Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leova and Cahul

For one person, living is cheaper in Cahul: $627 a month against $1,341 in Leova, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Cahul
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Cahul Living Index

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Leova

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,341

/mo nomad

Cahul

🇲🇩 Moldova

$627

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Leova and in Cahul

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,341 in Leova versus $627 in Cahul.

Leova $1,341
Cahul $627

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,057 in Leova versus $917 in Cahul.

Leova $2,057
Cahul $917

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,773 in Leova versus $1,207 in Cahul.

Leova $2,773
Cahul $1,207

Living in Leova is roughly 114% more expensive than in Cahul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.31 MDL 184

$8.19 MDL 146

25.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.24 MDL 593

$23.41 MDL 417

41.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 MDL 159

$10.36 MDL 185

-13.71%

Cappuccino

$0.81 MDL 14.53

$1.69 MDL 30.11

-52.07%

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

$0.49 MDL 8.69

$1.11 MDL 19.82

-55.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MDL 7.21

$0.53 MDL 9.53

-24.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MDL 44.29

$2.01 MDL 35.81

23.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 MDL 47.00

$1.76 MDL 31.45

50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 MDL 30.08

$1.20 MDL 21.36

40.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 MDL 26.20

$0.49 MDL 8.72

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 MDL 24.57

$1.60 MDL 28.45

-13.75%

Eggs

$1.36 MDL 24.32

$2.24 MDL 39.89

-39.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.70 MDL 244

$6.51 MDL 116

110.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.29 MDL 40.89

$4.54 MDL 80.9

-49.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.03 MDL 71.8

$6.17 MDL 110

-34.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 MDL 22.80

$0.98 MDL 17.39

30.61%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 MDL 15.31

$2.19 MDL 39.09

-60.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 MDL 16.74

$1.81 MDL 32.25

-48.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 MDL 19.41

$2.37 MDL 42.33

-54.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 MDL 27.16

$0.76 MDL 13.54

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.53 MDL 9.50

$0.52 MDL 9.22

1.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 MDL 8.26

$0.43 MDL 7.74

6.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 MDL 17.51

$0.53 MDL 9.50

84.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 MDL 78.7

$3.39 MDL 60.5

30.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.81 MDL 264

$4.38 MDL 78.1

238.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 MDL 20.18

$1.41 MDL 25.19

-19.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MDL 47.62

$1.97 MDL 35.06

35.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 MDL 6.68

$0.27 MDL 4.81

37.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.71 MDL 494

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 MDL 48.49

$2.87 MDL 51.1

-5.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 MDL 9.55

$0.24 MDL 4.27

125.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 MDL 61.0

$5.44 MDL 97.0

-37.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 MDL 24.06

$1.56 MDL 27.74

-13.46%

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

$34.1K MDL 607.8K

$33.3K MDL 593.4K

2.42%

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

$34.0K MDL 605.3K

$24.4K MDL 435.5K

38.99%

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

$184 MDL 3,276

$221 MDL 3,948

-17.02%

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

$5.51 MDL 98.3

$7.65 MDL 136

-27.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.70 MDL 369

$11.03 MDL 197

87.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.2 MDL 1,484

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.26 MDL 201

Cinema Ticket

$4.52 MDL 80.5

$7.62 MDL 136

-40.68%

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

$110 MDL 1,964

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,249 MDL 93.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.7 MDL 1,491

$45.08 MDL 804

85.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 MDL 969

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 MDL 1,700

$56.4 MDL 1,005

69.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 MDL 1,959

$51.0 MDL 909

115.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 MDL 11.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$521 MDL 9,294

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 MDL 26.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 MDL 19.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,489 MDL 44.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,885 MDL 33.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 MDL 11.6K

$507 MDL 9,048

28.70%

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 Cahul: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leova

$521 38.9%

Cahul

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leova

$210 15.7%

Cahul

$240 38.3% 14.4% $30

Groceries & Markets

Leova

$188 14%

Cahul

$161 25.7% 14.1% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Leova

$154 11.5%

Cahul

$69 * 10.9% 55.6% $86

Eating Out

Leova

$140 10.5%

Cahul

$137 21.8% 2.4% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Leova

$92 6.9%

Cahul

$15 * 2.4% 83.5% $77

Getting Around

Leova

$35 2.6%

Cahul

$5.1 * 0.8% 85.1% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

Leova pays 29% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $33 in Leova vs $23 in Cahul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $161 per month, with Cahul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Leova

🇲🇩 Cahul

🕒 Local time

10:07 10:07 AM

Same time as Leova

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,900

39,500

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Leova Cahul 64 km

From you

Leova
Cahul

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 Cahul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cahul wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Leova. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cahul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Leova, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

All in, you’ll spend $1,341 per month in Leova versus $627 in Cahul – Cahul is about 53% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Leova. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $627 in Cahul versus $1,341 in Leova, a $800 budget is realistic in Cahul but tight or insufficient in Leova. The gap between the two cities makes Cahul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Cahul wins on affordability, Leova on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.