Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cotonou and Chisinau

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotonou: $897 a month against $1,316 in Chisinau, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Cotonou
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Cotonou Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Chisinau
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Chisinau Living Index

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Cotonou

🇧🇯 Benin

$897

/mo nomad

Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,316

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cotonou and in Chisinau

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cotonou and in Chisinau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $897 per month in Cotonou vs $1,316 in Chisinau, rent included.

Cotonou $897
Chisinau $1,316

A couple spends around $1,428 per month in Cotonou vs $1,991 in Chisinau, rent included.

Cotonou $1,428
Chisinau $1,991

A family of three spends $1,958 per month in Cotonou vs $2,666 in Chisinau, rent included.

Cotonou $1,958
Chisinau $2,666

Cotonou is about 32% cheaper than Chisinau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Cotonou and Chisinau are more affordable than the global median – Cotonou 34% lower, Chisinau 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.18 F CFA 3,042

$11.34 MDL 202

-54.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.68 F CFA 21.0K

$56.7 MDL 1,010

-37.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 F CFA 5,514

$8.14 MDL 145

15.36%

Cappuccino

$5.25 F CFA 3,085

$2.19 MDL 39.06

139.73%

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

$1.00 F CFA 589

$1.22 MDL 21.67

-18.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 F CFA 521

$0.90 MDL 15.99

-1.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.87 F CFA 510

$2.20 MDL 39.24

-60.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 F CFA 1,522

$1.92 MDL 34.27

34.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.10 F CFA 1,820

$1.26 MDL 22.54

146.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 F CFA 724

$0.71 MDL 12.74

73.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 F CFA 1,105

$1.40 MDL 24.93

34.29%

Eggs

$2.74 F CFA 1,610

$2.72 MDL 48.47

0.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.25 F CFA 5,436

$9.70 MDL 173

-4.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.43 F CFA 3,189

$5.00 MDL 89.2

8.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.04 F CFA 2,959

$8.77 MDL 156

-42.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 F CFA 2,345

$0.97 MDL 17.33

311.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 F CFA 1,043

$1.93 MDL 34.44

-7.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 F CFA 779

$2.01 MDL 35.89

-33.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 F CFA 1,591

$2.16 MDL 38.44

25.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 F CFA 745

$0.65 MDL 11.63

95.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 F CFA 987

$0.56 MDL 10.03

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 F CFA 253

$1.30 MDL 23.14

-66.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 F CFA 670

$0.89 MDL 15.93

28.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 F CFA 1,977

$3.31 MDL 59.0

1.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.30 F CFA 2,524

$4.82 MDL 85.9

-10.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 F CFA 688

$1.22 MDL 21.66

-4.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 F CFA 1,092

$1.89 MDL 33.72

-1.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 F CFA 764

$0.38 MDL 6.73

242.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.55 MDL 242

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 F CFA 808

$2.27 MDL 40.46

-39.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 F CFA 776

$0.34 MDL 6.13

288.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.94 MDL 88.1

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 F CFA 695

$1.65 MDL 29.47

-28.48%

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

$29.8K MDL 531.9K

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

$23.5K F CFA 13.8M

$27.6K MDL 492.9K

-14.97%

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

$145 F CFA 85.1K

$241 MDL 4,289

-39.78%

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

$33.52 F CFA 19.7K

$9.32 MDL 166

259.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.06 F CFA 28.8K

$10.33 MDL 184

374.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.60 F CFA 28.0K

$42.89 MDL 765

10.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.36 F CFA 1,973

$20.55 MDL 366

-83.65%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 F CFA 5,043

$8.33 MDL 149

3.00%

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

$131 F CFA 76.9K

$430 MDL 7,660

-69.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,544 F CFA 3.3M

$5,720 MDL 102.0K

-3.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.39 F CFA 14.9K

$78.1 MDL 1,392

-67.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.91 MDL 819

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$33.44 F CFA 19.6K

$112 MDL 2,006

-70.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.9 F CFA 39.9K

$117 MDL 2,083

-41.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$176 F CFA 103.4K

$691 MDL 12.3K

-74.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$163 F CFA 95.7K

$463 MDL 8,252

-64.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$600 F CFA 352.5K

$1,257 MDL 22.4K

-52.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$412 F CFA 242.3K

$803 MDL 14.3K

-48.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,585 MDL 46.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,861 MDL 33.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$251 F CFA 147.2K

$864 MDL 15.4K

-71.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.17

-56.38%

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

Last update for Cotonou: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chisinau: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cotonou

$227 25.4%

Chisinau

$260 19.8% 14.4% $33

Groceries & Markets

Cotonou

$222 24.8%

Chisinau

$190 14.5% 14.2% $32

Accommodation & Living

Cotonou

$163 18.2%

Chisinau

$463 35.2% 184% $300

Eating Out

Cotonou

$150 16.7%

Chisinau

$165 12.5% 10.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Cotonou

$65 7.2%

Chisinau

$60 4.5% 8.1% $5.2

Clothing & Footwear

Cotonou

$57 * 6.4%

Chisinau

$159 12.1% 179% $102

Getting Around

Cotonou

$13 * 1.5%

Chisinau

$19 1.5% 44.5% $5.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $176 in Cotonou versus $691 in Chisinau. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chisinau are about 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Cotonou versus $57 in Chisinau. Groceries tell a different story – $222 in Cotonou vs $190 in Chisinau – so Chisinau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇯 Cotonou

🇲🇩 Chisinau

🕒 Local time

07:33 7:33 AM

08:33 8:33 AM

1 h ahead of Cotonou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

780,000

750,000 Capital

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR

100 MDL = 5.61 USD

100 MDL = 5.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 587 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 17.83 MDL (100 MDL = 5.61 USD). 1 EUR = 19.91 MDL (100 MDL = 5.02 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cotonou Chisinau 5,170 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cotonou
Chisinau

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

Cotonou vs Chisinau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chisinau is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,345 per month in Cotonou and $1,974 in Chisinau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cotonou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $176 there versus $691 in Chisinau.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $897 in Cotonou and $1,316 in Chisinau. That makes Cotonou about 32% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $131 per month in Cotonou and $430 in Chisinau. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cotonou, where all-in costs run around $897, than in Chisinau at $1,316. In Cotonou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chisinau it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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