Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chisinau and Guayaquil

For one person, living is cheaper in Guayaquil: $1,136 a month against $1,285 in Chisinau, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Guayaquil
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Guayaquil Living Index

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Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,285

/mo nomad

Guayaquil

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$1,136

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chisinau and in Guayaquil

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

A single person spends $1,285 per month in Chisinau vs $1,136 in Guayaquil, rent included.

Chisinau $1,285
Guayaquil $1,136

A couple spends around $1,984 per month in Chisinau vs $1,775 in Guayaquil, rent included.

Chisinau $1,984
Guayaquil $1,775

A family of three spends $2,684 per month in Chisinau vs $2,413 in Guayaquil, rent included.

Chisinau $2,684
Guayaquil $2,413

Chisinau costs about 13% more than Guayaquil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chisinau and Guayaquil are more affordable than the global median – Chisinau 5% lower, Guayaquil 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.32 MDL 201

$3.94 $3.94

187.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.0 MDL 906

$52.6 $52.6

-3.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.85 MDL 157

$9.15 $9.15

-3.28%

Cappuccino

$2.11 MDL 37.43

$2.82 $2.82

-25.18%

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

$1.19 MDL 21.13

$0.91 $0.91

30.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 MDL 16.53

$0.74 $0.74

25.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 MDL 40.03

$3.05 $3.05

-26.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 MDL 34.61

$4.15 $4.15

-53.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 MDL 22.56

$1.16 $1.16

9.48%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 MDL 12.88

$1.98 $1.98

-63.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 MDL 24.71

$1.47 $1.47

-5.44%

Eggs

$2.82 MDL 50.1

$2.07 $2.07

36.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.49 MDL 169

$7.02 $7.02

35.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 MDL 90.1

$5.18 $5.18

-2.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.65 MDL 154

$9.26 $9.26

-6.59%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 MDL 16.72

$1.48 $1.48

-36.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 MDL 33.83

$1.14 $1.14

67.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 MDL 37.42

$0.98 $0.98

115.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 MDL 38.28

$0.94 $0.94

129.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.68 MDL 12.07

$1.22 $1.22

-44.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 MDL 10.00

$0.98 $0.98

-42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 MDL 22.95

$0.88 $0.88

46.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 MDL 14.76

$0.94 $0.94

-11.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.39 MDL 60.2

$5.91 $5.91

-42.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.67 MDL 83.0

$12.19 $12.19

-61.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MDL 22.44

$1.55 $1.55

-18.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 MDL 34.83

$2.19 $2.19

-10.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 MDL 7.16

$0.36 $0.36

11.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.50 MDL 240

$19.61 $19.61

-31.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 MDL 40.61

$2.77 $2.77

-17.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 MDL 5.83

$1.80 $1.80

-81.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 MDL 90.8

$12.16 $12.16

-57.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 MDL 29.20

$0.88 $0.88

86.36%

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

$29.5K MDL 524.6K

$21.1K $21.1K

39.78%

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

$29.7K MDL 527.0K

$31.3K $31.3K

-5.22%

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

$239 MDL 4,245

$131 $131

82.75%

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

$9.40 MDL 167

$14.76 $14.76

-36.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.43 MDL 185

$26.25 $26.25

-60.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.21 MDL 750

$46.30 $46.30

-8.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.30 MDL 361

$26.54 $26.54

-23.51%

Cinema Ticket

$8.55 MDL 152

$7.29 $7.29

17.28%

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

$425 MDL 7,543

$378 $378

12.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,785 MDL 102.7K

$5,590 $5,590

3.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.8 MDL 1,434

$66.2 $66.2

22.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.59 MDL 845

$41.10 $41.10

15.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 MDL 2,056

$124 $124

-6.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MDL 2,011

$93.8 $93.8

20.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$676 MDL 12.0K

$476 $476

41.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$431 MDL 7,651

$401 $401

7.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 MDL 22.3K

$800 $800

57.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$846 MDL 15.0K

$740 $740

14.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,680 MDL 47.6K

$2,275 $2,275

17.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,937 MDL 34.4K

$1,451 $1,451

33.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$866 MDL 15.4K

$612 $612

41.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

10.05

-9.45%

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

Last update for Chisinau: October 13, 2026

Last update for Guayaquil: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chisinau

$431 33.5%

Guayaquil

$401 35.3% 6.9% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chisinau

$259 20.2%

Guayaquil

$172 15.1% 33.6% $87

Groceries & Markets

Chisinau

$190 14.8%

Guayaquil

$200 17.6% 5.4% $10

Eating Out

Chisinau

$166 12.9%

Guayaquil

$123 10.8% 25.9% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Chisinau

$161 12.5%

Guayaquil

$146 12.9% 9.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Chisinau

$59 4.6%

Guayaquil

$61 5.4% 2.7% $1.6

Getting Around

Chisinau

$19 1.5%

Guayaquil

$33 2.9% 72.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $676 in Chisinau versus $476 in Guayaquil. 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 42% 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 $53.0 in Guayaquil. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $200 – making Chisinau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Chisinau

🇪🇨 Guayaquil

🕒 Local time

22:31 10:31 PM

14:31 2:31 PM

8 h behind Chisinau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

750,000 Capital

3,500,000

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MDL – Moldovan Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇩 Moldovan Leu (L)

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 17.76 MDL (100 MDL = 5.63 USD). 1 EUR = 19.97 MDL (100 MDL = 5.01 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

USD to MDL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chisinau Guayaquil 11,620 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Chisinau
Guayaquil

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 Guayaquil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chisinau is pricier by about 13%, 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 $1,704 in Guayaquil. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guayaquil, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Chisinau – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Chisinau and $53.0 in Guayaquil. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Guayaquil, where all-in costs run around $1,136, than in Chisinau at $1,285. In Guayaquil it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chisinau it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Guayaquil. 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.