Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leova and Balti

For one person, living is cheaper in Balti: $974 a month against $1,341 in Leova, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Leova
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Leova Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Balti
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Balti Living Index

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Leova

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,341

/mo nomad

Balti

🇲🇩 Moldova

$974

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Leova and in Balti

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

A single person spends $1,341 per month in Leova vs $974 in Balti, rent included.

Leova $1,341
Balti $974

A couple spends around $2,057 per month in Leova vs $1,414 in Balti, rent included.

Leova $2,057
Balti $1,414

A family of three spends $2,773 per month in Leova vs $1,854 in Balti, rent included.

Leova $2,773
Balti $1,854

Leova costs about 38% more than Balti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.31 MDL 184

$8.51 MDL 152

21.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.24 MDL 593

$22.53 MDL 402

47.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 MDL 159

$10.35 MDL 184

-13.62%

Cappuccino

$0.81 MDL 14.53

$1.74 MDL 31.05

-53.45%

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

$0.49 MDL 8.69

$1.06 MDL 18.95

-53.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MDL 7.21

$0.65 MDL 11.67

-38.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MDL 44.29

$1.12 MDL 20.04

121.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 MDL 47.00

$1.38 MDL 24.54

91.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 MDL 30.08

$1.20 MDL 21.48

40.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 MDL 26.20

$0.45 MDL 8.01

226.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 MDL 24.57

$1.54 MDL 27.40

-10.39%

Eggs

$1.36 MDL 24.32

$2.15 MDL 38.38

-36.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.70 MDL 244

$6.78 MDL 121

102.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.29 MDL 40.89

$4.70 MDL 83.9

-51.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.03 MDL 71.8

$6.18 MDL 110

-34.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 MDL 22.80

$0.99 MDL 17.63

29.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 MDL 15.31

$2.29 MDL 40.91

-62.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 MDL 16.74

$1.88 MDL 33.56

-50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 MDL 19.41

$2.29 MDL 40.75

-52.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 MDL 27.16

$0.71 MDL 12.73

114.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.53 MDL 9.50

$0.52 MDL 9.19

1.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 MDL 8.26

$0.43 MDL 7.69

6.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 MDL 17.51

$0.54 MDL 9.70

81.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 MDL 78.7

$3.27 MDL 58.4

34.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.81 MDL 264

$4.34 MDL 77.4

241.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 MDL 20.18

$1.35 MDL 24.14

-16.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MDL 47.62

$1.99 MDL 35.57

34.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 MDL 6.68

$0.34 MDL 6.13

8.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.71 MDL 494

$16.78 MDL 299

65.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 MDL 48.49

$2.76 MDL 49.28

-1.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 MDL 9.55

$0.24 MDL 4.24

125.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 MDL 61.0

$5.45 MDL 97.2

-37.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 MDL 24.06

$1.62 MDL 28.92

-16.67%

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

$34.1K MDL 607.8K

$33.4K MDL 595.4K

2.08%

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

$34.0K MDL 605.3K

$24.1K MDL 429.3K

41.02%

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

$184 MDL 3,276

$220 MDL 3,931

-16.66%

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

$5.51 MDL 98.3

$7.74 MDL 138

-28.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.70 MDL 369

$11.03 MDL 197

87.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.2 MDL 1,484

$36.85 MDL 657

125.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.26 MDL 201

$15.34 MDL 274

-26.60%

Cinema Ticket

$4.52 MDL 80.5

$7.61 MDL 136

-40.60%

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

$113 MDL 2,007

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,113 MDL 91.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.7 MDL 1,491

$44.39 MDL 791

88.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 MDL 969

$33.84 MDL 603

60.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 MDL 1,700

$55.6 MDL 991

71.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 MDL 1,959

$50.9 MDL 908

115.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 MDL 11.4K

$397 MDL 7,074

61.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$521 MDL 9,294

$280 MDL 4,990

86.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 MDL 26.8K

$657 MDL 11.7K

129.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 MDL 19.4K

$495 MDL 8,834

119.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,489 MDL 44.4K

$1,399 MDL 24.9K

77.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,885 MDL 33.6K

$992 MDL 17.7K

89.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 MDL 11.6K

$606 MDL 10.8K

7.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.19

-10.12%

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

Last update for Leova: October 26, 2026

Last update for Balti: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leova

$521 38.9%

Balti

$280 28.7% 46.3% $241

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leova

$210 15.7%

Balti

$239 24.6% 14% $29

Groceries & Markets

Leova

$188 14%

Balti

$162 16.7% 13.6% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Leova

$154 11.5%

Balti

$83 8.5% 46.2% $71

Eating Out

Leova

$140 10.5%

Balti

$135 13.9% 3.6% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Leova

$92 6.9%

Balti

$52 5.4% 43.6% $40

Getting Around

Leova

$35 2.6%

Balti

$22 2.3% 36.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $641 in Leova versus $397 in Balti. 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 8% higher in Leova, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Leova versus $23 in Balti. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $188 vs $162 – making Balti the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Leova

🇲🇩 Balti

🕒 Local time

03:45 3:45 AM

Same time as Leova

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,900

144,800

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.61 USD

100 MDL = 5.02 EUR

100 MDL = 5.61 USD

100 MDL = 5.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Leova Balti 140 km

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Leova
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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

Leova vs Balti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,341 in Leova, $974 in Balti – Balti comes out roughly 27% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,011 per month in Leova and $1,461 in Balti. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Balti, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $397 there versus $641 in Leova.

Public transport costs about 39% less in Balti. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Leova, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Balti, where all-in costs run around $974, than in Leova at $1,341. In Balti it covers expenses comfortably, while in Leova it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Balti has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $974 in Balti to $1,341 in Leova. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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