Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chisinau and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $1,275 in Chisinau, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chisinau
🇲🇩 Moldova
$1,275
/mo nomad
Delhi
🇮🇳 India
$520
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chisinau and in Delhi

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

A single person spends $1,275 per month in Chisinau vs $520 in Delhi, rent included.

  • Chisinau $1,275
  • Delhi $520

A couple spends around $1,987 per month in Chisinau vs $858 in Delhi, rent included.

  • Chisinau $1,987
  • Delhi $858

A family of three spends $2,699 per month in Chisinau vs $1,195 in Delhi, rent included.

  • Chisinau $2,699
  • Delhi $1,195

Chisinau costs about 145% more than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chisinau and Delhi are more affordable than the global median – Chisinau 5% lower, Delhi 61% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chisinau
Delhi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.27 MDL 200
$3.67 ₹355
207.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$49.50 MDL 877
$20.95 ₹2,027
136.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.46 MDL 150
$3.74 ₹362
126.20%
Cappuccino
$2.12 MDL 37.57
$2.33 ₹226
-9.01%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.17 MDL 20.79
$0.37 ₹35.82
216.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 MDL 16.07
$0.20 ₹18.91
355.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.24 MDL 39.72
$2.02 ₹195
10.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.92 MDL 34.03
$3.19 ₹308
-39.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chisinau
Delhi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 MDL 21.45
$0.68 ₹65.9
77.94%
White Bread (500g)
$0.69 MDL 12.21
$0.52 ₹50.2
32.69%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.37 MDL 24.27
$0.83 ₹80.0
65.06%
Eggs
$2.81 MDL 49.87
$1.07 ₹104
162.62%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.49 MDL 168
$4.43 ₹428
114.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.02 MDL 88.9
$3.37 ₹326
48.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.75 MDL 155
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$0.97 MDL 17.28
$1.99 ₹192
-51.26%
Banana (1kg)
$1.92 MDL 34.11
$0.72 ₹70.1
166.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.08 MDL 36.86
$1.02 ₹98.4
103.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.25 MDL 39.84
$0.52 ₹50.1
332.69%
Potato (1kg)
$0.71 MDL 12.63
$0.27 ₹25.96
162.96%
Onion (1kg)
$0.56 MDL 9.96
$0.37 ₹35.42
51.35%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.31 MDL 23.27
$0.43 ₹41.64
204.65%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 MDL 15.54
$0.31 ₹30.39
183.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.37 MDL 59.7
$4.92 ₹476
-31.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.81 MDL 85.3
$8.34 ₹808
-42.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 MDL 22.28
$1.64 ₹159
-23.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 MDL 33.11
$2.70 ₹261
-30.74%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$6.15 ₹596
-
🚌 Getting Around
Chisinau
Delhi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.37 MDL 6.61
$0.46 ₹44.04
-19.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$13.68 MDL 243
$15.29 ₹1,480
-10.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.25 MDL 39.88
$1.03 ₹99.8
118.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.33 MDL 5.81
$0.27 ₹26.38
22.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.07 MDL 89.8
$1.53 ₹148
231.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.70 MDL 30.18
$1.05 ₹102
61.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.4K MDL 520.4K
$10.5K ₹1.0M
180.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.3K MDL 537.3K
$18.4K ₹1.8M
65.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chisinau
Delhi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$244 MDL 4,318
$42.67 ₹4,129
471.01%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.64 MDL 171
$4.04 ₹391
138.61%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.72 MDL 190
$6.75 ₹653
58.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chisinau
Delhi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.23 MDL 731
$19.40 ₹1,878
112.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.17 MDL 358
$8.06 ₹780
150.25%
Cinema Ticket
$8.40 MDL 149
$5.08 ₹492
65.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chisinau
Delhi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$428 MDL 7,578
$100 ₹9,696
326.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,887 MDL 104.3K
$2,268 ₹219.5K
159.61%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chisinau
Delhi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$80.8 MDL 1,432
$24.14 ₹2,336
234.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.11 MDL 817
$28.38 ₹2,747
62.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 MDL 2,046
$53.3 ₹5,160
116.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$114 MDL 2,018
$44.13 ₹4,271
158.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chisinau
Delhi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$678 MDL 12.0K
$264 ₹25.5K
157.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$439 MDL 7,788
$154 ₹14.9K
185.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,255 MDL 22.2K
$736 ₹71.2K
70.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$829 MDL 14.7K
$397 ₹38.5K
108.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,614 MDL 46.3K
$2,494 ₹241.4K
4.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,988 MDL 35.2K
$1,017 ₹98.4K
95.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chisinau
Delhi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$867 MDL 15.4K
$585 ₹56.7K
48.02%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.1
8.33
9.24%

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

Last update for Chisinau: October 5, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chisinau
$439
Delhi
$154 64.9% $285
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chisinau
$264
Delhi
$53 79.8% $211
Groceries & Markets
Chisinau
$190
Delhi
$108 43.2% $82
Eating Out
Chisinau
$164
Delhi
$87 46.9% $77
Clothing & Footwear
Chisinau
$160
Delhi
$67 57.9% $93
Sport & Entertainment
Chisinau
$58
Delhi
$30 49% $28
Getting Around
Chisinau
$19
Delhi
$20 2.3% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $678 in Chisinau versus $264 in Delhi. 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 48% 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 $49.00 in Chisinau versus $21.00 in Delhi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $108 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇩 Chisinau
🇮🇳 Delhi
🕒 Local time
10:53 10:53 AM
13:23 1:23 PM
2 h 30 min ahead of Chisinau
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
750,000 Capital
16,787,941 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to MDL – Moldovan Leu Converter

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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chisinau Delhi 4,620 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chisinau
  • Delhi

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 Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Delhi cheaper than Chisinau?
Yes – Chisinau is pricier by about 145%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,912 per month in Chisinau and $780 in Delhi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Delhi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do food prices compare in Chisinau and in Delhi?
Groceries cost about 76% more in Chisinau, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is eating out cheaper in Chisinau or in Delhi?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Chisinau and $21.00 in Delhi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Chisinau or in Delhi?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Delhi, where all-in costs run around $520, than in Chisinau at $1,275. In Delhi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chisinau it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Chisinau or Delhi more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Delhi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Delhi. 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.

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