Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ialoveni and Bender

For one person, living is cheaper in Bender: $670 a month against $804 in Ialoveni, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Ialoveni
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Ialoveni Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Bender
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Bender Living Index

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Ialoveni

🇲🇩 Moldova

$804

/mo nomad

Bender

🇲🇩 Moldova

$670

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ialoveni and in Bender

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 Bender actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $804 per month in Ialoveni vs $670 in Bender, rent included.

Ialoveni $804
Bender $670

A couple spends around $1,296 per month in Ialoveni vs $969 in Bender, rent included.

Ialoveni $1,296
Bender $969

A family of three spends $1,789 per month in Ialoveni vs $1,268 in Bender, rent included.

Ialoveni $1,789
Bender $1,268

Ialoveni costs about 20% more than Bender, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ialoveni and Bender are more affordable than the global median – Ialoveni 41% lower, Bender 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.46 MDL 151

$6.27 MDL 111

34.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.37 MDL 522

$18.28 MDL 325

60.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 MDL 186

$5.58 MDL 99.3

87.63%

Cappuccino

$2.24 MDL 39.81

$1.22 MDL 21.69

83.61%

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

$1.25 MDL 22.25

$0.98 MDL 17.50

27.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 MDL 14.26

$0.48 MDL 8.60

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 MDL 38.57

$0.93 MDL 16.61

133.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 MDL 40.23

$1.68 MDL 29.87

34.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 MDL 22.46

$0.91 MDL 16.26

38.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 MDL 12.21

$0.49 MDL 8.67

40.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 MDL 12.23

$1.41 MDL 25.12

-51.06%

Eggs

$2.74 MDL 48.75

$1.92 MDL 34.13

42.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.75 MDL 120

$3.80 MDL 67.5

77.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 MDL 88.4

$4.23 MDL 75.2

17.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.72 MDL 83.8

$5.34 MDL 94.9

-11.61%

Apples (1kg)

$0.97 MDL 17.31

$0.83 MDL 14.70

16.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 MDL 34.32

$1.83 MDL 32.60

5.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 MDL 36.33

$1.83 MDL 32.54

11.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 MDL 42.27

$1.79 MDL 31.86

32.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 MDL 13.67

$0.71 MDL 12.68

8.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.53 MDL 9.34

$0.56 MDL 10.02

-5.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 MDL 24.11

$0.53 MDL 9.50

156.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 MDL 14.67

$0.79 MDL 14.10

5.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 MDL 61.2

$2.73 MDL 48.51

26.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.94 MDL 87.8

$2.44 MDL 43.33

102.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MDL 22.68

$0.55 MDL 9.70

132.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 MDL 34.57

$1.97 MDL 34.97

-1.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 MDL 5.65

$0.34 MDL 6.10

-5.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.61 MDL 118

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 MDL 40.25

$2.27 MDL 40.40

-0.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 MDL 4.63

$0.29 MDL 5.19

-10.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.00 MDL 89.0

$5.16 MDL 91.7

-3.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 MDL 28.75

$1.36 MDL 24.24

19.12%

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

$29.1K MDL 516.6K

$29.1K MDL 517.2K

-0.10%

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

$24.3K MDL 431.9K

$28.3K MDL 502.6K

-14.05%

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

$188 MDL 3,341

$240 MDL 4,262

-21.61%

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

$9.34 MDL 166

$9.03 MDL 160

3.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.10 MDL 197

$10.54 MDL 187

5.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.30 MDL 503

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.21 MDL 199

Cinema Ticket

$7.32 MDL 130

$8.16 MDL 145

-10.29%

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

$112 MDL 1,996

$427 MDL 7,594

-73.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,209 MDL 92.6K

$5,859 MDL 104.2K

-11.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.96 MDL 782

$77.7 MDL 1,382

-43.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.03 MDL 498

$47.63 MDL 847

-41.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 MDL 1,509

$115 MDL 2,049

-26.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.6 MDL 1,664

$116 MDL 2,057

-19.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$168 MDL 2,982

$302 MDL 5,369

-44.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$111 MDL 1,981

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$362 MDL 6,428

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 MDL 6,532

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$585 MDL 10.4K

$310 MDL 5,511

88.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.17

-12.76%

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

Last update for Ialoveni: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bender: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ialoveni

$208 25.9%

Bender

$259 38.7% 24.4% $51

Groceries & Markets

Ialoveni

$168 20.9%

Bender

$134 20% 20.3% $34

Eating Out

Ialoveni

$150 18.6%

Bender

$95 14.2% 36.2% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Ialoveni

$113 14%

Bender

$160 23.9% 42.3% $48

Accommodation & Living

Ialoveni

$111 13.9%

Bender

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Ialoveni

$43 5.3%

Bender

$16 * 2.4% 62% $27

Getting Around

Ialoveni

$11 1.4%

Bender

$5.1 * 0.8% 55.5% $6.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $168 in Ialoveni versus $302 in Bender. 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 89% higher in Ialoveni. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Ialoveni versus $18 in Bender. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $168 vs $134 – making Bender the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Ialoveni

🇲🇩 Bender

🕒 Local time

22:44 10:44 PM

Same time as Ialoveni

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,300

97,027

💱 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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Between locations

Ialoveni Bender 55 km

From you

Ialoveni
Bender

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 Bender: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ialoveni is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,206 per month in Ialoveni and $1,005 in Bender. 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 $302 in Bender.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Ialoveni and $18 in Bender. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Ialoveni, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $804 in Ialoveni and $670 in Bender, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Ialoveni has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $670 in Bender to $804 in Ialoveni. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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