Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ialoveni and Balti

For one person, living is cheaper in Ialoveni: $804 a month against $971 in Balti, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Balti outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

38

Cost of Living Index in Ialoveni
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Ialoveni Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Balti
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Balti Living Index

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Ialoveni

🇲🇩 Moldova

$804

/mo nomad

Balti

🇲🇩 Moldova

$971

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ialoveni and in Balti

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

A single person spends $804 per month in Ialoveni vs $971 in Balti, rent included.

Ialoveni $804
Balti $971

A couple spends around $1,296 per month in Ialoveni vs $1,407 in Balti, rent included.

Ialoveni $1,296
Balti $1,407

A family of three spends $1,789 per month in Ialoveni vs $1,844 in Balti, rent included.

Ialoveni $1,789
Balti $1,844

Ialoveni is about 17% cheaper than Balti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ialoveni and Balti are more affordable than the global median – Ialoveni 41% lower, Balti 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.46 MDL 151

$8.54 MDL 152

-0.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.37 MDL 522

$22.05 MDL 392

33.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 MDL 186

$10.49 MDL 186

-0.19%

Cappuccino

$2.24 MDL 39.81

$1.71 MDL 30.35

30.99%

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

$1.25 MDL 22.25

$1.05 MDL 18.76

19.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 MDL 14.26

$0.68 MDL 12.15

17.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 MDL 38.57

$1.13 MDL 20.10

92.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 MDL 40.23

$1.35 MDL 24.06

67.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 MDL 22.46

$1.23 MDL 21.89

2.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 MDL 12.21

$0.49 MDL 8.69

40.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 MDL 12.23

$1.52 MDL 26.97

-54.61%

Eggs

$2.74 MDL 48.75

$2.25 MDL 39.97

21.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.75 MDL 120

$6.63 MDL 118

1.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 MDL 88.4

$4.60 MDL 81.7

8.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.72 MDL 83.8

$5.96 MDL 106

-20.81%

Apples (1kg)

$0.97 MDL 17.31

$1.01 MDL 18.01

-3.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 MDL 34.32

$2.17 MDL 38.59

-11.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 MDL 36.33

$1.82 MDL 32.30

12.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 MDL 42.27

$2.33 MDL 41.40

2.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 MDL 13.67

$0.71 MDL 12.62

8.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.53 MDL 9.34

$0.49 MDL 8.69

8.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 MDL 24.11

$0.42 MDL 7.50

223.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 MDL 14.67

$0.51 MDL 9.05

62.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 MDL 61.2

$3.39 MDL 60.3

1.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.94 MDL 87.8

$4.51 MDL 80.2

9.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MDL 22.68

$1.36 MDL 24.10

-5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 MDL 34.57

$1.92 MDL 34.20

1.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 MDL 5.65

$0.32 MDL 5.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.61 MDL 118

$16.71 MDL 297

-60.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 MDL 40.25

$2.83 MDL 50.3

-20.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 MDL 4.63

$0.24 MDL 4.25

8.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.00 MDL 89.0

$5.52 MDL 98.2

-9.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 MDL 28.75

$1.53 MDL 27.22

5.88%

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

$29.1K MDL 516.6K

$33.1K MDL 588.2K

-12.16%

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

$24.3K MDL 431.9K

$24.4K MDL 434.4K

-0.57%

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

$188 MDL 3,341

$223 MDL 3,964

-15.71%

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

$9.34 MDL 166

$7.68 MDL 137

21.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.10 MDL 197

$11.00 MDL 196

0.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.30 MDL 503

$35.54 MDL 632

-20.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.21 MDL 199

$14.99 MDL 267

-25.22%

Cinema Ticket

$7.32 MDL 130

$7.34 MDL 130

-0.27%

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

$112 MDL 1,996

$111 MDL 1,980

0.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,209 MDL 92.6K

$5,153 MDL 91.6K

1.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.96 MDL 782

$44.51 MDL 791

-1.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.03 MDL 498

$32.72 MDL 582

-14.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 MDL 1,509

$54.6 MDL 971

55.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.6 MDL 1,664

$51.0 MDL 906

83.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$168 MDL 2,982

$389 MDL 6,920

-56.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$111 MDL 1,981

$279 MDL 4,955

-60.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$362 MDL 6,428

$655 MDL 11.7K

-44.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 MDL 6,532

$495 MDL 8,802

-25.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,407 MDL 25.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$997 MDL 17.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$585 MDL 10.4K

$620 MDL 11.0K

-5.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Ialoveni: November 2, 2026

Last update for Balti: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ialoveni

$208 25.9%

Balti

$242 24.9% 16% $33

Groceries & Markets

Ialoveni

$168 20.9%

Balti

$161 16.5% 4.3% $7.2

Eating Out

Ialoveni

$150 18.6%

Balti

$136 14% 9.4% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Ialoveni

$113 14%

Balti

$82 8.5% 27% $30

Accommodation & Living

Ialoveni

$111 13.9%

Balti

$279 28.7% 150% $167

Sport & Entertainment

Ialoveni

$43 5.3%

Balti

$50 5.2% 17% $7.3

Getting Around

Ialoveni

$11 1.4%

Balti

$22 2.3% 92.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $168 in Ialoveni versus $389 in Balti. 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 6% higher in Balti, 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 $29 in Ialoveni versus $22 in Balti. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $168 vs $161 – making Balti the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Ialoveni

🇲🇩 Balti

🕒 Local time

00:29 12:29 AM

Same time as Ialoveni

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,300

144,800

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.62 USD

100 MDL = 5 EUR

100 MDL = 5.62 USD

100 MDL = 5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Ialoveni Balti 110 km

From you

Ialoveni
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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

Ialoveni vs Balti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $804 in Ialoveni, $971 in Balti – Ialoveni comes out roughly 17% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,206 per month in Ialoveni and $1,456 in Balti. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ialoveni, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $168 there versus $389 in Balti.

Kindergarten costs $112 per month in Ialoveni and $111 in Balti. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Balti – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $804 in Ialoveni and $971 in Balti. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Balti has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $804 in Ialoveni to $971 in Balti. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Ialoveni. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Balti makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.