Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chisinau and Bender

For one person, living is cheaper in Bender: $670 a month against $1,285 in Chisinau, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Bender
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Bender Living Index

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Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,285

/mo nomad

Bender

🇲🇩 Moldova

$670

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chisinau and in Bender

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

A single person spends $1,285 per month in Chisinau vs $670 in Bender, rent included.

Chisinau $1,285
Bender $670

A couple spends around $1,984 per month in Chisinau vs $969 in Bender, rent included.

Chisinau $1,984
Bender $969

A family of three spends $2,684 per month in Chisinau vs $1,268 in Bender, rent included.

Chisinau $2,684
Bender $1,268

Chisinau costs about 92% more than Bender, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chisinau and Bender are more affordable than the global median – Chisinau 5% lower, Bender 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.32 MDL 201

$6.42 MDL 114

76.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.0 MDL 906

$17.91 MDL 318

184.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.85 MDL 157

$5.74 MDL 102

54.18%

Cappuccino

$2.11 MDL 37.43

$1.23 MDL 21.90

71.54%

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

$1.19 MDL 21.13

$0.99 MDL 17.55

20.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 MDL 16.53

$0.48 MDL 8.44

93.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 MDL 40.03

$0.90 MDL 16.00

150.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 MDL 34.61

$1.73 MDL 30.72

12.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 MDL 22.56

$0.92 MDL 16.30

38.04%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 MDL 12.88

$0.50 MDL 8.94

46.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 MDL 24.71

$1.42 MDL 25.28

-2.11%

Eggs

$2.82 MDL 50.1

$1.93 MDL 34.35

46.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.49 MDL 169

$3.86 MDL 68.6

145.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 MDL 90.1

$4.37 MDL 77.5

16.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.65 MDL 154

$5.34 MDL 94.8

61.99%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 MDL 16.72

$0.82 MDL 14.60

14.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 MDL 33.83

$1.77 MDL 31.35

7.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 MDL 37.42

$1.86 MDL 32.98

13.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 MDL 38.28

$1.86 MDL 33.03

16.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.68 MDL 12.07

$0.71 MDL 12.60

-4.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 MDL 10.00

$0.51 MDL 9.11

9.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 MDL 22.95

$0.54 MDL 9.64

138.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 MDL 14.76

$0.79 MDL 14.08

5.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.39 MDL 60.2

$2.77 MDL 49.13

22.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.67 MDL 83.0

$2.45 MDL 43.51

90.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MDL 22.44

$0.53 MDL 9.49

137.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 MDL 34.83

$1.95 MDL 34.63

0.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 MDL 7.16

$0.38 MDL 6.67

5.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.50 MDL 240

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 MDL 40.61

$2.18 MDL 38.77

5.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 MDL 5.83

$0.27 MDL 4.78

22.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 MDL 90.8

$5.14 MDL 91.2

-0.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 MDL 29.20

$1.42 MDL 25.14

15.49%

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

$29.5K MDL 524.6K

$30.0K MDL 532.3K

-1.45%

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

$29.7K MDL 527.0K

$29.4K MDL 522.1K

0.94%

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

$239 MDL 4,245

$238 MDL 4,228

0.41%

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

$9.40 MDL 167

$9.65 MDL 171

-2.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.43 MDL 185

$10.67 MDL 190

-2.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.21 MDL 750

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.30 MDL 361

Cinema Ticket

$8.55 MDL 152

$8.16 MDL 145

4.78%

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

$425 MDL 7,543

$435 MDL 7,720

-2.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,785 MDL 102.7K

$5,724 MDL 101.7K

1.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.8 MDL 1,434

$78.1 MDL 1,387

3.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.59 MDL 845

$47.41 MDL 842

0.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 MDL 2,056

$113 MDL 2,003

2.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MDL 2,011

$114 MDL 2,027

-0.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$676 MDL 12.0K

$296 MDL 5,261

128.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$431 MDL 7,651

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 MDL 22.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$846 MDL 15.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,680 MDL 47.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,937 MDL 34.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$866 MDL 15.4K

$309 MDL 5,495

179.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

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

Last update for Chisinau: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bender: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chisinau

$431 33.5%

Bender

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chisinau

$259 20.2%

Bender

$258 38.6% 0.2% $0.5

Groceries & Markets

Chisinau

$190 14.8%

Bender

$135 20.1% 29% $55

Eating Out

Chisinau

$166 12.9%

Bender

$97 14.5% 41.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Chisinau

$161 12.5%

Bender

$159 23.7% 1.4% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Chisinau

$59 4.6%

Bender

$16 * 2.4% 72.5% $43

Getting Around

Chisinau

$19 1.5%

Bender

$5 * 0.8% 73.6% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $676 in Chisinau versus $296 in Bender. 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 180% higher in Chisinau, 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 $51.0 in Chisinau versus $18.00 in Bender. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $135 – making Bender the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Chisinau

🇲🇩 Bender

🕒 Local time

08:00 8:00 AM

Same time as Chisinau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

750,000 Capital

97,027

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Chisinau Bender 54 km

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Chisinau
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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 Bender: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chisinau is pricier by about 92%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,927 per month in Chisinau and $1,005 in Bender. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bender, 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 $51.0 in Chisinau and $18.00 in Bender. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Chisinau, 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 Bender, where all-in costs run around $670, than in Chisinau at $1,285. In Bender it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chisinau it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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