Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ialoveni and Chisinau

For one person, living is cheaper in Ialoveni: $806 a month against $1,285 in Chisinau, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Ialoveni
Learn more

Ialoveni Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Chisinau
Learn more

Chisinau Living Index

Jump to prices

Ialoveni

🇲🇩 Moldova

$806

/mo nomad

Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $806 per month in Ialoveni vs $1,285 in Chisinau, rent included.

Ialoveni $806
Chisinau $1,285

A couple spends around $1,296 per month in Ialoveni vs $1,984 in Chisinau, rent included.

Ialoveni $1,296
Chisinau $1,984

A family of three spends $1,786 per month in Ialoveni vs $2,684 in Chisinau, rent included.

Ialoveni $1,786
Chisinau $2,684

Ialoveni is about 37% cheaper than Chisinau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ialoveni and Chisinau are more affordable than the global median – Ialoveni 40% lower, Chisinau 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.21 MDL 146

$11.32 MDL 201

-27.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.89 MDL 513

$51.0 MDL 906

-43.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 MDL 187

$8.85 MDL 157

19.10%

Cappuccino

$2.19 MDL 38.89

$2.11 MDL 37.43

3.79%

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

$1.23 MDL 21.76

$1.19 MDL 21.13

3.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 MDL 14.24

$0.93 MDL 16.53

-13.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 MDL 38.76

$2.25 MDL 40.03

-3.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 MDL 40.54

$1.95 MDL 34.61

16.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 MDL 22.88

$1.27 MDL 22.56

1.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 MDL 11.50

$0.73 MDL 12.88

-10.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 MDL 11.48

$1.39 MDL 24.71

-53.24%

Eggs

$2.72 MDL 48.37

$2.82 MDL 50.1

-3.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.74 MDL 120

$9.49 MDL 169

-28.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.04 MDL 89.6

$5.07 MDL 90.1

-0.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.93 MDL 87.6

$8.65 MDL 154

-43.01%

Apples (1kg)

$0.97 MDL 17.26

$0.94 MDL 16.72

3.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 MDL 33.68

$1.91 MDL 33.83

-0.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MDL 37.62

$2.11 MDL 37.42

0.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 MDL 40.84

$2.16 MDL 38.28

6.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 MDL 12.80

$0.68 MDL 12.07

5.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 MDL 9.31

$0.56 MDL 10.00

-7.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 MDL 23.82

$1.29 MDL 22.95

3.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 MDL 15.48

$0.83 MDL 14.76

4.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.39 MDL 60.3

$3.39 MDL 60.2

Wine (Bottle)

$4.68 MDL 83.0

$4.67 MDL 83.0

0.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 MDL 21.43

$1.26 MDL 22.44

-3.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 MDL 34.75

$1.96 MDL 34.83

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 MDL 5.85

$0.40 MDL 7.16

-17.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.91 MDL 123

$13.50 MDL 240

-48.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 MDL 39.19

$2.29 MDL 40.61

-3.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 MDL 4.62

$0.33 MDL 5.83

-21.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 MDL 88.0

$5.11 MDL 90.8

-3.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 MDL 28.89

$1.64 MDL 29.20

-0.61%

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

$29.5K MDL 524.2K

$29.5K MDL 524.6K

-0.07%

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

$24.5K MDL 435.2K

$29.7K MDL 527.0K

-17.43%

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

$190 MDL 3,378

$239 MDL 4,245

-20.42%

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

$9.47 MDL 168

$9.40 MDL 167

0.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.08 MDL 197

$10.43 MDL 185

6.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.86 MDL 495

$42.21 MDL 750

-34.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.96 MDL 195

$20.30 MDL 361

-46.01%

Cinema Ticket

$7.42 MDL 132

$8.55 MDL 152

-13.22%

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

$111 MDL 1,966

$425 MDL 7,543

-73.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,128 MDL 91.1K

$5,785 MDL 102.7K

-11.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.77 MDL 795

$80.8 MDL 1,434

-44.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.67 MDL 491

$47.59 MDL 845

-41.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 MDL 1,505

$116 MDL 2,056

-26.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 MDL 1,686

$113 MDL 2,011

-16.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$168 MDL 2,975

$676 MDL 12.0K

-75.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$112 MDL 1,996

$431 MDL 7,651

-73.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$356 MDL 6,325

$1,258 MDL 22.3K

-71.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 MDL 6,529

$846 MDL 15.0K

-56.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,680 MDL 47.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,937 MDL 34.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 MDL 10.5K

$866 MDL 15.4K

-31.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

-12.09%

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

Last update for Ialoveni: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chisinau: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ialoveni

$211 26.1%

Chisinau

$259 20.2% 22.8% $48

Groceries & Markets

Ialoveni

$168 20.8%

Chisinau

$190 14.8% 13.3% $22

Eating Out

Ialoveni

$147 18.3%

Chisinau

$166 12.9% 12.8% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Ialoveni

$113 14.1%

Chisinau

$161 12.5% 41.7% $47

Accommodation & Living

Ialoveni

$112 14%

Chisinau

$431 33.5% 283% $318

Sport & Entertainment

Ialoveni

$43 5.3%

Chisinau

$59 4.6% 38.9% $17

Getting Around

Ialoveni

$12 1.5%

Chisinau

$19 1.5% 62.2% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $168 in Ialoveni 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 47% 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 $29.00 in Ialoveni versus $51.0 in Chisinau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $168 vs $190 – making Ialoveni the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Ialoveni

🇲🇩 Chisinau

🕒 Local time

10:23 10:23 AM

Same time as Ialoveni

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,300

750,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ialoveni Chisinau 10 km

From you

Ialoveni
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

Ialoveni vs Chisinau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chisinau is pricier by about 59%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,209 per month in Ialoveni 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 Ialoveni, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% 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 $29.00 in Ialoveni and $51.0 in Chisinau. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ialoveni, where all-in costs run around $806, than in Chisinau at $1,285. In Ialoveni it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chisinau it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ialoveni – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ialoveni. 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.