Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guayaquil and Chisinau

For one person, living is cheaper in Guayaquil: $1,136 a month against $1,285 in Chisinau, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Guayaquil
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Guayaquil Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Chisinau
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Chisinau Living Index

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Guayaquil

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$1,136

/mo nomad

Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,136 per month in Guayaquil vs $1,285 in Chisinau, rent included.

Guayaquil $1,136
Chisinau $1,285

A couple spends around $1,775 per month in Guayaquil vs $1,984 in Chisinau, rent included.

Guayaquil $1,775
Chisinau $1,984

A family of three spends $2,413 per month in Guayaquil vs $2,684 in Chisinau, rent included.

Guayaquil $2,413
Chisinau $2,684

Guayaquil is about 12% cheaper than Chisinau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Guayaquil and Chisinau are more affordable than the global median – Guayaquil 16% lower, Chisinau 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.94 $3.94

$11.32 MDL 201

-65.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.6 $52.6

$51.0 MDL 906

3.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.15 $9.15

$8.85 MDL 157

3.39%

Cappuccino

$2.82 $2.82

$2.11 MDL 37.43

33.65%

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

$0.91 $0.91

$1.19 MDL 21.13

-23.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 $0.74

$0.93 MDL 16.53

-20.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.25 MDL 40.03

35.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.95 MDL 34.61

112.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.27 MDL 22.56

-8.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.73 MDL 12.88

171.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.39 MDL 24.71

5.76%

Eggs

$2.07 $2.07

$2.82 MDL 50.1

-26.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.02 $7.02

$9.49 MDL 169

-26.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 $5.18

$5.07 MDL 90.1

2.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 $9.26

$8.65 MDL 154

7.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.48 $1.48

$0.94 MDL 16.72

57.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.91 MDL 33.83

-40.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$2.11 MDL 37.42

-53.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.16 MDL 38.28

-56.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$0.68 MDL 12.07

79.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.56 MDL 10.00

75.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.29 MDL 22.95

-31.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 $0.94

$0.83 MDL 14.76

13.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.91 $5.91

$3.39 MDL 60.2

74.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.19 $12.19

$4.67 MDL 83.0

161.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.26 MDL 22.44

23.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.96 MDL 34.83

11.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$0.40 MDL 7.16

-10.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.61 $19.61

$13.50 MDL 240

45.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.29 MDL 40.61

20.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 $1.80

$0.33 MDL 5.83

445.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.16 $12.16

$5.11 MDL 90.8

137.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.64 MDL 29.20

-46.34%

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

$21.1K $21.1K

$29.5K MDL 524.6K

-28.46%

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

$31.3K $31.3K

$29.7K MDL 527.0K

5.50%

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

$131 $131

$239 MDL 4,245

-45.28%

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

$14.76 $14.76

$9.40 MDL 167

57.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.25 $26.25

$10.43 MDL 185

151.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.30 $46.30

$42.21 MDL 750

9.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.54 $26.54

$20.30 MDL 361

30.74%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 $7.29

$8.55 MDL 152

-14.74%

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

$378 $378

$425 MDL 7,543

-10.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,590 $5,590

$5,785 MDL 102.7K

-3.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.2 $66.2

$80.8 MDL 1,434

-18.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.10 $41.10

$47.59 MDL 845

-13.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 $124

$116 MDL 2,056

6.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 $93.8

$113 MDL 2,011

-17.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$476 $476

$676 MDL 12.0K

-29.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 $401

$431 MDL 7,651

-6.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$800 $800

$1,258 MDL 22.3K

-36.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$740 $740

$846 MDL 15.0K

-12.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,275 $2,275

$2,680 MDL 47.6K

-15.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,451 $1,451

$1,937 MDL 34.4K

-25.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$612 $612

$866 MDL 15.4K

-29.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

9.1

10.44%

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

Last update for Guayaquil: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chisinau: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guayaquil

$401 35.3%

Chisinau

$431 33.5% 7.4% $30

Groceries & Markets

Guayaquil

$200 17.6%

Chisinau

$190 14.8% 5.2% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guayaquil

$172 15.1%

Chisinau

$259 20.2% 50.7% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Guayaquil

$146 12.9%

Chisinau

$161 12.5% 10% $15

Eating Out

Guayaquil

$123 10.8%

Chisinau

$166 12.9% 35% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Guayaquil

$61 5.4%

Chisinau

$59 4.6% 2.6% $1.6

Getting Around

Guayaquil

$33 2.9%

Chisinau

$19 1.5% 42% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $476 in Guayaquil versus $676 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 42% 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 $53.0 in Guayaquil versus $51.0 in Chisinau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $190 – making Chisinau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Guayaquil

🇲🇩 Chisinau

🕒 Local time

15:00 3:00 PM

23:00 11:00 PM

8 h ahead of Guayaquil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,500,000

750,000 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇩 Moldovan Leu (L)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 17.76 MDL (100 MDL = 5.63 USD). 1 EUR = 19.97 MDL (100 MDL = 5.01 EUR).

MDL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Guayaquil Chisinau 11,620 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Guayaquil
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

Guayaquil vs Chisinau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chisinau is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,704 per month in Guayaquil and $1,927 in Chisinau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% 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 $53.0 in Guayaquil and $51.0 in Chisinau. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Guayaquil, where all-in costs run around $1,136, than in Chisinau at $1,285. In Guayaquil it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chisinau it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guayaquil – 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 Guayaquil. 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.