Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Moldova Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Moldova

Name: Moldova
Address: MD

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,718 in Italy versus $713 in Moldova.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,621 in Italy versus $1,112 in Moldova.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,524 in Italy versus $1,510 in Moldova.

Living in Italy is roughly 141% more expensive than in Moldova on average.

Italy (29% above) and Moldova (47% below) straddle the global median.

Italy ($1,176–$2,467) and Moldova ($6.00–$1,217) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.38

$8.79 MDL 153

100.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.5 €72.1

$34.62 MDL 603

138.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.72 €10.25

$7.51 MDL 131

56.06%

Cappuccino

$1.92 €1.68

$1.76 MDL 30.71

9.09%

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

$2.99 €2.62

$0.96 MDL 16.78

211.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.19

$0.64 MDL 11.06

112.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 €5.04

$1.76 MDL 30.72

227.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.22 €4.57

$2.36 MDL 41.05

121.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.48

$1.24 MDL 21.61

36.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.04

$0.52 MDL 9.04

348.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 €2.67

$1.49 MDL 25.92

104.70%

Eggs

$3.99 €3.49

$2.39 MDL 41.54

66.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.68 €14.59

$9.67 MDL 168

72.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.57 €11.00

$5.45 MDL 94.9

130.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.53 €17.96

$8.53 MDL 148

140.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.24

$0.89 MDL 15.51

187.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.93

$1.83 MDL 31.93

20.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.34

$1.72 MDL 29.95

55.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 €2.95

$2.04 MDL 35.52

65.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.78

$0.75 MDL 13.10

172.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.65

$0.54 MDL 9.44

248.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.29

$1.36 MDL 23.63

8.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.47

$0.89 MDL 15.53

-39.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.00 €6.12

$3.30 MDL 57.4

112.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.09 €6.20

$4.46 MDL 77.6

58.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.58

$1.25 MDL 21.70

44.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.19

$1.99 MDL 34.57

26.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 €1.71

$0.36 MDL 6.34

444.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.58 €36.38

$13.75 MDL 239

202.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.80 €5.08

$2.11 MDL 36.73

174.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 €1.40

$0.26 MDL 4.53

515.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.07 €30.68

$5.18 MDL 90.2

577.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.86

$1.42 MDL 24.67

50.00%

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

$32.6K €28.5K

$32.2K MDL 560.8K

1.11%

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

$33.8K €29.6K

$32.1K MDL 558.8K

5.27%

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

$225 €197

$175 MDL 3,045

28.62%

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

$13.14 €11.50

$8.22 MDL 143

59.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.19 €27.29

$11.31 MDL 197

175.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 €50.0

$41.93 MDL 730

36.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.85 €22.61

$19.54 MDL 340

32.29%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 €9.05

$6.96 MDL 121

48.56%

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

$564 €493

$374 MDL 6,515

50.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K €9,047

$7,495 MDL 130.5K

37.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 €80.4

$64.2 MDL 1,118

43.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.54 €35.47

$47.65 MDL 830

-14.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.2 €85.9

$109 MDL 1,906

-10.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €116

$122 MDL 2,121

8.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$855 €748

$618 MDL 10.8K

38.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 €580

$449 MDL 7,814

47.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 €1,332

$1,181 MDL 20.6K

28.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,089 €953

$773 MDL 13.5K

40.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,747 €3,278

$2,512 MDL 43.7K

49.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,299 €2,011

$1,809 MDL 31.5K

27.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,897 €1,659

$770 MDL 13.4K

146.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.41

9.18

-51.96%

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

Last update for Italy: July 11, 2026

Last update for Moldova: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $742 in Italy, $207 in Moldova. Capital cities: $1,328 in Rome vs $673 in Chisinau.

National salary averages: $1,912 in Italy, $556 in Moldova. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 258% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 155% more in Italy.

Public transport is 1367% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 244% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

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

Italy vs Moldova: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,822 per month in Italy and $612 in Moldova, there's a 198% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Moldova: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Italy is consistently higher than in Moldova across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Moldova, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Italy it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Moldova wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.