Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leova and Chisinau

For one person, living costs are similar in Leova and in Chisinau: $1,341 and $1,316 a month, rent and utilities included.

Leova, Moldova
Chisinau, Moldova
Leova
🇲🇩 Moldova
$1,341
/mo nomad
Chisinau
🇲🇩 Moldova
$1,316
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Leova and in Chisinau

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

A single person spends $1,341 per month in Leova vs $1,316 in Chisinau, rent included.

  • Leova $1,341
  • Chisinau $1,316

A couple spends around $2,057 per month in Leova vs $1,991 in Chisinau, rent included.

  • Leova $2,057
  • Chisinau $1,991

A family of three spends $2,773 per month in Leova vs $2,666 in Chisinau, rent included.

  • Leova $2,773
  • Chisinau $2,666

Leova costs about 2% more than Chisinau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Leova
Chisinau
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.31 MDL 184
$11.34 MDL 203
-9.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.24 MDL 594
$56.7 MDL 1,013
-41.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.94 MDL 160
$8.14 MDL 146
9.83%
Cappuccino
$0.81 MDL 14.57
$2.19 MDL 39.17
-63.01%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 MDL 8.72
$1.22 MDL 21.73
-59.84%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 MDL 7.23
$0.90 MDL 16.04
-55.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.48 MDL 44.42
$2.20 MDL 39.35
12.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.64 MDL 47.13
$1.92 MDL 34.36
37.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Leova
Chisinau
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 MDL 30.16
$1.26 MDL 22.60
34.13%
White Bread (500g)
$1.47 MDL 26.27
$0.71 MDL 12.78
107.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.38 MDL 24.63
$1.40 MDL 25.00
-1.43%
Eggs
$1.36 MDL 24.39
$2.72 MDL 48.60
-50.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.70 MDL 245
$9.70 MDL 173
41.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.29 MDL 41.01
$5.00 MDL 89.5
-54.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.03 MDL 72.0
$8.77 MDL 157
-54.05%
Apples (1kg)
$1.28 MDL 22.86
$0.97 MDL 17.38
31.96%
Banana (1kg)
$0.86 MDL 15.35
$1.93 MDL 34.54
-55.44%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.94 MDL 16.78
$2.01 MDL 35.99
-53.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.09 MDL 19.46
$2.16 MDL 38.54
-49.54%
Potato (1kg)
$1.52 MDL 27.23
$0.65 MDL 11.66
133.85%
Onion (1kg)
$0.53 MDL 9.52
$0.56 MDL 10.06
-5.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.46 MDL 8.29
$1.30 MDL 23.21
-64.62%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 MDL 17.56
$0.89 MDL 15.97
10.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.41 MDL 78.9
$3.31 MDL 59.2
33.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.81 MDL 265
$4.82 MDL 86.2
207.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.13 MDL 20.23
$1.22 MDL 21.72
-7.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MDL 47.75
$1.89 MDL 33.81
41.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Leova
Chisinau
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.37 MDL 6.70
$0.38 MDL 6.75
-2.63%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.71 MDL 495
$13.55 MDL 242
104.50%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.72 MDL 48.62
$2.27 MDL 40.57
19.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.54 MDL 9.58
$0.34 MDL 6.15
58.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.42 MDL 61.2
$4.94 MDL 88.3
-30.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 MDL 24.13
$1.65 MDL 29.56
-18.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K MDL 609.5K
$29.8K MDL 533.4K
14.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.0K MDL 607.0K
$27.6K MDL 494.3K
22.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Leova
Chisinau
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$184 MDL 3,285
$241 MDL 4,301
-23.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.51 MDL 98.6
$9.32 MDL 167
-40.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.70 MDL 370
$10.33 MDL 185
100.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Leova
Chisinau
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$83.2 MDL 1,488
$42.89 MDL 767
94.05%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.26 MDL 201
$20.55 MDL 367
-45.21%
Cinema Ticket
$4.52 MDL 80.8
$8.33 MDL 149
-45.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Leova
Chisinau
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$430 MDL 7,681
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$5,720 MDL 102.3K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Leova
Chisinau
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83.7 MDL 1,496
$78.1 MDL 1,396
7.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.4 MDL 972
$45.91 MDL 821
18.38%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.4 MDL 1,705
$112 MDL 2,011
-15.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 MDL 1,965
$117 MDL 2,089
-5.96%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Leova
Chisinau
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$641 MDL 11.5K
$691 MDL 12.4K
-7.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$521 MDL 9,320
$463 MDL 8,275
12.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,506 MDL 26.9K
$1,257 MDL 22.5K
19.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,086 MDL 19.4K
$803 MDL 14.3K
35.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,489 MDL 44.5K
$2,585 MDL 46.2K
-3.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,885 MDL 33.7K
$1,861 MDL 33.3K
1.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Leova
Chisinau
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$653 MDL 11.7K
$864 MDL 15.5K
-24.44%
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 Chisinau: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Leova
$521
Chisinau
$463 11.2% $58
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Leova
$210
Chisinau
$260 23.9% $50
Groceries & Markets
Leova
$188
Chisinau
$190 1.4% $2.6
Clothing & Footwear
Leova
$154
Chisinau
$159 2.9% $4.5
Eating Out
Leova
$140
Chisinau
$165 17.4% $24
Sport & Entertainment
Leova
$92
Chisinau
$60 35.5% $33
Getting Around
Leova
$35
Chisinau
$19 45% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $641 in Leova versus $691 in Chisinau. 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 32% higher in Chisinau, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Leova versus $57 in Chisinau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $188 vs $190 – making Leova the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇩 Leova
🇲🇩 Chisinau
🕒 Local time
15:01 3:01 PM
15:01 3:01 PM
Same time as Leova
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
10,900
750,000 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MDL – Moldovan Leu Converter

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 17.88 MDL (100 MDL = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 19.9 MDL (100 MDL = 5.03 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Leova Chisinau 75 km
From you
  • Leova
  • Chisinau

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 Chisinau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Chisinau cheaper than Leova?
Yes – Leova is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,011 per month in Leova and $1,974 in Chisinau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What is the rent difference between Leova and Chisinau?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $641 in Leova and $691 in Chisinau. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 51% less in Chisinau. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is eating out cheaper in Leova or in Chisinau?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Leova and $57 in Chisinau. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,500 enough for either Leova or Chisinau?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,341 in Leova and $1,316 in Chisinau, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Leova or in Chisinau?
It depends on your priorities. Chisinau has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,316 in Chisinau to $1,341 in Leova. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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