Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chisinau and Cahul

For one person, living is cheaper in Cahul: $627 a month against $1,316 in Chisinau, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Chisinau
Learn more

Chisinau Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Cahul
Learn more

Cahul Living Index

Jump to prices

Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,316

/mo nomad

Cahul

🇲🇩 Moldova

$627

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chisinau and in Cahul

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,316 in Chisinau versus $627 in Cahul.

Chisinau $1,316
Cahul $627

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,991 in Chisinau versus $917 in Cahul.

Chisinau $1,991
Cahul $917

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,666 in Chisinau versus $1,207 in Cahul.

Chisinau $2,666
Cahul $1,207

Living in Chisinau is roughly 110% more expensive than in Cahul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chisinau 3% lower, Cahul 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 MDL 202

$8.19 MDL 146

38.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.7 MDL 1,011

$23.41 MDL 418

142.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 MDL 145

$10.36 MDL 185

-21.43%

Cappuccino

$2.19 MDL 39.11

$1.69 MDL 30.14

29.59%

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

$1.22 MDL 21.70

$1.11 MDL 19.85

9.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 MDL 16.01

$0.53 MDL 9.54

69.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 MDL 39.29

$2.01 MDL 35.85

9.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 MDL 34.30

$1.76 MDL 31.49

9.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 MDL 22.56

$1.20 MDL 21.38

5.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 MDL 12.75

$0.49 MDL 8.73

44.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 MDL 24.96

$1.60 MDL 28.48

-12.50%

Eggs

$2.72 MDL 48.52

$2.24 MDL 39.94

21.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 MDL 173

$6.51 MDL 116

49.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 MDL 89.3

$4.54 MDL 81.0

10.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.77 MDL 157

$6.17 MDL 110

42.14%

Apples (1kg)

$0.97 MDL 17.35

$0.98 MDL 17.41

-1.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 MDL 34.48

$2.19 MDL 39.14

-11.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 MDL 35.93

$1.81 MDL 32.29

11.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 MDL 38.48

$2.37 MDL 42.38

-8.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 MDL 11.64

$0.76 MDL 13.55

-14.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 MDL 10.04

$0.52 MDL 9.23

7.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 MDL 23.17

$0.43 MDL 7.75

202.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 MDL 15.95

$0.53 MDL 9.51

67.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 MDL 59.1

$3.39 MDL 60.5

-2.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.82 MDL 86.0

$4.38 MDL 78.2

10.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MDL 21.69

$1.41 MDL 25.22

-13.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 MDL 33.75

$1.97 MDL 35.10

-4.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 MDL 6.74

$0.27 MDL 4.81

40.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.55 MDL 242

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.27 MDL 40.50

$2.87 MDL 51.2

-20.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 MDL 6.14

$0.24 MDL 4.28

41.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.94 MDL 88.2

$5.44 MDL 97.1

-9.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 MDL 29.51

$1.56 MDL 27.77

5.77%

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

$29.8K MDL 532.5K

$33.3K MDL 594.1K

-10.37%

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

$27.6K MDL 493.5K

$24.4K MDL 436.0K

13.19%

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

$241 MDL 4,294

$221 MDL 3,953

8.63%

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

$9.32 MDL 166

$7.65 MDL 136

21.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.33 MDL 184

$11.03 MDL 197

-6.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.89 MDL 766

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.55 MDL 367

Cinema Ticket

$8.33 MDL 149

$7.62 MDL 136

9.32%

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

$430 MDL 7,668

$110 MDL 1,966

289.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,720 MDL 102.1K

$5,249 MDL 93.7K

8.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.1 MDL 1,393

$45.08 MDL 805

73.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.91 MDL 820

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MDL 2,008

$56.4 MDL 1,006

99.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MDL 2,086

$51.0 MDL 910

129.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$691 MDL 12.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 MDL 8,261

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 MDL 22.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 MDL 14.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,585 MDL 46.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,861 MDL 33.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 MDL 15.4K

$507 MDL 9,058

70.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.17

14.63%

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

Last update for Chisinau: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cahul: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chisinau

$463 35.2%

Cahul

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chisinau

$260 19.8%

Cahul

$240 38.3% 7.7% $20

Groceries & Markets

Chisinau

$190 14.5%

Cahul

$161 25.7% 15.3% $29

Eating Out

Chisinau

$165 12.5%

Cahul

$137 21.8% 16.8% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Chisinau

$159 12.1%

Cahul

$69 * 10.9% 56.9% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Chisinau

$60 4.5%

Cahul

$15 * 2.4% 74.4% $44

Getting Around

Chisinau

$19 1.5%

Cahul

$5.1 * 0.8% 73% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

Chisinau pays 70% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $57 in Chisinau vs $23 in Cahul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $190 vs $161 per month, with Cahul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Chisinau

🇲🇩 Cahul

🕒 Local time

10:31 10:31 AM

Same time as Chisinau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

750,000 Capital

39,500

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.6 USD

100 MDL = 5.03 EUR

100 MDL = 5.6 USD

100 MDL = 5.03 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chisinau Cahul 130 km

From you

Chisinau
Cahul

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 Cahul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cahul wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Chisinau. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cahul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 70% higher in Chisinau, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Chisinau. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,316 per month in Chisinau versus $627 in Cahul – a 110% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $627 in Cahul versus $1,316 in Chisinau, a $800 budget is realistic in Cahul but tight or insufficient in Chisinau. The gap between the two cities makes Cahul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Cahul wins on affordability, Chisinau on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.