Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leova and Bender

For one person, living is cheaper in Bender: $663 a month against $1,341 in Leova, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Bender
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Bender Living Index

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Leova

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,341

/mo nomad

Bender

🇲🇩 Moldova

$663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Leova and in Bender

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 Bender actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,341 per month in Leova vs $663 in Bender, rent included.

Leova $1,341
Bender $663

A couple spends around $2,057 per month in Leova vs $960 in Bender, rent included.

Leova $2,057
Bender $960

A family of three spends $2,773 per month in Leova vs $1,256 in Bender, rent included.

Leova $2,773
Bender $1,256

Leova costs about 102% more than Bender, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.31 MDL 184

$6.36 MDL 114

62.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.24 MDL 594

$17.87 MDL 320

86.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 MDL 160

$5.55 MDL 99.2

61.08%

Cappuccino

$0.81 MDL 14.57

$1.23 MDL 21.92

-34.15%

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

$0.49 MDL 8.72

$0.98 MDL 17.61

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MDL 7.23

$0.51 MDL 9.14

-21.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MDL 44.42

$0.88 MDL 15.68

181.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 MDL 47.13

$1.69 MDL 30.23

56.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 MDL 30.16

$0.91 MDL 16.27

85.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 MDL 26.27

$0.45 MDL 8.03

226.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 MDL 24.63

$1.42 MDL 25.38

-2.82%

Eggs

$1.36 MDL 24.39

$1.96 MDL 34.99

-30.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.70 MDL 245

$3.94 MDL 70.4

247.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.29 MDL 41.01

$4.26 MDL 76.1

-46.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.03 MDL 72.0

$5.19 MDL 92.7

-22.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 MDL 22.86

$0.81 MDL 14.53

58.02%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 MDL 15.35

$1.79 MDL 32.00

-51.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 MDL 16.78

$1.86 MDL 33.30

-49.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 MDL 19.46

$1.85 MDL 33.06

-41.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 MDL 27.23

$0.70 MDL 12.53

117.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.53 MDL 9.52

$0.56 MDL 9.95

-5.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 MDL 8.29

$0.55 MDL 9.78

-16.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 MDL 17.56

$0.76 MDL 13.56

28.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 MDL 78.9

$2.77 MDL 49.53

59.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.81 MDL 265

$2.49 MDL 44.45

494.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 MDL 20.23

$0.55 MDL 9.83

105.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MDL 47.75

$1.90 MDL 33.96

40.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 MDL 6.70

$0.37 MDL 6.63

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.71 MDL 495

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 MDL 48.62

$2.25 MDL 40.18

20.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 MDL 9.58

$0.27 MDL 4.78

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 MDL 61.2

$5.16 MDL 92.2

-33.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 MDL 24.13

$1.36 MDL 24.28

-0.74%

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

$34.1K MDL 609.5K

$29.3K MDL 523.7K

16.38%

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

$34.0K MDL 607.0K

$28.3K MDL 505.7K

20.05%

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

$184 MDL 3,285

$235 MDL 4,202

-21.82%

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

$5.51 MDL 98.6

$9.45 MDL 169

-41.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.70 MDL 370

$10.15 MDL 181

103.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.2 MDL 1,488

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.26 MDL 201

Cinema Ticket

$4.52 MDL 80.8

$8.35 MDL 149

-45.87%

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

$437 MDL 7,814

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,822 MDL 104.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.7 MDL 1,496

$78.0 MDL 1,394

7.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 MDL 972

$47.04 MDL 841

15.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 MDL 1,705

$111 MDL 1,988

-14.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 MDL 1,965

$114 MDL 2,034

-3.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 MDL 11.5K

$306 MDL 5,472

109.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$521 MDL 9,320

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 MDL 26.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 MDL 19.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,489 MDL 44.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,885 MDL 33.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 MDL 11.7K

$311 MDL 5,553

110.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.19

9.17

-21.59%

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

Last update for Leova: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bender: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leova

$521 38.9%

Bender

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leova

$210 15.7%

Bender

$255 38.4% 21.3% $45

Groceries & Markets

Leova

$188 14%

Bender

$133 20.1% 29% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Leova

$154 11.5%

Bender

$157 23.8% 2% $3

Eating Out

Leova

$140 10.5%

Bender

$96 14.5% 31.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Leova

$92 6.9%

Bender

$17 * 2.5% 81.9% $76

Getting Around

Leova

$35 2.6%

Bender

$5.1 * 0.8% 85.4% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $641 in Leova versus $306 in Bender. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Leova are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Leova versus $18 in Bender. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $188 vs $133 – making Bender the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Leova

🇲🇩 Bender

🕒 Local time

23:49 11:49 PM

Same time as Leova

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,900

97,027

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.59 USD

100 MDL = 5.02 EUR

100 MDL = 5.59 USD

100 MDL = 5.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Leova Bender 100 km

From you

Leova
Bender

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 Bender: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Leova is pricier by about 102%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,011 per month in Leova and $995 in Bender. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bender, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $306 there versus $641 in Leova.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Leova, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Leova and $18 in Bender. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bender, where all-in costs run around $663, than in Leova at $1,341. In Bender it covers expenses comfortably, while in Leova it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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