Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Moldova

Name: Moldova
Address: MD

For one person, living is cheaper in Moldova: $1,185 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Moldova
Learn more

Moldova Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,185

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Istanbul is 41.8% more expensive than Moldova without rent, and 28.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Istanbul is 42.4% more expensive than Moldova without rent, and 36.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$9.10 MDL 161

29.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$33.05 MDL 584

66.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$8.47 MDL 150

9.33%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.80 MDL 31.77

138.89%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.06 MDL 18.80

66.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.72 MDL 12.82

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.91 MDL 33.73

145.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$1.98 MDL 34.96

259.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.21 MDL 21.41

3.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.61 MDL 10.78

44.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.33 MDL 23.48

65.41%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.71 MDL 47.87

-10.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$9.45 MDL 167

10.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.10 MDL 90.1

4.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$8.33 MDL 147

153.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$0.94 MDL 16.70

97.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.84 MDL 32.61

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.89 MDL 33.47

-35.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.10 MDL 37.20

-14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.71 MDL 12.49

-2.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.57 MDL 10.02

12.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.28 MDL 22.60

6.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.85 MDL 15.05

-31.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.37 MDL 59.5

-30.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$4.53 MDL 80.1

187.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.23 MDL 21.71

91.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.98 MDL 35.00

67.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.37 MDL 6.60

137.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$15.39 MDL 272

329.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$2.24 MDL 39.63

-42.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.31 MDL 5.56

174.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$5.07 MDL 89.7

118.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.62 MDL 28.57

-8.64%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$29.7K MDL 525.4K

63.70%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$28.2K MDL 497.9K

49.07%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$219 MDL 3,869

-57.63%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$9.14 MDL 162

22.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$10.67 MDL 189

48.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$40.65 MDL 719

83.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$17.87 MDL 316

28.43%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$8.19 MDL 145

-1.71%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$388 MDL 6,856

144.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$7,593 MDL 134.3K

386.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$66.3 MDL 1,172

-18.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$40.97 MDL 725

1.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$102 MDL 1,797

-0.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$108 MDL 1,916

-15.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$588 MDL 10.4K

72.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$401 MDL 7,083

55.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$1,142 MDL 20.2K

75.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$733 MDL 13.0K

53.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,427 MDL 42.9K

23.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,764 MDL 31.2K

-1.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$760 MDL 13.4K

49.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

8.76

361.42%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Moldova: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Moldova

$401 33.8% 35.9% $224

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Moldova

$185 15.6% 28.5% $73

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Moldova

$140 11.9% 36.4% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Moldova

$143 12.1% 10.3% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Moldova

$239 20.1% 99.2% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Moldova

$57 4.8% 37.2% $34

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Moldova

$21 1.8% 72.5% $54

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇩 Moldova

🕒 Local time

14:24 2:24 PM

13:24 1:24 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

2,603,813

💱 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

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Between locations

Istanbul Moldova 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Moldova

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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