Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Chisinau

For one person, living is cheaper in Chisinau: $1,326 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Chisinau
Learn more

Chisinau Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,326

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,326 in Chisinau, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Chisinau $1,326

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,992 in Chisinau, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Chisinau $1,992

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,658 in Chisinau, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Chisinau $2,658

Istanbul costs about 15% more than Chisinau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Chisinau is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$11.24 MDL 199

5.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$55.0 MDL 972

-0.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$8.11 MDL 143

14.18%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.19 MDL 38.65

96.35%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.24 MDL 21.99

42.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.87 MDL 15.35

-35.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$2.23 MDL 39.46

110.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$1.98 MDL 34.98

259.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.18 MDL 20.93

5.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.71 MDL 12.61

23.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.42 MDL 25.06

54.93%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.80 MDL 49.44

-13.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$9.81 MDL 173

6.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.17 MDL 91.5

2.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$8.74 MDL 155

141.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.00 MDL 17.70

86.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.88 MDL 33.32

22.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.08 MDL 36.85

-41.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.13 MDL 37.72

-15.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.69 MDL 12.28

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.56 MDL 9.94

14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.30 MDL 23.06

4.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.89 MDL 15.72

-34.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.46 MDL 61.1

-32.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$4.82 MDL 85.3

170.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.22 MDL 21.60

93.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.96 MDL 34.61

69.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.41 MDL 7.23

114.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$13.69 MDL 242

382.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$2.18 MDL 38.57

-41.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.32 MDL 5.65

165.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$4.88 MDL 86.3

127.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.74 MDL 30.84

-14.94%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.8K MDL 510.1K

68.62%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$28.3K MDL 500.3K

48.36%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$238 MDL 4,208

-61.04%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$8.63 MDL 153

29.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$10.24 MDL 181

55.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$43.67 MDL 772

71.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$20.40 MDL 361

12.50%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$8.37 MDL 148

-3.82%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$437 MDL 7,732

116.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$8,501 MDL 150.3K

334.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$80.1 MDL 1,416

-32.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$47.44 MDL 839

-12.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$115 MDL 2,029

-12.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$113 MDL 1,996

-19.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$700 MDL 12.4K

44.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$474 MDL 8,379

31.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$1,260 MDL 22.3K

59.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$803 MDL 14.2K

40.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,550 MDL 45.1K

17.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,850 MDL 32.7K

-6.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$839 MDL 14.8K

35.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

9.17

340.79%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chisinau: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Chisinau

$474 35.7% 24.1% $151

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Chisinau

$191 14.4% 25.9% $67

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Chisinau

$164 12.4% 25.7% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Chisinau

$160 12.1% 23.5% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Chisinau

$257 19.4% 114% $137

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Chisinau

$60 4.6% 33.5% $30

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Chisinau

$19 1.4% 74.6% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $700 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 35% higher in Istanbul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $55 in Chisinau. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Istanbul vs $191 in Chisinau – so Chisinau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇩 Chisinau

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

12:27 12:27 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

750,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100 MDL = 5.66 USD

100 MDL = 5.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 17.68 MDL (100 MDL = 5.66 USD). 1 EUR = 19.86 MDL (100 MDL = 5.04 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Chisinau 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
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

Istanbul vs Chisinau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,988 in Chisinau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chisinau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $700 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,326 in Chisinau. That makes Chisinau about 13% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $437 in Chisinau. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Chisinau, where all-in costs run around $1,326, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Chisinau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chisinau costs $1,326 versus $1,519 in Istanbul. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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