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: $1,717 in Italy versus $715 in Moldova.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,624 in Italy versus $1,113 in Moldova.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,530 in Italy versus $1,510 in Moldova.

Living in Italy is roughly 140% more expensive than Moldova on average.

Italy (28% above) and Moldova (47% below) straddle the global median.

Italy ($1,170–$2,508) and Moldova ($6.00–$1,231) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.44 €15.00

$8.97 MDL 154

94.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €68.4

$35.62 MDL 612

123.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 €10.11

$7.82 MDL 134

50.38%

Cappuccino

$2.00 €1.72

$1.68 MDL 28.91

19.05%

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

$3.00 €2.58

$0.90 MDL 15.41

233.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.16

$0.63 MDL 10.81

114.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.94 €5.11

$1.73 MDL 29.67

243.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 €4.61

$2.29 MDL 39.33

134.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 €1.41

$1.29 MDL 22.18

27.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.07

$0.53 MDL 9.08

354.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.58

$1.51 MDL 25.89

98.01%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.41

$2.39 MDL 41.03

65.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.84 €14.49

$9.94 MDL 171

69.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.43 €10.69

$5.29 MDL 90.9

134.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.29 €17.46

$8.85 MDL 152

129.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.47 €2.13

$0.81 MDL 13.99

204.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.85

$1.79 MDL 30.74

20.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.28

$1.73 MDL 29.70

53.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.40 €2.92

$2.08 MDL 35.68

63.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$0.81 MDL 13.96

137.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.56

$0.58 MDL 10.05

212.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.33

$1.36 MDL 23.39

13.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.46

$0.85 MDL 14.55

-36.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.79 €5.84

$3.29 MDL 56.5

106.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.18 €6.18

$4.66 MDL 80.1

54.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.55

$1.18 MDL 20.35

52.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 €2.08

$1.92 MDL 32.92

26.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 €1.72

$0.33 MDL 5.74

506.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.35 €36.43

$13.73 MDL 236

208.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.94 €5.11

$2.02 MDL 34.68

194.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 €1.30

$0.26 MDL 4.44

480.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.04 €29.28

$5.33 MDL 91.6

538.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.76

$1.42 MDL 24.48

44.37%

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

$32.8K €28.2K

$32.5K MDL 559.3K

0.93%

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

$33.7K €29.0K

$31.2K MDL 537.1K

7.80%

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

$225 €194

$174 MDL 2,989

29.64%

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

$13.25 €11.40

$8.04 MDL 138

64.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.95 €26.62

$10.96 MDL 188

182.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 €47.95

$41.35 MDL 711

34.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.15 €21.63

$19.73 MDL 339

27.47%

Cinema Ticket

$10.25 €8.82

$7.14 MDL 123

43.56%

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

$576 €495

$373 MDL 6,407

54.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K €8,998

$7,315 MDL 125.7K

43.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.8 €79.0

$62.7 MDL 1,078

46.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.72 €35.03

$48.09 MDL 827

-15.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 €84.3

$109 MDL 1,871

-9.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €112

$120 MDL 2,066

8.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$860 €740

$618 MDL 10.6K

39.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 €573

$440 MDL 7,572

51.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,475 €1,269

$1,183 MDL 20.3K

24.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,087 €935

$773 MDL 13.3K

40.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,850 €3,312

$2,582 MDL 44.4K

49.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,359 €2,029

$1,811 MDL 31.1K

30.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,933 €1,663

$773 MDL 13.3K

150.10%

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: May 31, 2026

Last update for Moldova: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $743 in Italy, $206 in Moldova. Capital cities: $1,325 in Rome vs $668 in Chisinau.

National salary averages: $1,949 in Italy, $543 in Moldova. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 261% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 155% more in Italy.

Public transport is 1367% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 259% higher in Italy, giving Italy stronger purchasing power.

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 $1,839 per month in Italy and $619 in Moldova, there's a 197% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Moldova is simply cheaper day-to-day: 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 beats 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 works in regional areas but 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.