Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Moldova

Name: Moldova
Address: MD

For one person, living is cheaper in Moldova: $1,184 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Moldova
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Moldova Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,184

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy and in Moldova

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Italy and in Moldova actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,843 in Italy versus $1,184 in Moldova.

Italy $1,843
Moldova $1,184

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,816 in Italy versus $1,775 in Moldova.

Italy $2,816
Moldova $1,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,788 in Italy versus $2,367 in Moldova.

Italy $3,788
Moldova $2,367

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,038 to $2,555, compared to $356–$1,341 in Moldova. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Italy is roughly 56% more expensive than in Moldova on average.

Italy (35% above) and Moldova (13% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.46 €18.33

$9.34 MDL 167

119.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €71.2

$33.28 MDL 593

138.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 €9.99

$8.13 MDL 145

37.15%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.83

$1.92 MDL 34.19

6.25%

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

$3.10 €2.78

$1.03 MDL 18.39

200.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$0.76 MDL 13.46

84.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.51 €4.94

$2.00 MDL 35.65

175.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.14

$1.91 MDL 34.02

200.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.21 MDL 21.49

29.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.13

$0.66 MDL 11.79

260.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.90 €2.60

$1.38 MDL 24.61

110.14%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.65

$2.62 MDL 46.74

55.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 €15.63

$9.43 MDL 168

84.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.56 €11.25

$5.09 MDL 90.8

146.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.17 €18.07

$8.36 MDL 149

141.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$0.99 MDL 17.70

160.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.84 MDL 32.75

19.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.40

$1.90 MDL 33.96

41.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 €2.93

$2.06 MDL 36.65

58.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.70

$0.78 MDL 13.82

143.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.57 MDL 10.14

219.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.34 MDL 23.95

17.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.89 MDL 15.86

-38.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.69 €6.00

$3.38 MDL 60.3

97.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 €7.16

$4.33 MDL 77.2

84.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.27 MDL 22.73

39.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$1.99 MDL 35.41

18.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.37 MDL 6.68

416.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.44 €38.92

$14.40 MDL 257

201.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 €5.03

$2.17 MDL 38.71

158.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.54

$0.34 MDL 6.15

402.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.64 €30.14

$4.92 MDL 87.6

583.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.82

$1.69 MDL 30.09

20.12%

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

$35.3K €31.6K

$29.7K MDL 529.7K

18.84%

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

$36.7K €32.9K

$27.7K MDL 493.5K

32.78%

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

$227 €203

$221 MDL 3,939

2.54%

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

$11.59 €10.39

$9.37 MDL 167

23.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.22

$10.73 MDL 191

183.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 €46.39

$40.08 MDL 715

29.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.70 €21.24

$17.72 MDL 316

33.75%

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 €9.50

$8.55 MDL 152

23.98%

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

$568 €509

$389 MDL 6,941

45.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$5,437 MDL 96.9K

111.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.5 €81.1

$66.2 MDL 1,181

36.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.55 €34.55

$42.17 MDL 752

-8.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.0

$104 MDL 1,857

-1.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €117

$110 MDL 1,965

18.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 €740

$597 MDL 10.6K

38.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 €579

$392 MDL 6,981

65.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 €1,255

$1,143 MDL 20.4K

22.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 €945

$733 MDL 13.1K

43.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,662 €3,282

$2,426 MDL 43.3K

50.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,301 €2,062

$1,796 MDL 32.0K

28.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 €1,690

$751 MDL 13.4K

151.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

8.76

-59.36%

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

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Last update for Moldova: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$646 35.1%

Moldova

$392 33.1% 39.4% $255

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$348 18.9%

Moldova

$186 15.7% 46.6% $162

Eating Out

Italy

$279 15.1%

Moldova

$143 12.1% 48.6% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$269 14.6%

Moldova

$241 20.4% 10.2% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 8.9%

Moldova

$145 12.3% 11% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$73 4%

Moldova

$57 4.8% 21.7% $16

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.5%

Moldova

$20 1.7% 69.7% $45

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $729 in Italy, $402 in Moldova. Capital cities: $1,297 in Rome vs $691 in Chisinau.

National salary averages: $1,890 in Italy, $546 in Moldova. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 81% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 170% more in Italy.

Public transport is 139% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are about 3.5 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇲🇩 Moldova

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

03:02 3:02 AM

1 h ahead of Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

2,603,813

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MDL = 5.61 USD

100 MDL = 5.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 17.83 MDL (100 MDL = 5.61 USD). 1 EUR = 19.85 MDL (100 MDL = 5.04 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Italy Moldova 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Italy
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

Italy vs Moldova: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,843 per month in Italy and $1,184 in Moldova, Moldova comes out about 36% cheaper. 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 cheaper in Moldova: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $729 in Italy and $402 in Moldova. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Moldova wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.