Cost of Living Comparison Between Chisinau and Almaty Cost of Living Comparison Between Chisinau and Almaty

😐 Solo nomad: Chisinau is 0.8% more expensive than Almaty without rent, and 19.1% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chisinau is 1.8% cheaper than Almaty without rent, and 4.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chisinau
Almaty
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.89 MDL 153
$8.01 ₸3,981
10.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.59 MDL 632
$38.87 ₸19.3K
-5.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.65 MDL 132
$7.02 ₸3,492
8.97%
Cappuccino
$1.82 MDL 31.46
$2.38 ₸1,183
-23.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 MDL 16.09
$0.91 ₸453
2.20%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.69 MDL 11.99
$0.54 ₸267
27.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.79 MDL 30.87
$1.34 ₸667
33.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 MDL 41.53
$2.86 ₸1,420
-15.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chisinau
Almaty
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.28 MDL 22.08
$1.27 ₸630
0.79%
White Bread (500g)
$0.56 MDL 9.63
$0.59 ₸293
-5.08%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 MDL 26.03
$1.50 ₸745
0.67%
Eggs
$2.49 MDL 42.92
$1.74 ₸863
43.10%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.48 MDL 181
$9.44 ₸4,692
11.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.62 MDL 97.1
$4.68 ₸2,324
20.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.01 MDL 156
$7.58 ₸3,770
18.87%
Apples (1kg)
$0.89 MDL 15.39
$1.36 ₸676
-34.56%
Banana (1kg)
$1.77 MDL 30.55
$1.90 ₸945
-6.84%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.72 MDL 29.67
$1.97 ₸981
-12.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MDL 37.48
$2.07 ₸1,027
4.83%
Potato (1kg)
$0.84 MDL 14.44
$0.57 ₸286
47.37%
Onion (1kg)
$0.58 MDL 10.05
$0.42 ₸210
38.10%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.31 MDL 22.68
$1.31 ₸650
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 MDL 14.13
$0.70 ₸348
17.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.30 MDL 56.9
$1.99 ₸989
65.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.18 MDL 89.4
$8.04 ₸3,995
-35.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 MDL 21.23
$0.90 ₸448
36.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 MDL 33.98
$2.12 ₸1,054
-7.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Chisinau
Almaty
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 MDL 5.79
$0.24 ₸120
41.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$13.44 MDL 232
$18.04 ₸8,966
-25.50%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.02 MDL 34.83
$1.19 ₸589
69.75%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.27 MDL 4.70
$0.70 ₸349
-61.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.28 MDL 91.2
$4.71 ₸2,344
12.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.43 MDL 24.62
$0.48 ₸241
197.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.2K MDL 555.4K
$23.2K ₸11.5M
38.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.7K MDL 530.8K
$26.6K ₸13.2M
15.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chisinau
Almaty
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 MDL 2,939
$62.2 ₸30.9K
173.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.70 MDL 133
$8.50 ₸4,225
-9.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.01 MDL 190
$13.46 ₸6,694
-18.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chisinau
Almaty
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.28 MDL 765
$47.24 ₸23.5K
-6.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.02 MDL 380
$21.55 ₸10.7K
2.18%
Cinema Ticket
$7.80 MDL 135
$5.37 ₸2,671
45.25%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chisinau
Almaty
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$388 MDL 6,700
$261 ₸129.5K
48.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,588 MDL 131.0K
$12.9K ₸6.4M
-41.04%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chisinau
Almaty
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.7 MDL 1,151
$84.9 ₸42.2K
-21.53%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.0 MDL 915
$43.20 ₸21.5K
22.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 MDL 1,977
$98.9 ₸49.2K
15.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 MDL 2,137
$121 ₸60.1K
2.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chisinau
Almaty
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$654 MDL 11.3K
$657 ₸326.7K
-0.44%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$468 MDL 8,087
$416 ₸207.0K
12.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,249 MDL 21.6K
$1,174 ₸583.7K
6.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$822 MDL 14.2K
$773 ₸384.1K
6.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,665 MDL 46.0K
$2,004 ₸996.2K
32.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,860 MDL 32.1K
$1,143 ₸568.1K
62.78%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chisinau
Almaty
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$842 MDL 14.5K
$750 ₸372.8K
12.24%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.24
18.39
-49.76%

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

Last update for Chisinau: March 2, 2026

Last update for Almaty: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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