Cost of Living Comparison Between Chisinau and Cotonou Cost of Living Comparison Between Chisinau and Cotonou

🙂 Solo nomad: Chisinau is 11.7% cheaper than Cotonou without rent, and 23.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Chisinau is 4.6% more expensive than Cotonou without rent, and 31.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chisinau
Cotonou
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.89 MDL 153
$3.56 F CFA 2,021
149.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.59 MDL 631
$26.50 F CFA 15.1K
38.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.65 MDL 132
$5.32 F CFA 3,022
43.80%
Cappuccino
$1.82 MDL 31.43
$5.48 F CFA 3,111
-66.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 MDL 16.07
$0.90 F CFA 510
3.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.69 MDL 11.98
$0.72 F CFA 412
-4.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.79 MDL 30.83
$1.39 F CFA 791
28.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 MDL 41.49
$3.57 F CFA 2,025
-32.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chisinau
Cotonou
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.28 MDL 22.06
$2.63 F CFA 1,494
-51.33%
White Bread (500g)
$0.56 MDL 9.62
$1.38 F CFA 783
-59.42%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 MDL 26.00
$1.87 F CFA 1,063
-19.25%
Eggs
$2.49 MDL 42.87
$2.17 F CFA 1,233
14.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.48 MDL 181
$9.55 F CFA 5,428
9.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.62 MDL 97.0
$5.01 F CFA 2,849
12.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.01 MDL 155
$5.06 F CFA 2,875
78.06%
Apples (1kg)
$0.89 MDL 15.37
$4.02 F CFA 2,284
-77.86%
Banana (1kg)
$1.77 MDL 30.51
$1.44 F CFA 821
22.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.72 MDL 29.64
$1.26 F CFA 716
36.51%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MDL 37.44
$1.75 F CFA 994
24.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.84 MDL 14.42
$1.34 F CFA 764
-37.31%
Onion (1kg)
$0.58 MDL 10.04
$1.43 F CFA 812
-59.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.31 MDL 22.65
$0.51 F CFA 290
156.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 MDL 14.12
$1.22 F CFA 695
-32.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.30 MDL 56.8
$2.33 F CFA 1,324
41.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.18 MDL 89.3
$6.79 F CFA 3,860
-23.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 MDL 21.21
$1.19 F CFA 677
3.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 MDL 33.94
$2.25 F CFA 1,279
-12.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Chisinau
Cotonou
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 MDL 5.78
$1.72 F CFA 975
-80.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$13.44 MDL 232
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.02 MDL 34.79
$1.37 F CFA 781
47.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.27 MDL 4.69
$1.25 F CFA 711
-78.40%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.28 MDL 91.1
$1.79 F CFA 1,019
194.97%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.43 MDL 24.59
$1.09 F CFA 621
31.19%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.2K MDL 554.8K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.7K MDL 530.2K
$24.4K F CFA 13.9M
25.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chisinau
Cotonou
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 MDL 2,935
$261 F CFA 148.2K
-34.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.70 MDL 133
$44.26 F CFA 25.1K
-82.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.01 MDL 190
$57.3 F CFA 32.6K
-80.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chisinau
Cotonou
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.28 MDL 764
$60.1 F CFA 34.1K
-26.26%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.02 MDL 380
$5.36 F CFA 3,043
310.82%
Cinema Ticket
$7.80 MDL 135
$7.57 F CFA 4,298
3.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chisinau
Cotonou
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$388 MDL 6,692
$190 F CFA 107.9K
104.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,588 MDL 130.9K
$6,527 F CFA 3.7M
16.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chisinau
Cotonou
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.7 MDL 1,150
$17.83 F CFA 10.1K
273.81%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.0 MDL 913
$8.96 F CFA 5,091
491.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 MDL 1,974
$8.78 F CFA 4,990
1203.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 MDL 2,134
$49.20 F CFA 28.0K
151.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chisinau
Cotonou
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$654 MDL 11.3K
$203 F CFA 115.3K
222.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$468 MDL 8,077
$149 F CFA 84.8K
213.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,249 MDL 21.5K
$585 F CFA 332.6K
113.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$822 MDL 14.2K
$287 F CFA 163.1K
186.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,665 MDL 46.0K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,860 MDL 32.1K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chisinau
Cotonou
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$842 MDL 14.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.24
5
84.80%

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

Last update for Chisinau: March 2, 2026

Last update for Cotonou: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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