Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chisinau and Balikesir

For one person, living is cheaper in Balikesir: $942 a month against $1,326 in Chisinau, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Chisinau
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Chisinau Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Balikesir
Learn more

Balikesir Living Index

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Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,326

/mo nomad

Balikesir

🇹🇷 Turkey

$942

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chisinau and in Balikesir

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

A single person spends $1,326 per month in Chisinau vs $942 in Balikesir, rent included.

Chisinau $1,326
Balikesir $942

A couple spends around $1,992 per month in Chisinau vs $1,467 in Balikesir, rent included.

Chisinau $1,992
Balikesir $1,467

A family of three spends $2,658 per month in Chisinau vs $1,991 in Balikesir, rent included.

Chisinau $2,658
Balikesir $1,991

Chisinau costs about 41% more than Balikesir, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chisinau and Balikesir are more affordable than the global median – Chisinau 2% lower, Balikesir 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.24 MDL 199

$6.88 ₺345

63.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.0 MDL 970

$27.55 ₺1,379

99.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.11 MDL 143

$7.93 ₺397

2.27%

Cappuccino

$2.19 MDL 38.61

$3.50 ₺175

-37.43%

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

$1.24 MDL 21.96

$1.32 ₺66.3

-6.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 MDL 15.33

$0.34 ₺17.07

155.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 MDL 39.41

$2.94 ₺147

-24.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 MDL 34.93

$3.99 ₺200

-50.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 MDL 20.90

$0.93 ₺46.46

26.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 MDL 12.60

$0.95 ₺47.48

-25.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MDL 25.03

$2.13 ₺107

-33.33%

Eggs

$2.80 MDL 49.38

$1.88 ₺93.9

48.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 MDL 173

$7.80 ₺390

25.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.17 MDL 91.4

$3.45 ₺173

49.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.74 MDL 154

$18.60 ₺931

-53.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.00 MDL 17.67

$1.85 ₺92.7

-45.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 MDL 33.28

$1.64 ₺82.3

14.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MDL 36.81

$0.99 ₺49.35

110.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 MDL 37.67

$0.98 ₺49.11

117.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 MDL 12.27

$0.45 ₺22.48

53.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 MDL 9.92

$0.30 ₺15.22

86.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 MDL 23.03

$0.72 ₺36.27

80.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 MDL 15.70

$0.75 ₺37.37

18.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.46 MDL 61.0

$2.23 ₺112

55.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.82 MDL 85.2

$11.32 ₺567

-57.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MDL 21.58

$2.01 ₺100

-39.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 MDL 34.56

$3.03 ₺152

-35.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 MDL 7.22

$0.71 ₺35.54

-42.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.69 MDL 242

$39.40 ₺1,971

-65.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 MDL 38.52

$1.12 ₺56.1

94.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 MDL 5.64

$1.13 ₺56.5

-71.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.88 MDL 86.2

$4.00 ₺200

22.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 MDL 30.80

$1.31 ₺65.6

32.82%

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

$28.8K MDL 509.4K

$39.8K ₺2.0M

-27.46%

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

$28.3K MDL 499.6K

$40.4K ₺2.0M

-29.90%

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

$238 MDL 4,203

$44.52 ₺2,228

434.57%

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

$8.63 MDL 152

$12.10 ₺605

-28.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.24 MDL 181

$14.95 ₺748

-31.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.67 MDL 771

$59.2 ₺2,961

-26.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.40 MDL 360

$29.92 ₺1,497

-31.82%

Cinema Ticket

$8.37 MDL 148

$4.04 ₺202

107.18%

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

$437 MDL 7,723

$589 ₺29.5K

-25.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,501 MDL 150.1K

$12.0K ₺599.3K

-29.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.1 MDL 1,414

$23.59 ₺1,180

239.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.44 MDL 838

$16.28 ₺815

191.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 MDL 2,027

$70.8 ₺3,544

62.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MDL 1,994

$40.30 ₺2,017

180.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$700 MDL 12.4K

$401 ₺20.1K

74.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$474 MDL 8,369

$325 ₺16.2K

46.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 MDL 22.3K

$827 ₺41.4K

52.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 MDL 14.2K

$574 ₺28.7K

39.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,550 MDL 45.0K

$1,006 ₺50.4K

153.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,850 MDL 32.7K

$806 ₺40.3K

129.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$839 MDL 14.8K

$1,297 ₺64.9K

-35.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.17

39.8

-76.96%

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

Last update for Chisinau: November 1, 2026

Last update for Balikesir: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chisinau

$474 35.7%

Balikesir

$325 34.4% 31.5% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chisinau

$257 19.4%

Balikesir

$72 7.6% 72.1% $185

Groceries & Markets

Chisinau

$191 14.4%

Balikesir

$212 22.5% 10.7% $20

Eating Out

Chisinau

$164 12.4%

Balikesir

$150 15.9% 8.5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Chisinau

$160 12.1%

Balikesir

$68 7.2% 57.5% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Chisinau

$60 4.6%

Balikesir

$67 7.1% 11.3% $6.8

Getting Around

Chisinau

$19 1.4%

Balikesir

$49 5.2% 157% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $700 in Chisinau versus $401 in Balikesir. 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 55% higher in Balikesir, 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 $55 in Chisinau versus $28 in Balikesir. Groceries tell a different story – $191 in Chisinau vs $212 in Balikesir – so Chisinau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Chisinau

🇹🇷 Balikesir

🕒 Local time

06:39 6:39 AM

07:39 7:39 AM

1 h ahead of Chisinau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

750,000 Capital

1,196,170

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.66 USD

100 MDL = 5.04 EUR

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to MDL – Moldovan Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇩 Moldovan Leu (L)

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 17.66 MDL (100 MDL = 5.66 USD). 1 EUR = 19.82 MDL (100 MDL = 5.04 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.18 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to MDL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chisinau Balikesir 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chisinau
Balikesir

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

Chisinau vs Balikesir: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chisinau costs about 41% more than Balikesir, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,988 per month in Chisinau and $1,413 in Balikesir. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Balikesir, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $401 there versus $700 in Chisinau.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,326 in Chisinau and $942 in Balikesir. That makes Balikesir about 29% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 65% less in Chisinau. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,326 in Chisinau and $942 in Balikesir. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chisinau has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $942 in Balikesir to $1,326 in Chisinau. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.