Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Moldova

Name: Moldova
Address: MD

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $789 a month against $1,185 in Moldova, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Moldova
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Moldova Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$789

/mo nomad

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Moldova

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in China and in Moldova actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $789 in China versus $1,185 in Moldova.

China $789
Moldova $1,185

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,254 in China versus $1,768 in Moldova.

China $1,254
Moldova $1,768

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,720 in China versus $2,352 in Moldova.

China $1,720
Moldova $2,352

China ($468–$1,246) and Moldova ($356–$1,356) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in China costs about 33% less than in Moldova on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: China 42% lower, Moldova 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.04 ¥20.25

$9.10 MDL 163

-66.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.12 ¥147

$33.05 MDL 592

-33.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.37 ¥35.75

$8.47 MDL 152

-36.60%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ¥19.54

$1.80 MDL 32.18

62.78%

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

$0.48 ¥3.21

$1.06 MDL 19.05

-54.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.01

$0.72 MDL 12.98

-58.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.07 ¥7.15

$1.91 MDL 34.16

-43.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.69

$1.98 MDL 35.41

11.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥12.01

$1.21 MDL 21.69

48.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.76

$0.61 MDL 10.92

165.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.58

$1.33 MDL 23.78

-25.56%

Eggs

$1.62 ¥10.80

$2.71 MDL 48.48

-40.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.44 ¥89.5

$9.45 MDL 169

42.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.46 ¥23.05

$5.10 MDL 91.3

-32.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.15 ¥74.2

$8.33 MDL 149

33.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.60

$0.94 MDL 16.91

101.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.72

$1.84 MDL 33.03

-28.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ¥9.97

$1.89 MDL 33.90

-20.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.90

$2.10 MDL 37.68

-36.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.77

$0.71 MDL 12.65

1.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.57 MDL 10.15

63.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ¥4.35

$1.28 MDL 22.89

-49.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.98

$0.85 MDL 15.24

-29.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 ¥25.43

$3.37 MDL 60.3

13.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.18 ¥81.1

$4.53 MDL 81.2

168.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥6.04

$1.23 MDL 21.99

-26.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥10.96

$1.98 MDL 35.46

-16.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.37 MDL 6.69

-21.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.07 ¥120

$15.39 MDL 276

17.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.22

$2.24 MDL 40.14

-31.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.46

$0.31 MDL 5.63

19.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.69 ¥44.58

$5.07 MDL 90.9

31.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥8.50

$1.62 MDL 28.94

-20.99%

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

$19.7K ¥131.5K

$29.7K MDL 532.2K

-33.57%

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

$17.5K ¥116.3K

$28.2K MDL 504.3K

-38.01%

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

$55.3 ¥368

$219 MDL 3,919

-74.72%

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

$8.32 ¥55.4

$9.14 MDL 164

-8.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.12 ¥74.1

$10.67 MDL 191

4.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.65 ¥264

$40.65 MDL 728

-2.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.17 ¥101

$17.87 MDL 320

-15.11%

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 ¥44.27

$8.19 MDL 147

-18.80%

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

$514 ¥3,426

$388 MDL 6,945

32.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.9K ¥232.5K

$7,593 MDL 136.0K

359.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.85 ¥305

$66.3 MDL 1,187

-30.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.41 ¥236

$40.97 MDL 734

-13.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.0 ¥506

$102 MDL 1,820

-25.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.0 ¥533

$108 MDL 1,940

-26.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 ¥2,528

$588 MDL 10.5K

-35.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 ¥1,543

$401 MDL 7,174

-42.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 ¥5,565

$1,142 MDL 20.4K

-26.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ¥3,075

$733 MDL 13.1K

-37.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,743 ¥31.6K

$2,427 MDL 43.5K

95.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,383 ¥15.9K

$1,764 MDL 31.6K

35.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,117 ¥7,438

$760 MDL 13.6K

46.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.45

8.76

-60.62%

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

Last update for China: November 1, 2026

Last update for Moldova: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$232 29.4%

Moldova

$401 33.8% 72.9% $169

Groceries & Markets

China

$212 26.8%

Moldova

$185 15.6% 12.7% $27

Clothing & Footwear

China

$107 13.5%

Moldova

$143 12.1% 33.7% $36

Eating Out

China

$89 11.2%

Moldova

$140 11.9% 58.6% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$75 9.5%

Moldova

$239 20.1% 219% $164

Sport & Entertainment

China

$53 6.7%

Moldova

$57 4.8% 7.7% $4.1

Getting Around

China

$23 2.9%

Moldova

$21 1.8% 8.4% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $402 in Moldova. Capital cities: $942 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $700 in Chisinau.

National salary averages: $881 in China, $543 in Moldova. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 35% higher in Moldova.

Dining out costs 18% more in Moldova.

Salaries are 62% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇲🇩 Moldova

🕒 Local time

16:16 4:16 PM

10:16 10:16 AM

6 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

2,603,813

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

100 MDL = 5.58 USD

100 MDL = 4.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.47 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 17.91 MDL (100 MDL = 5.58 USD). 1 EUR = 20.08 MDL (100 MDL = 4.98 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

China Moldova 6,730 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Moldova

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

China vs Moldova: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $789 per month in China and $1,185 in Moldova, China comes out about 33% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $402 in Moldova and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.