL 29.56

-47.88%

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

$45.0K MYR 183.5K

$29.8K MDL 533.4K

51.00%

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

$35.8K MYR 146.0K

$27.6K MDL 494.3K

29.57%

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

$49.55 MYR 202

$241 MDL 4,301

-79.40%

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

$10.91 MYR 44.46

$9.32 MDL 167

17.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.88 MYR 114

$10.33 MDL 185

169.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 MYR 212

$42.89 MDL 767

21.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.66 MYR 27.12

$20.55 MDL 367

-67.59%

Cinema Ticket

$4.99 MYR 20.35

$8.33 MDL 149

-40.10%

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

$164 MYR 667

$430 MDL 7,681

-61.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,411 MYR 18.0K

$5,720 MDL 102.3K

-22.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.6 MYR 218

$78.1 MDL 1,396

-31.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.08 MYR 123

$45.91 MDL 821

-34.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.9 MYR 334

$112 MDL 2,011

-27.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.3 MYR 396

$117 MDL 2,089

-16.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 MYR 1,574

$691 MDL 12.4K

-44.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 MYR 1,886

$463 MDL 8,275

0.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$666 MYR 2,713

$1,257 MDL 22.5K

-47.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 MYR 1,995

$803 MDL 14.3K

-38.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,001 MYR 8,155

$2,585 MDL 46.2K

-22.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,081 MYR 4,402

$1,861 MDL 33.3K

-41.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,161 MYR 4,730

$864 MDL 15.5K

34.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

9.17

-55.73%

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

Last update for Cheras: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chisinau: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cheras

$463 40.6%

Chisinau

$463 35.2% 0% $0.1

Groceries & Markets

Cheras

$269 23.6%

Chisinau

$190 14.5% 29.2% $79

Eating Out

Cheras

$120 10.5%

Chisinau

$165 12.5% 37.3% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Cheras

$118 10.4%

Chisinau

$159 12.1% 34.4% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cheras

$88 7.8%

Chisinau

$260 19.8% 195% $172

Sport & Entertainment

Cheras

$62 5.5%

Chisinau

$60 4.5% 4% $2.5

Getting Around

Cheras

$18 1.6%

Chisinau

$19 1.5% 4.5% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $386 in Cheras versus $691 in Chisinau. 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 34% higher in Cheras, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Cheras versus $57 in Chisinau. Groceries tell a different story – $269 in Cheras vs $190 in Chisinau – so Chisinau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Cheras

🇲🇩 Chisinau

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

23:07 11:07 PM

6 h behind Cheras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

440,000

750,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

100 MDL = 5.59 USD

100 MDL = 5.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 17.88 MDL (100 MDL = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 19.9 MDL (100 MDL = 5.02 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cheras Chisinau 8,470 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cheras
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

Cheras vs Chisinau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chisinau is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,708 per month in Cheras and $1,974 in Chisinau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cheras, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $386 there versus $691 in Chisinau.

Interestingly, groceries are about 29% cheaper in Chisinau – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Cheras and $57 in Chisinau. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,139 in Cheras and $1,316 in Chisinau, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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