Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chisinau and Targu Mures

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Mures: $938 a month against $1,288 in Chisinau, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Targu Mures
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Targu Mures Living Index

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Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,288

/mo nomad

Targu Mures

🇷🇴 Romania

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chisinau and in Targu Mures

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

A single person spends $1,288 per month in Chisinau vs $938 in Targu Mures, rent included.

Chisinau $1,288
Targu Mures $938

A couple spends around $1,978 per month in Chisinau vs $1,461 in Targu Mures, rent included.

Chisinau $1,978
Targu Mures $1,461

A family of three spends $2,669 per month in Chisinau vs $1,984 in Targu Mures, rent included.

Chisinau $2,669
Targu Mures $1,984

Chisinau costs about 37% more than Targu Mures, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chisinau and Targu Mures are more affordable than the global median – Chisinau 5% lower, Targu Mures 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 MDL 201

$9.12 RON 43.15

24.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 MDL 890

$42.19 RON 200

18.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.65 MDL 154

$8.00 RON 37.83

8.13%

Cappuccino

$2.11 MDL 37.44

$2.17 RON 10.27

-2.76%

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

$1.19 MDL 21.09

$1.44 RON 6.83

-17.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 MDL 15.08

$1.23 RON 5.83

-30.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 MDL 40.11

$1.91 RON 9.04

18.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 MDL 35.53

$2.26 RON 10.68

-11.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 MDL 21.99

$1.34 RON 6.34

-7.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 MDL 13.03

$1.07 RON 5.07

-31.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 MDL 25.97

$1.45 RON 6.87

0.69%

Eggs

$2.78 MDL 49.31

$2.88 RON 13.65

-3.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.65 MDL 171

$8.00 RON 37.84

20.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.26 MDL 93.5

$5.81 RON 27.47

-9.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.83 MDL 157

$10.08 RON 47.68

-12.40%

Apples (1kg)

$0.93 MDL 16.44

$1.00 RON 4.72

-7.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 MDL 33.25

$1.33 RON 6.29

40.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 MDL 37.47

$1.39 RON 6.59

51.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.28 MDL 40.57

$1.90 RON 9.00

20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.68 MDL 12.00

$0.77 RON 3.64

-11.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 MDL 9.22

$0.55 RON 2.61

-5.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 MDL 23.32

$0.80 RON 3.79

63.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 MDL 14.82

$0.77 RON 3.64

7.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.36 MDL 59.6

$5.84 RON 27.61

-42.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.64 MDL 82.4

$7.39 RON 34.98

-37.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MDL 21.60

$1.07 RON 5.06

14.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 MDL 33.46

$1.55 RON 7.32

21.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 MDL 7.21

$0.66 RON 3.11

-37.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.72 MDL 244

$25.06 RON 119

-45.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.20 MDL 39.04

$0.88 RON 4.14

150.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 MDL 5.75

$0.85 RON 4.04

-62.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MDL 88.5

$7.47 RON 35.32

-33.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 MDL 30.95

$1.81 RON 8.55

-3.87%

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

$29.9K MDL 530.9K

$28.1K RON 133.0K

6.34%

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

$28.6K MDL 507.6K

$25.3K RON 119.8K

12.89%

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

$244 MDL 4,334

$101 RON 477

142.16%

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

$9.37 MDL 166

$9.37 RON 44.35

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.56 MDL 187

$8.19 RON 38.75

28.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.29 MDL 751

$42.30 RON 200

-0.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.91 MDL 371

$18.38 RON 87.0

13.76%

Cinema Ticket

$8.21 MDL 146

$6.27 RON 29.67

30.94%

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

$436 MDL 7,737

$1,330 RON 6,291

-67.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,764 MDL 102.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 MDL 1,392

$52.3 RON 248

49.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.66 MDL 846

$29.80 RON 141

59.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 MDL 1,998

$76.7 RON 363

46.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 MDL 2,031

$77.4 RON 366

47.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 MDL 12.0K

$415 RON 1,964

63.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$430 MDL 7,640

$286 RON 1,355

50.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,249 MDL 22.2K

$650 RON 3,077

91.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$831 MDL 14.8K

$472 RON 2,232

76.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,607 MDL 46.3K

$2,238 RON 10.6K

16.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,981 MDL 35.2K

$1,487 RON 7,035

33.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$880 MDL 15.6K

$991 RON 4,687

-11.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

7.47

21.82%

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

Last update for Chisinau: October 17, 2026

Last update for Targu Mures: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chisinau

$430 33.4%

Targu Mures

$286 30.5% 33.4% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chisinau

$264 20.5%

Targu Mures

$118 12.6% 55.2% $146

Groceries & Markets

Chisinau

$192 14.9%

Targu Mures

$192 20.5% 0.1% $0.3

Eating Out

Chisinau

$165 12.8%

Targu Mures

$148 15.8% 10.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Chisinau

$159 12.3%

Targu Mures

$106 11.3% 33.1% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Chisinau

$59 4.6%

Targu Mures

$55 5.8% 6.6% $3.9

Getting Around

Chisinau

$19 1.5%

Targu Mures

$33 3.5% 71.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $677 in Chisinau versus $415 in Targu Mures. 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 13% higher in Targu Mures, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Chisinau versus $42.00 in Targu Mures. Groceries tell a different story – $192 in Chisinau vs $192 in Targu Mures – so Chisinau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Chisinau

🇷🇴 Targu Mures

🕒 Local time

03:50 3:50 AM

Same time as Chisinau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

750,000 Capital

134,290

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to MDL – Moldovan Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇩 Moldovan Leu (L)

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 17.76 MDL (100 MDL = 5.63 USD). 1 EUR = 19.97 MDL (100 MDL = 5.01 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to MDL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chisinau Targu Mures 330 km

From you

Chisinau
Targu Mures

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 Targu Mures: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chisinau is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,932 per month in Chisinau and $1,408 in Targu Mures. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 0% 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 $50.0 in Chisinau and $42.00 in Targu Mures. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Targu Mures, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Chisinau at $1,288. In Targu Mures it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chisinau it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Targu Mures. 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.