Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chisinau and Ialoveni

For one person, living is cheaper in Ialoveni: $804 a month against $1,326 in Chisinau, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Ialoveni
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Ialoveni Living Index

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Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,326

/mo nomad

Ialoveni

🇲🇩 Moldova

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chisinau and in Ialoveni

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

A single person spends $1,326 per month in Chisinau vs $804 in Ialoveni, rent included.

Chisinau $1,326
Ialoveni $804

A couple spends around $1,992 per month in Chisinau vs $1,296 in Ialoveni, rent included.

Chisinau $1,992
Ialoveni $1,296

A family of three spends $2,658 per month in Chisinau vs $1,789 in Ialoveni, rent included.

Chisinau $2,658
Ialoveni $1,789

Chisinau costs about 65% more than Ialoveni, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chisinau and Ialoveni are more affordable than the global median – Chisinau 2% lower, Ialoveni 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.24 MDL 200

$8.46 MDL 151

32.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.0 MDL 977

$29.37 MDL 522

87.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.11 MDL 144

$10.47 MDL 186

-22.54%

Cappuccino

$2.19 MDL 38.87

$2.24 MDL 39.81

-2.23%

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

$1.24 MDL 22.11

$1.25 MDL 22.25

-0.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 MDL 15.44

$0.80 MDL 14.26

8.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 MDL 39.67

$2.17 MDL 38.57

2.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 MDL 35.17

$2.26 MDL 40.23

-12.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 MDL 21.04

$1.26 MDL 22.46

-6.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 MDL 12.68

$0.69 MDL 12.21

2.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MDL 25.20

$0.69 MDL 12.23

105.80%

Eggs

$2.80 MDL 49.71

$2.74 MDL 48.75

2.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 MDL 174

$6.75 MDL 120

45.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.17 MDL 92.0

$4.97 MDL 88.4

4.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.74 MDL 155

$4.72 MDL 83.8

85.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.00 MDL 17.79

$0.97 MDL 17.31

3.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 MDL 33.51

$1.93 MDL 34.32

-2.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MDL 37.06

$2.04 MDL 36.33

1.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 MDL 37.93

$2.38 MDL 42.27

-10.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 MDL 12.35

$0.77 MDL 13.67

-10.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 MDL 9.99

$0.53 MDL 9.34

5.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 MDL 23.18

$1.36 MDL 24.11

-4.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 MDL 15.80

$0.83 MDL 14.67

7.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.46 MDL 61.5

$3.44 MDL 61.2

0.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.82 MDL 85.8

$4.94 MDL 87.8

-2.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MDL 21.72

$1.28 MDL 22.68

-4.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 MDL 34.80

$1.94 MDL 34.57

1.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 MDL 7.27

$0.32 MDL 5.65

28.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.69 MDL 243

$6.61 MDL 118

107.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 MDL 38.78

$2.26 MDL 40.25

-3.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 MDL 5.68

$0.26 MDL 4.63

23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.88 MDL 86.8

$5.00 MDL 89.0

-2.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 MDL 31.01

$1.62 MDL 28.75

7.41%

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

$28.8K MDL 512.9K

$29.1K MDL 516.6K

-0.73%

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

$28.3K MDL 503.0K

$24.3K MDL 431.9K

16.46%

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

$238 MDL 4,231

$188 MDL 3,341

26.64%

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

$8.63 MDL 153

$9.34 MDL 166

-7.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.24 MDL 182

$11.10 MDL 197

-7.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.67 MDL 776

$28.30 MDL 503

54.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.40 MDL 363

$11.21 MDL 199

81.98%

Cinema Ticket

$8.37 MDL 149

$7.32 MDL 130

14.34%

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

$437 MDL 7,775

$112 MDL 1,996

289.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,501 MDL 151.2K

$5,209 MDL 92.6K

63.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.1 MDL 1,424

$43.96 MDL 782

82.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.44 MDL 843

$28.03 MDL 498

69.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 MDL 2,040

$84.9 MDL 1,509

35.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MDL 2,007

$93.6 MDL 1,664

20.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$700 MDL 12.5K

$168 MDL 2,982

317.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$474 MDL 8,425

$111 MDL 1,981

325.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 MDL 22.4K

$362 MDL 6,428

248.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 MDL 14.3K

$367 MDL 6,532

118.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,550 MDL 45.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,850 MDL 32.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$839 MDL 14.9K

$585 MDL 10.4K

43.45%

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ialoveni: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chisinau

$474 35.7%

Ialoveni

$111 13.9% 76.5% $362

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chisinau

$257 19.4%

Ialoveni

$208 25.9% 18.9% $48

Groceries & Markets

Chisinau

$191 14.4%

Ialoveni

$168 20.9% 12.3% $24

Eating Out

Chisinau

$164 12.4%

Ialoveni

$150 18.6% 8.8% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Chisinau

$160 12.1%

Ialoveni

$113 14% 29.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chisinau

$60 4.6%

Ialoveni

$43 5.3% 28.9% $17

Getting Around

Chisinau

$19 1.4%

Ialoveni

$11 1.4% 40.1% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $700 in Chisinau versus $168 in Ialoveni. 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 43% 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 $55 in Chisinau versus $29 in Ialoveni. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $191 vs $168 – making Ialoveni the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Chisinau

🇲🇩 Ialoveni

🕒 Local time

22:00 10:00 PM

Same time as Chisinau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

750,000 Capital

15,300

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.62 USD

100 MDL = 5 EUR

100 MDL = 5.62 USD

100 MDL = 5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Chisinau Ialoveni 10 km

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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 Ialoveni: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chisinau is pricier by about 65%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,988 per month in Chisinau and $1,206 in Ialoveni. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ialoveni, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $168 there versus $700 in Chisinau.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Chisinau, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Chisinau and $29 in Ialoveni. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,326 in Chisinau and $804 in Ialoveni. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Ialoveni – 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 Ialoveni. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chisinau makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.