Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chisinau and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Chisinau: $1,275 a month against $1,538 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Chisinau
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Chisinau Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

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Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,275

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chisinau and in Belgrade

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 Belgrade actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,275 per month in Chisinau vs $1,538 in Belgrade, rent included.

Chisinau $1,275
Belgrade $1,538

A couple spends around $1,987 per month in Chisinau vs $2,321 in Belgrade, rent included.

Chisinau $1,987
Belgrade $2,321

A family of three spends $2,699 per month in Chisinau vs $3,105 in Belgrade, rent included.

Chisinau $2,699
Belgrade $3,105

Chisinau is about 17% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chisinau sits 5% below the global median, while Belgrade is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.27 MDL 200

$13.33 RSD 1,389

-15.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.50 MDL 877

$58.4 RSD 6,085

-15.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 MDL 150

$13.58 RSD 1,414

-37.70%

Cappuccino

$2.12 MDL 37.57

$3.13 RSD 326

-32.27%

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

$1.17 MDL 20.79

$2.77 RSD 288

-57.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 MDL 16.07

$2.27 RSD 237

-59.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 MDL 39.72

$3.75 RSD 390

-40.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 MDL 34.03

$4.38 RSD 456

-56.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 MDL 21.45

$1.40 RSD 146

-13.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 MDL 12.21

$1.17 RSD 122

-41.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 MDL 24.27

$2.71 RSD 282

-49.45%

Eggs

$2.81 MDL 49.87

$2.78 RSD 289

1.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.49 MDL 168

$11.36 RSD 1,184

-16.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.02 MDL 88.9

$7.01 RSD 731

-28.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.75 MDL 155

$15.72 RSD 1,638

-44.34%

Apples (1kg)

$0.97 MDL 17.28

$1.66 RSD 173

-41.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 MDL 34.11

$1.81 RSD 188

6.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MDL 36.86

$1.83 RSD 190

13.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 MDL 39.84

$3.13 RSD 326

-28.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 MDL 12.63

$0.88 RSD 91.3

-19.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 MDL 9.96

$0.67 RSD 70.3

-16.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 MDL 23.27

$0.81 RSD 84.4

61.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 MDL 15.54

$0.68 RSD 70.9

29.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 MDL 59.7

$4.78 RSD 498

-29.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.81 MDL 85.3

$8.54 RSD 889

-43.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MDL 22.28

$0.94 RSD 97.7

34.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 MDL 33.11

$1.44 RSD 150

29.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 MDL 6.61

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.68 MDL 243

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 MDL 39.88

$3.09 RSD 322

-27.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 MDL 5.81

$1.02 RSD 107

-67.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 MDL 89.8

$17.18 RSD 1,789

-70.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 MDL 30.18

$1.87 RSD 195

-9.09%

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

$29.4K MDL 520.4K

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

-4.49%

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

$30.3K MDL 537.3K

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

24.93%

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

$244 MDL 4,318

$218 RSD 22.7K

11.94%

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

$9.64 MDL 171

$25.24 RSD 2,629

-61.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.72 MDL 190

$35.35 RSD 3,683

-69.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.23 MDL 731

$41.77 RSD 4,351

-1.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.17 MDL 358

$22.80 RSD 2,375

-11.54%

Cinema Ticket

$8.40 MDL 149

$8.47 RSD 882

-0.83%

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

$428 MDL 7,578

$426 RSD 44.4K

0.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,887 MDL 104.3K

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

-48.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.8 MDL 1,432

$111 RSD 11.6K

-27.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.11 MDL 817

$45.99 RSD 4,791

0.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 MDL 2,046

$119 RSD 12.4K

-3.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 MDL 2,018

$154 RSD 16.0K

-26.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 MDL 12.0K

$821 RSD 85.6K

-17.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$439 MDL 7,788

$561 RSD 58.4K

-21.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,255 MDL 22.2K

$1,511 RSD 157.4K

-16.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$829 MDL 14.7K

$942 RSD 98.1K

-11.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,614 MDL 46.3K

$5,312 RSD 553.4K

-50.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,988 MDL 35.2K

$3,165 RSD 329.7K

-37.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$867 MDL 15.4K

$1,228 RSD 127.9K

-29.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

4.61

97.40%

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

Last update for Chisinau: October 5, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chisinau

$439 33.9%

Belgrade

$561 35.5% 27.6% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chisinau

$264 20.4%

Belgrade

$278 17.6% 5.4% $14

Groceries & Markets

Chisinau

$190 14.7%

Belgrade

$246 15.6% 29.4% $56

Eating Out

Chisinau

$164 12.7%

Belgrade

$233 14.7% 41.5% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Chisinau

$160 12.4%

Belgrade

$194 12.3% 20.8% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Chisinau

$58 4.5%

Belgrade

$59 3.7% 1.2% $0.7

Getting Around

Chisinau

$19 1.5%

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5% 56.9% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $678 in Chisinau versus $821 in Belgrade. 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 42% higher in Belgrade, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Chisinau versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $246 – making Chisinau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Chisinau

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

08:26 8:26 AM

07:26 7:26 AM

1 h behind Chisinau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

750,000 Capital

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.64 USD

100 MDL = 5.03 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to MDL – Moldovan Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇩 Moldovan Leu (L)

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17.72 MDL (100 MDL = 5.64 USD). 1 EUR = 19.88 MDL (100 MDL = 5.03 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR).

USD to MDL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chisinau Belgrade 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chisinau
Belgrade

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 Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,275 in Chisinau, $1,538 in Belgrade – roughly 21% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,912 per month in Chisinau and $2,307 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chisinau, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Chisinau and $58.0 in Belgrade. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Belgrade, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Chisinau, where all-in costs run around $1,275, than in Belgrade at $1,538. In Chisinau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chisinau has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,275 in Chisinau to $1,538 in Belgrade. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chisinau. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Belgrade makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.