Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chisinau and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Chisinau: $1,326 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $32,700 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
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,326

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,048

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chisinau and in London

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

A single person spends $1,326 per month in Chisinau vs $4,048 in London, rent included.

Chisinau $1,326
London $4,048

A couple spends around $1,992 per month in Chisinau vs $5,903 in London, rent included.

Chisinau $1,992
London $5,903

A family of three spends $2,658 per month in Chisinau vs $7,758 in London, rent included.

Chisinau $2,658
London $7,758

Chisinau is about 67% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Chisinau sits 2% below the global median, while London is 199% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.24 MDL 199

$26.36 £19.59

-57.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.0 MDL 972

$109 £80.7

-49.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.11 MDL 143

$10.71 £7.96

-24.28%

Cappuccino

$2.19 MDL 38.65

$5.59 £4.15

-60.82%

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

$1.24 MDL 21.99

$3.00 £2.23

-58.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 MDL 15.35

$2.22 £1.65

-60.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 MDL 39.46

$9.65 £7.17

-76.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 MDL 34.98

$8.26 £6.14

-76.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 MDL 20.93

$1.97 £1.46

-40.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 MDL 12.61

$2.09 £1.55

-66.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MDL 25.06

$2.59 £1.93

-45.17%

Eggs

$2.80 MDL 49.44

$5.37 £3.99

-47.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 MDL 173

$13.12 £9.75

-25.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.17 MDL 91.5

$11.03 £8.20

-53.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.74 MDL 155

$17.73 £13.17

-50.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.00 MDL 17.70

$3.17 £2.36

-68.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 MDL 33.32

$1.38 £1.03

36.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MDL 36.85

$2.82 £2.10

-26.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 MDL 37.72

$3.36 £2.50

-36.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 MDL 12.28

$1.70 £1.26

-59.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 MDL 9.94

$1.78 £1.32

-68.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 MDL 23.06

$1.49 £1.11

-12.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 MDL 15.72

$1.82 £1.35

-51.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.46 MDL 61.1

$23.85 £17.72

-85.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.82 MDL 85.3

$13.44 £9.98

-64.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MDL 21.60

$3.11 £2.31

-60.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 MDL 34.61

$4.49 £3.34

-56.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 MDL 7.23

$4.13 £3.07

-90.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.69 MDL 242

$266 £198

-94.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 MDL 38.57

$5.98 £4.44

-63.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 MDL 5.65

$3.39 £2.52

-90.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.88 MDL 86.3

$56.6 £42.03

-91.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 MDL 30.84

$2.21 £1.64

-21.27%

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

$28.8K MDL 510.1K

$38.3K £28.4K

-24.62%

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

$28.3K MDL 500.3K

$41.0K £30.5K

-31.03%

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

$238 MDL 4,208

$372 £277

-36.09%

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

$8.63 MDL 153

$18.66 £13.87

-53.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.24 MDL 181

$40.53 £30.12

-74.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.67 MDL 772

$56.0 £41.63

-22.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.40 MDL 361

$17.10 £12.71

19.30%

Cinema Ticket

$8.37 MDL 148

$17.95 £13.34

-53.37%

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

$437 MDL 7,732

$2,946 £2,189

-85.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,501 MDL 150.3K

$47.6K £35.4K

-82.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.1 MDL 1,416

$116 £86.4

-31.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.44 MDL 839

$56.9 £42.28

-16.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 MDL 2,029

$128 £95.1

-10.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MDL 1,996

$154 £114

-26.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$700 MDL 12.4K

$2,935 £2,182

-76.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$474 MDL 8,379

$2,258 £1,678

-79.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 MDL 22.3K

$5,250 £3,901

-75.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 MDL 14.2K

$3,859 £2,868

-79.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,550 MDL 45.1K

$17.2K £12.8K

-85.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,850 MDL 32.7K

$8,278 £6,152

-77.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$839 MDL 14.8K

$5,621 £4,177

-85.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.17

4.78

91.84%

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

Last update for Chisinau: November 1, 2026

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chisinau

$474 35.7%

London

$2.3K 55.8% 377% $1.8K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chisinau

$257 19.4%

London

$432 10.7% 68% $175

Groceries & Markets

Chisinau

$191 14.4%

London

$360 8.9% 88.2% $169

Eating Out

Chisinau

$164 12.4%

London

$396 9.8% 141% $232

Clothing & Footwear

Chisinau

$160 12.1%

London

$205 5.1% 28.1% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chisinau

$60 4.6%

London

$92 2.3% 52.2% $32

Getting Around

Chisinau

$19 1.4%

London

$305 7.6% 1499% $286

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $700 in Chisinau versus $2,935 in London. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in London are about 6.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Chisinau versus $109 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $191 vs $360 – making Chisinau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Chisinau

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

09:11 9:11 AM

07:11 7:11 AM

2 h behind Chisinau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

750,000 Capital

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.66 USD

100 MDL = 5.04 EUR

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to MDL – Moldovan Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇩 Moldovan Leu (L)

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 17.68 MDL (100 MDL = 5.66 USD). 1 EUR = 19.85 MDL (100 MDL = 5.04 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.743 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to MDL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chisinau London 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chisinau
London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – London is pricier by about 205%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,988 per month in Chisinau and $6,072 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chisinau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $700 there versus $2,935 in London.

Groceries cost about 88% more in London, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Chisinau and $109 in London. 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 Chisinau, where all-in costs run around $1,326, than in London at $4,048. In Chisinau it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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