Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Chisinau

For one person, living is cheaper in Chisinau: $1,326 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $32,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Chisinau
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Chisinau Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,048

/mo nomad

Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,326

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,048 per month in London vs $1,326 in Chisinau, rent included.

London $4,048
Chisinau $1,326

A couple spends around $5,903 per month in London vs $1,992 in Chisinau, rent included.

London $5,903
Chisinau $1,992

A family of three spends $7,758 per month in London vs $2,658 in Chisinau, rent included.

London $7,758
Chisinau $2,658

London costs about 205% more than Chisinau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

London sits 199% above the global median, while Chisinau is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.36 £19.59

$11.24 MDL 199

134.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$109 £80.7

$55.0 MDL 972

97.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £7.96

$8.11 MDL 143

32.06%

Cappuccino

$5.59 £4.15

$2.19 MDL 38.65

155.25%

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

$3.00 £2.23

$1.24 MDL 21.99

141.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 £1.65

$0.87 MDL 15.35

155.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.65 £7.17

$2.23 MDL 39.46

332.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.26 £6.14

$1.98 MDL 34.98

317.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.46

$1.18 MDL 20.93

66.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 £1.55

$0.71 MDL 12.61

194.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 £1.93

$1.42 MDL 25.06

82.39%

Eggs

$5.37 £3.99

$2.80 MDL 49.44

91.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.12 £9.75

$9.81 MDL 173

33.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.03 £8.20

$5.17 MDL 91.5

113.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.73 £13.17

$8.74 MDL 155

102.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.36

$1.00 MDL 17.70

217.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.88 MDL 33.32

-26.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 £2.10

$2.08 MDL 36.85

35.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 £2.50

$2.13 MDL 37.72

57.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 £1.26

$0.69 MDL 12.28

146.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 £1.32

$0.56 MDL 9.94

217.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 £1.11

$1.30 MDL 23.06

14.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 £1.35

$0.89 MDL 15.72

104.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.85 £17.72

$3.46 MDL 61.1

589.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.44 £9.98

$4.82 MDL 85.3

178.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 £2.31

$1.22 MDL 21.60

154.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 £3.34

$1.96 MDL 34.61

129.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.13 £3.07

$0.41 MDL 7.23

907.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$266 £198

$13.69 MDL 242

1842.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.98 £4.44

$2.18 MDL 38.57

174.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.39 £2.52

$0.32 MDL 5.65

959.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.6 £42.03

$4.88 MDL 86.3

1058.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 £1.64

$1.74 MDL 30.84

27.01%

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

$38.3K £28.4K

$28.8K MDL 510.1K

32.67%

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

$41.0K £30.5K

$28.3K MDL 500.3K

44.99%

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

$372 £277

$238 MDL 4,208

56.46%

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

$18.66 £13.87

$8.63 MDL 153

116.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.53 £30.12

$10.24 MDL 181

295.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 £41.63

$43.67 MDL 772

28.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.10 £12.71

$20.40 MDL 361

-16.18%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.34

$8.37 MDL 148

114.46%

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

$2,946 £2,189

$437 MDL 7,732

573.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$47.6K £35.4K

$8,501 MDL 150.3K

460.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £86.4

$80.1 MDL 1,416

45.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 £42.28

$47.44 MDL 839

19.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.1

$115 MDL 2,029

11.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 £114

$113 MDL 1,996

36.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,935 £2,182

$700 MDL 12.4K

319.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,258 £1,678

$474 MDL 8,379

376.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,901

$1,260 MDL 22.3K

316.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,859 £2,868

$803 MDL 14.2K

380.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.2K £12.8K

$2,550 MDL 45.1K

574.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,278 £6,152

$1,850 MDL 32.7K

347.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,621 £4,177

$839 MDL 14.8K

570.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.78

9.17

-47.87%

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

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chisinau: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 55.8%

Chisinau

$474 35.7% 79% $1.8K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$432 10.7%

Chisinau

$257 19.4% 40.5% $175

Eating Out

London

$396 9.8%

Chisinau

$164 12.4% 58.5% $232

Groceries & Markets

London

$360 8.9%

Chisinau

$191 14.4% 46.9% $169

Getting Around

London

$305 7.6%

Chisinau

$19 1.4% 93.7% $286

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Chisinau

$160 12.1% 21.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

London

$92 2.3%

Chisinau

$60 4.6% 34.3% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,935 in London versus $700 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 in London are about 6.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in London versus $55 in Chisinau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $191 – making Chisinau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇲🇩 Chisinau

🕒 Local time

09:43 9:43 AM

11:43 11:43 AM

2 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

750,000 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100 MDL = 5.66 USD

100 MDL = 5.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.743 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 17.68 MDL (100 MDL = 5.66 USD). 1 EUR = 19.86 MDL (100 MDL = 5.04 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

London Chisinau 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

London
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

London vs Chisinau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – London is pricier by about 205%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,072 per month in London and $1,988 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 $700 there versus $2,935 in London.

Groceries cost about 88% more in London, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in London and $55 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 $1,326, than in London at $4,048. In Chisinau it covers expenses comfortably, while in London 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, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.