Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Chisinau

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $1,275 in Chisinau, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Chisinau
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Chisinau Living Index

Jump to prices

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,275

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi 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 Delhi and in Chisinau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $520 per month in Delhi vs $1,275 in Chisinau, rent included.

Delhi $520
Chisinau $1,275

A couple spends around $858 per month in Delhi vs $1,987 in Chisinau, rent included.

Delhi $858
Chisinau $1,987

A family of three spends $1,195 per month in Delhi vs $2,699 in Chisinau, rent included.

Delhi $1,195
Chisinau $2,699

Delhi is about 59% cheaper than Chisinau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Delhi and Chisinau are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Chisinau 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ₹355

$11.27 MDL 200

-67.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.95 ₹2,027

$49.50 MDL 877

-57.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.74 ₹362

$8.46 MDL 150

-55.79%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ₹226

$2.12 MDL 37.57

9.91%

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

$0.37 ₹35.82

$1.17 MDL 20.79

-68.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 ₹18.91

$0.91 MDL 16.07

-78.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ₹195

$2.24 MDL 39.72

-9.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₹308

$1.92 MDL 34.03

66.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 ₹65.9

$1.21 MDL 21.45

-43.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹50.2

$0.69 MDL 12.21

-24.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 ₹80.0

$1.37 MDL 24.27

-39.42%

Eggs

$1.07 ₹104

$2.81 MDL 49.87

-61.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.43 ₹428

$9.49 MDL 168

-53.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 ₹326

$5.02 MDL 88.9

-32.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.75 MDL 155

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 ₹192

$0.97 MDL 17.28

105.15%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 ₹70.1

$1.92 MDL 34.11

-62.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 ₹98.4

$2.08 MDL 36.86

-50.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 ₹50.1

$2.25 MDL 39.84

-76.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.27 ₹25.96

$0.71 MDL 12.63

-61.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.42

$0.56 MDL 9.96

-33.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ₹41.64

$1.31 MDL 23.27

-67.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹30.39

$0.88 MDL 15.54

-64.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.92 ₹476

$3.37 MDL 59.7

45.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 ₹808

$4.81 MDL 85.3

73.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₹159

$1.26 MDL 22.28

30.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ₹261

$1.87 MDL 33.11

44.39%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₹44.04

$0.37 MDL 6.61

24.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₹1,480

$13.68 MDL 243

11.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₹99.8

$2.25 MDL 39.88

-54.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹26.38

$0.33 MDL 5.81

-18.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ₹148

$5.07 MDL 89.8

-69.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₹102

$1.70 MDL 30.18

-38.24%

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

$10.5K ₹1.0M

$29.4K MDL 520.4K

-64.37%

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

$18.4K ₹1.8M

$30.3K MDL 537.3K

-39.42%

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

$42.67 ₹4,129

$244 MDL 4,318

-82.49%

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

$4.04 ₹391

$9.64 MDL 171

-58.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.75 ₹653

$10.72 MDL 190

-37.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.40 ₹1,878

$41.23 MDL 731

-52.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.06 ₹780

$20.17 MDL 358

-60.04%

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 ₹492

$8.40 MDL 149

-39.52%

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

$100 ₹9,696

$428 MDL 7,578

-76.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 ₹219.5K

$5,887 MDL 104.3K

-61.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.14 ₹2,336

$80.8 MDL 1,432

-70.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.38 ₹2,747

$46.11 MDL 817

-38.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.3 ₹5,160

$115 MDL 2,046

-53.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.13 ₹4,271

$114 MDL 2,018

-61.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 ₹25.5K

$678 MDL 12.0K

-61.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$154 ₹14.9K

$439 MDL 7,788

-64.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 ₹71.2K

$1,255 MDL 22.2K

-41.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 ₹38.5K

$829 MDL 14.7K

-52.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,494 ₹241.4K

$2,614 MDL 46.3K

-4.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,017 ₹98.4K

$1,988 MDL 35.2K

-48.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$585 ₹56.7K

$867 MDL 15.4K

-32.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

9.1

-8.46%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Last update for Chisinau: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$154 29.7%

Chisinau

$439 33.9% 185% $285

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$108 20.8%

Chisinau

$190 14.7% 76.2% $82

Eating Out

Delhi

$87 16.8%

Chisinau

$164 12.7% 88.3% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$67 13%

Chisinau

$160 12.4% 138% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$53 10.3%

Chisinau

$264 20.4% 394% $211

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$30 5.7%

Chisinau

$58 4.5% 96.2% $28

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

Chisinau

$19 1.5% 2.3% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $264 in Delhi versus $678 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 run about 48% higher in Chisinau, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Delhi versus $49.00 in Chisinau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $108 vs $190 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇲🇩 Chisinau

🕒 Local time

16:48 4:48 PM

14:18 2:18 PM

2 h 30 min behind Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

750,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR

100 MDL = 5.64 USD

100 MDL = 5.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 108 INR (1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17.72 MDL (100 MDL = 5.64 USD). 1 EUR = 19.86 MDL (100 MDL = 5.04 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Delhi Chisinau 4,620 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
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

Delhi vs Chisinau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chisinau is pricier by about 145%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $780 per month in Delhi and $1,912 in Chisinau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 76% more in Chisinau, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Delhi and $49.00 in Chisinau. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Delhi, where all-in costs run around $520, than in Chisinau at $1,275. In Delhi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chisinau it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Delhi – 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 Delhi. 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.