Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Chisinau

For one person, living is cheaper in Chisinau: $1,316 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Chisinau
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Chisinau Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,316

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon 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 Lisbon and in Chisinau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $1,316 in Chisinau, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Chisinau $1,316

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $1,991 in Chisinau, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Chisinau $1,991

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $2,666 in Chisinau, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Chisinau $2,666

Lisbon costs about 68% more than Chisinau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Chisinau is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$11.34 MDL 203

46.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$56.7 MDL 1,013

8.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$8.14 MDL 146

39.56%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.19 MDL 39.17

35.62%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.22 MDL 21.73

87.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.90 MDL 16.04

93.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.20 MDL 39.35

54.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$1.92 MDL 34.36

72.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.26 MDL 22.60

-7.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.71 MDL 12.78

169.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.40 MDL 25.00

7.86%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.72 MDL 48.60

47.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$9.70 MDL 173

33.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$5.00 MDL 89.5

55.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$8.77 MDL 157

102.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$0.97 MDL 17.38

137.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.93 MDL 34.54

-10.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.01 MDL 35.99

-7.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.16 MDL 38.54

19.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.65 MDL 11.66

180.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.56 MDL 10.06

251.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.30 MDL 23.21

13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.89 MDL 15.97

-19.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$3.31 MDL 59.2

98.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$4.82 MDL 86.2

16.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.22 MDL 21.72

11.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.89 MDL 33.81

13.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.38 MDL 6.75

513.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$13.55 MDL 242

229.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$2.27 MDL 40.57

69.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.34 MDL 6.15

214.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$4.94 MDL 88.3

233.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.65 MDL 29.56

33.33%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$29.8K MDL 533.4K

14.62%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$27.6K MDL 494.3K

40.07%

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

$161 €145

$241 MDL 4,301

-32.98%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$9.32 MDL 167

97.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$10.33 MDL 185

216.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$42.89 MDL 767

3.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$20.55 MDL 367

-7.06%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$8.33 MDL 149

15.25%

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

$668 €600

$430 MDL 7,681

55.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$5,720 MDL 102.3K

207.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$78.1 MDL 1,396

30.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$45.91 MDL 821

-3.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$112 MDL 2,011

-12.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$117 MDL 2,089

5.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$691 MDL 12.4K

132.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$463 MDL 8,275

157.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,257 MDL 22.5K

123.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$803 MDL 14.3K

150.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$2,585 MDL 46.2K

203.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$1,861 MDL 33.3K

145.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$864 MDL 15.5K

82.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

9.17

-58.02%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chisinau: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Chisinau

$463 35.2% 61.1% $727

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Chisinau

$190 14.5% 30.1% $82

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Chisinau

$165 12.5% 32.1% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Chisinau

$260 19.8% 22.5% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Chisinau

$159 12.1% 4.2% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Chisinau

$60 4.5% 6.6% $4.2

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Chisinau

$19 1.5% 69.9% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon 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 82% higher in Lisbon. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $57 in Chisinau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $190 – making Chisinau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇩 Chisinau

🕒 Local time

21:59 9:59 PM

23:59 11:59 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

750,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MDL = 5.59 USD

100 MDL = 5.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Chisinau 3,190 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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

Lisbon vs Chisinau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 68%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,974 in Chisinau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chisinau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $691 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Groceries cost about 43% more in Lisbon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $57 in Chisinau. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Chisinau, where all-in costs run around $1,316, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Chisinau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chisinau – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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