Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cricova and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Cricova: $1,017 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Cricova
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Cricova Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Cricova

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,017

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cricova and in Istanbul

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,017 in Cricova versus $1,519 in Istanbul.

Cricova $1,017
Istanbul $1,519

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,866 in Cricova versus $2,365 in Istanbul.

Cricova $1,866
Istanbul $2,365

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Cricova versus $3,212 in Istanbul.

Cricova $2,715
Istanbul $3,212

Living in Cricova costs roughly 33% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cricova is 25% below, Istanbul is 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.57 MDL 151

$11.81 ₺591

-27.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.08 MDL 496

$54.9 ₺2,748

-48.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 MDL 184

$9.26 ₺463

12.63%

Cappuccino

$1.03 MDL 18.17

$4.30 ₺215

-76.05%

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

$1.04 MDL 18.42

$1.77 ₺88.8

-41.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 MDL 11.53

$0.56 ₺28.26

16.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 MDL 34.73

$4.69 ₺234

-58.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 MDL 39.89

$7.12 ₺356

-68.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 MDL 41.05

$1.25 ₺62.6

85.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.45 MDL 7.98

$0.88 ₺44.07

-48.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 MDL 18.38

$2.20 ₺110

-52.73%

Eggs

$1.31 MDL 23.09

$2.43 ₺122

-46.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.72 MDL 119

$10.48 ₺524

-35.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 MDL 81.1

$5.31 ₺266

-13.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.29 MDL 217

$21.10 ₺1,056

-41.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.08 MDL 19.09

$1.86 ₺92.9

-41.94%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 MDL 15.50

$2.30 ₺115

-61.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.07 MDL 18.93

$1.22 ₺60.8

-12.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 MDL 18.48

$1.80 ₺90.0

-41.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 MDL 13.45

$0.69 ₺34.75

10.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 MDL 18.53

$0.64 ₺32.09

64.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 MDL 18.30

$1.36 ₺67.8

-23.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 MDL 18.27

$0.58 ₺28.88

77.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 MDL 59.7

$2.34 ₺117

44.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.41 MDL 77.9

$13.03 ₺652

-66.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 MDL 46.10

$2.36 ₺118

10.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 MDL 75.8

$3.32 ₺166

29.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 MDL 10.29

$0.88 ₺43.97

-34.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.71 MDL 401

$66.1 ₺3,309

-65.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 MDL 20.02

$1.28 ₺64.3

-11.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 MDL 4.61

$0.85 ₺42.70

-69.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.86 MDL 121

$11.09 ₺555

-38.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 MDL 24.18

$1.48 ₺73.9

-7.43%

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

$28.9K MDL 510.0K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-40.63%

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

$23.9K MDL 422.2K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-43.04%

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

$232 MDL 4,100

$92.7 ₺4,639

150.43%

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

$7.86 MDL 139

$11.20 ₺560

-29.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.37 MDL 201

$15.89 ₺795

-28.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 MDL 966

$74.7 ₺3,737

-26.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.10 MDL 196

$22.95 ₺1,149

-51.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.38 MDL 130

$8.05 ₺403

-8.32%

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

$110 MDL 1,948

$948 ₺47.5K

-88.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,194 MDL 91.7K

$36.9K ₺1.8M

-85.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 MDL 999

$53.9 ₺2,696

5.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.26 MDL 499

$41.49 ₺2,076

-31.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.3 MDL 1,471

$101 ₺5,049

-17.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MDL 1,972

$91.3 ₺4,570

22.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$902 MDL 15.9K

$1,014 ₺50.7K

-11.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$221 MDL 3,903

$625 ₺31.3K

-64.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 MDL 24.7K

$2,005 ₺100.4K

-30.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 MDL 20.0K

$1,126 ₺56.3K

0.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,768 MDL 48.9K

$2,988 ₺149.5K

-7.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,920 MDL 33.9K

$1,730 ₺86.6K

10.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$569 MDL 10.1K

$1,136 ₺56.9K

-49.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

-82.68%

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

Last update for Cricova: October 31, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cricova

$251 24.7%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 52.4% $132

Accommodation & Living

Cricova

$221 21.7%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 183% $403

Groceries & Markets

Cricova

$189 18.6%

Istanbul

$258 17% 36.8% $70

Eating Out

Cricova

$133 13.1%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 65.7% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Cricova

$126 12.4%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 2.8% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Cricova

$69 6.8%

Istanbul

$91 6% 30.7% $21

Getting Around

Cricova

$27 2.7%

Istanbul

$75 5% 174% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $902 in Cricova and $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 100% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $28 in Cricova vs $55 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $189 vs $258 per month, with Cricova cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Cricova

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

01:24 1:24 AM

02:24 2:24 AM

1 h ahead of Cricova

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,642

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.66 USD

100 MDL = 5.04 EUR

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to MDL – Moldovan Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇩 Moldovan Leu (L)

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 17.66 MDL (100 MDL = 5.66 USD). 1 EUR = 19.82 MDL (100 MDL = 5.04 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.18 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to MDL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cricova Istanbul 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cricova
Istanbul

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

Cricova vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,017 in Cricova and $1,519 in Istanbul, so Cricova is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 50% lower in Cricova. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $902 in Cricova versus $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cricova runs roughly 66% less than in Istanbul. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $110 in Cricova versus $948 in Istanbul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Cricova gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Cricova gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.