Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chisinau and Cheras

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheras: $1,139 a month against $1,316 in Chisinau, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chisinau outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

63

Cost of Living Index in Chisinau
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Chisinau Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Cheras
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Cheras Living Index

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Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,316

/mo nomad

Cheras

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,139

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chisinau and in Cheras

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

A single person spends $1,316 per month in Chisinau vs $1,139 in Cheras, rent included.

Chisinau $1,316
Cheras $1,139

A couple spends around $1,991 per month in Chisinau vs $1,560 in Cheras, rent included.

Chisinau $1,991
Cheras $1,560

A family of three spends $2,666 per month in Chisinau vs $1,982 in Cheras, rent included.

Chisinau $2,666
Cheras $1,982

Chisinau costs about 16% more than Cheras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chisinau and Cheras are more affordable than the global median – Chisinau 3% lower, Cheras 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 MDL 203

$3.61 MYR 14.72

214.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.7 MDL 1,013

$24.03 MYR 97.9

135.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 MDL 146

$5.02 MYR 20.44

62.15%

Cappuccino

$2.19 MDL 39.17

$2.99 MYR 12.17

-26.76%

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

$1.22 MDL 21.73

$0.91 MYR 3.71

34.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 MDL 16.04

$0.57 MYR 2.32

57.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 MDL 39.35

$4.33 MYR 17.63

-49.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 MDL 34.36

$6.32 MYR 25.74

-69.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 MDL 22.60

$1.89 MYR 7.69

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 MDL 12.78

$1.07 MYR 4.36

-33.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 MDL 25.00

$1.49 MYR 6.07

-6.04%

Eggs

$2.72 MDL 48.60

$1.78 MYR 7.26

52.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 MDL 173

$18.03 MYR 73.5

-46.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 MDL 89.5

$4.56 MYR 18.59

9.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.77 MDL 157

$10.89 MYR 44.39

-19.47%

Apples (1kg)

$0.97 MDL 17.38

$3.58 MYR 14.59

-72.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 MDL 34.54

$1.86 MYR 7.58

3.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 MDL 35.99

$2.63 MYR 10.73

-23.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 MDL 38.54

$1.67 MYR 6.80

29.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 MDL 11.66

$2.08 MYR 8.48

-68.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 MDL 10.06

$1.65 MYR 6.73

-66.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 MDL 23.21

$1.33 MYR 5.43

-2.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 MDL 15.97

$0.50 MYR 2.05

78.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 MDL 59.2

$4.30 MYR 17.53

-23.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.82 MDL 86.2

$14.15 MYR 57.7

-65.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MDL 21.72

$2.66 MYR 10.82

-54.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 MDL 33.81

$3.15 MYR 12.83

-40.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 MDL 6.75

$0.76 MYR 3.11

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.55 MDL 242

$12.45 MYR 50.7

8.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.27 MDL 40.57

$0.94 MYR 3.84

141.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 MDL 6.15

$0.36 MYR 1.46

-5.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.94 MDL 88.3

$9.17 MYR 37.38

-46.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 MDL 29.56

$0.86 MYR 3.52

91.86%

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

$29.8K MDL 533.4K

$45.0K MYR 183.5K

-33.77%

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

$27.6K MDL 494.3K

$35.8K MYR 146.0K

-22.82%

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

$241 MDL 4,301

$49.55 MYR 202

385.45%

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

$9.32 MDL 167

$10.91 MYR 44.46

-14.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.33 MDL 185

$27.88 MYR 114

-62.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.89 MDL 767

$52.1 MYR 212

-17.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.55 MDL 367

$6.66 MYR 27.12

208.56%

Cinema Ticket

$8.33 MDL 149

$4.99 MYR 20.35

66.93%

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

$430 MDL 7,681

$164 MYR 667

162.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,720 MDL 102.3K

$4,411 MYR 18.0K

29.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.1 MDL 1,396

$53.6 MYR 218

45.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.91 MDL 821

$30.08 MYR 123

52.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MDL 2,011

$81.9 MYR 334

37.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MDL 2,089

$97.3 MYR 396

20.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$691 MDL 12.4K

$386 MYR 1,574

78.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 MDL 8,275

$463 MYR 1,886

-0.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 MDL 22.5K

$666 MYR 2,713

88.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 MDL 14.3K

$490 MYR 1,995

63.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,585 MDL 46.2K

$2,001 MYR 8,155

29.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,861 MDL 33.3K

$1,081 MYR 4,402

72.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 MDL 15.5K

$1,161 MYR 4,730

-25.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.17

4.06

125.86%

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

Last update for Chisinau: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cheras: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chisinau

$463 35.2%

Cheras

$463 40.6% 0% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chisinau

$260 19.8%

Cheras

$88 7.8% 66% $172

Groceries & Markets

Chisinau

$190 14.5%

Cheras

$269 23.6% 41.2% $79

Eating Out

Chisinau

$165 12.5%

Cheras

$120 10.5% 27.2% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Chisinau

$159 12.1%

Cheras

$118 10.4% 25.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Chisinau

$60 4.5%

Cheras

$62 5.5% 4.2% $2.5

Getting Around

Chisinau

$19 1.5%

Cheras

$18 1.6% 4.3% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $691 in Chisinau versus $386 in Cheras. 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 34% higher in Cheras, 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 $57 in Chisinau versus $24 in Cheras. Groceries tell a different story – $190 in Chisinau vs $269 in Cheras – so Chisinau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Chisinau

🇲🇾 Cheras

🕒 Local time

23:19 11:19 PM

05:19 5:19 AM

6 h ahead of Chisinau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

750,000 Capital

440,000

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.59 USD

100 MDL = 5.02 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to MDL – Moldovan Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇩 Moldovan Leu (L)

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 17.88 MDL (100 MDL = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 19.9 MDL (100 MDL = 5.02 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to MDL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chisinau Cheras 8,470 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chisinau
Cheras

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 Cheras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chisinau is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,974 per month in Chisinau and $1,708 in Cheras. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cheras, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $386 there versus $691 in Chisinau.

Interestingly, groceries are about 29% cheaper in Chisinau – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Chisinau and $24 in Cheras. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,316 in Chisinau and $1,139 in Cheras, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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