Cost of Living Comparison Between Cotonou and Chisinau Cost of Living Comparison Between Cotonou and Chisinau

😐 Solo nomad: Cotonou is 13.3% more expensive than Chisinau without rent, and 18.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Cotonou is 4.4% cheaper than Chisinau without rent, and 24.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cotonou
Chisinau
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.56 F CFA 2,013
$8.89 MDL 154
-59.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$26.50 F CFA 15.0K
$36.59 MDL 633
-27.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.32 F CFA 3,009
$7.65 MDL 132
-30.46%
Cappuccino
$5.48 F CFA 3,098
$1.82 MDL 31.50
201.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 F CFA 508
$0.93 MDL 16.11
-3.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 F CFA 410
$0.69 MDL 12.00
4.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.39 F CFA 788
$1.79 MDL 30.90
-22.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.57 F CFA 2,017
$2.41 MDL 41.58
48.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cotonou
Chisinau
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.63 F CFA 1,488
$1.28 MDL 22.11
105.47%
White Bread (500g)
$1.38 F CFA 780
$0.56 MDL 9.65
146.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.87 F CFA 1,058
$1.51 MDL 26.06
23.84%
Eggs
$2.17 F CFA 1,228
$2.49 MDL 42.97
-12.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.55 F CFA 5,405
$10.48 MDL 181
-8.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.01 F CFA 2,836
$5.62 MDL 97.2
-10.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.06 F CFA 2,862
$9.01 MDL 156
-43.84%
Apples (1kg)
$4.02 F CFA 2,275
$0.89 MDL 15.41
351.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 F CFA 817
$1.77 MDL 30.58
-18.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.26 F CFA 713
$1.72 MDL 29.71
-26.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.75 F CFA 990
$2.17 MDL 37.53
-19.35%
Potato (1kg)
$1.34 F CFA 761
$0.84 MDL 14.45
59.52%
Onion (1kg)
$1.43 F CFA 809
$0.58 MDL 10.06
146.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.51 F CFA 289
$1.31 MDL 22.70
-61.07%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 F CFA 692
$0.82 MDL 14.15
48.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.33 F CFA 1,318
$3.30 MDL 57.0
-29.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.79 F CFA 3,844
$5.18 MDL 89.5
31.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.19 F CFA 674
$1.23 MDL 21.26
-3.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 F CFA 1,273
$1.97 MDL 34.02
14.21%
🚌 Getting Around
Cotonou
Chisinau
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.72 F CFA 971
$0.34 MDL 5.79
405.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$13.44 MDL 232
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.37 F CFA 777
$2.02 MDL 34.88
-32.18%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.25 F CFA 707
$0.27 MDL 4.71
362.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.79 F CFA 1,014
$5.28 MDL 91.3
-66.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 F CFA 618
$1.43 MDL 24.65
-23.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$32.2K MDL 556.1K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.4K F CFA 13.8M
$30.7K MDL 531.4K
-20.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cotonou
Chisinau
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$261 F CFA 147.6K
$170 MDL 2,942
53.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$44.26 F CFA 25.0K
$7.70 MDL 133
474.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$57.3 F CFA 32.4K
$11.01 MDL 190
420.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cotonou
Chisinau
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.1 F CFA 34.0K
$44.28 MDL 766
35.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.36 F CFA 3,030
$22.02 MDL 381
-75.66%
Cinema Ticket
$7.57 F CFA 4,280
$7.80 MDL 135
-2.95%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cotonou
Chisinau
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$190 F CFA 107.4K
$388 MDL 6,708
-51.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,527 F CFA 3.7M
$7,588 MDL 131.2K
-13.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cotonou
Chisinau
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$17.83 F CFA 10.1K
$66.7 MDL 1,152
-73.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$8.96 F CFA 5,070
$53.0 MDL 916
-83.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$8.78 F CFA 4,968
$114 MDL 1,979
-92.33%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$49.20 F CFA 27.8K
$124 MDL 2,139
-60.24%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cotonou
Chisinau
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$203 F CFA 114.8K
$654 MDL 11.3K
-68.98%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$149 F CFA 84.5K
$468 MDL 8,096
-68.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$585 F CFA 331.2K
$1,249 MDL 21.6K
-53.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$287 F CFA 162.4K
$822 MDL 14.2K
-65.08%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,665 MDL 46.1K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,860 MDL 32.2K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cotonou
Chisinau
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$842 MDL 14.6K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
9.24
-45.89%

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

Last update for Cotonou: March 1, 2026

Last update for Chisinau: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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