Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leova and Ialoveni

For one person, living is cheaper in Ialoveni: $804 a month against $1,356 in Leova, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Ialoveni
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Ialoveni Living Index

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Leova

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,356

/mo nomad

Ialoveni

🇲🇩 Moldova

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Leova and in Ialoveni

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,356 in Leova versus $804 in Ialoveni.

Leova $1,356
Ialoveni $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,078 in Leova versus $1,296 in Ialoveni.

Leova $2,078
Ialoveni $1,296

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,800 in Leova versus $1,789 in Ialoveni.

Leova $2,800
Ialoveni $1,789

Living in Leova is roughly 69% more expensive than in Ialoveni, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.20 MDL 181

$8.46 MDL 151

20.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.01 MDL 587

$29.37 MDL 522

12.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.40 MDL 167

$10.47 MDL 186

-10.22%

Cappuccino

$0.85 MDL 15.16

$2.24 MDL 39.81

-62.05%

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

$0.51 MDL 9.14

$1.25 MDL 22.25

-59.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MDL 7.16

$0.80 MDL 14.26

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 MDL 45.91

$2.17 MDL 38.57

18.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 MDL 46.64

$2.26 MDL 40.23

15.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 MDL 28.80

$1.26 MDL 22.46

28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 MDL 27.42

$0.69 MDL 12.21

123.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 MDL 24.22

$0.69 MDL 12.23

97.10%

Eggs

$1.35 MDL 24.04

$2.74 MDL 48.75

-50.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.19 MDL 252

$6.75 MDL 120

110.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.17 MDL 38.65

$4.97 MDL 88.4

-56.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.94 MDL 70.1

$4.72 MDL 83.8

-16.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 MDL 22.91

$0.97 MDL 17.31

32.99%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 MDL 15.51

$1.93 MDL 34.32

-54.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 MDL 16.27

$2.04 MDL 36.33

-54.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 MDL 19.33

$2.38 MDL 42.27

-54.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 MDL 27.24

$0.77 MDL 13.67

98.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 MDL 9.54

$0.53 MDL 9.34

1.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 MDL 8.29

$1.36 MDL 24.11

-65.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 MDL 18.21

$0.83 MDL 14.67

22.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.66 MDL 82.9

$3.44 MDL 61.2

35.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 MDL 268

$4.94 MDL 87.8

205.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 MDL 19.47

$1.28 MDL 22.68

-14.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 MDL 45.48

$1.94 MDL 34.57

31.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 MDL 7.20

$0.32 MDL 5.65

28.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.71 MDL 493

$6.61 MDL 118

319.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.84 MDL 50.5

$2.26 MDL 40.25

25.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 MDL 10.30

$0.26 MDL 4.63

123.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 MDL 59.2

$5.00 MDL 89.0

-33.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 MDL 25.42

$1.62 MDL 28.75

-11.73%

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

$33.2K MDL 590.1K

$29.1K MDL 516.6K

14.22%

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

$34.2K MDL 608.0K

$24.3K MDL 431.9K

40.75%

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

$186 MDL 3,310

$188 MDL 3,341

-0.94%

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

$5.66 MDL 101

$9.34 MDL 166

-39.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.41 MDL 363

$11.10 MDL 197

83.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.0 MDL 1,476

$28.30 MDL 503

193.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.31 MDL 201

$11.21 MDL 199

0.89%

Cinema Ticket

$4.33 MDL 77.0

$7.32 MDL 130

-40.85%

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

$112 MDL 1,996

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,209 MDL 92.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.7 MDL 1,488

$43.96 MDL 782

90.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 MDL 982

$28.03 MDL 498

97.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.2 MDL 1,658

$84.9 MDL 1,509

9.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 MDL 2,019

$93.6 MDL 1,664

21.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 MDL 11.1K

$168 MDL 2,982

273.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$531 MDL 9,437

$111 MDL 1,981

376.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,495 MDL 26.6K

$362 MDL 6,428

313.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MDL 19.7K

$367 MDL 6,532

200.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,430 MDL 43.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,920 MDL 34.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 MDL 11.5K

$585 MDL 10.4K

10.80%

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ialoveni: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leova

$531 39.1%

Ialoveni

$111 13.9% 79% $419

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leova

$212 15.7%

Ialoveni

$208 25.9% 1.8% $3.9

Groceries & Markets

Leova

$189 13.9%

Ialoveni

$168 20.9% 11.3% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Leova

$156 11.5%

Ialoveni

$113 14% 27.6% $43

Eating Out

Leova

$142 10.5%

Ialoveni

$150 18.6% 5.5% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Leova

$92 6.8%

Ialoveni

$43 5.3% 53.2% $49

Getting Around

Leova

$35 2.6%

Ialoveni

$11 1.4% 67.3% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $626 in Leova and $168 in Ialoveni. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Leova pays 11% 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 $29 in Ialoveni for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $189 vs $168 per month, with Ialoveni cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Leova

🇲🇩 Ialoveni

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

Same time as Leova

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,900

15,300

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.62 USD

100 MDL = 5 EUR

100 MDL = 5.62 USD

100 MDL = 5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Ialoveni: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ialoveni wins on cost – living expenses run 41% lower than in Leova. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ialoveni the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 11% higher in Leova, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $626 in Leova versus $168 in Ialoveni. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Leova. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,356 per month in Leova versus $804 in Ialoveni – Ialoveni is about 41% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Ialoveni is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Ialoveni gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Leova. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.