Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Cricova

For one person, living is cheaper in Cricova: $1,017 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $36,400 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Cricova
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Cricova Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,048

/mo nomad

Cricova

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,017

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Cricova

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,048 in London versus $1,017 in Cricova.

London $4,048
Cricova $1,017

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,903 in London versus $1,866 in Cricova.

London $5,903
Cricova $1,866

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,758 in London versus $2,715 in Cricova.

London $7,758
Cricova $2,715

Living in London is roughly 298% more expensive than in Cricova, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: London is 199% above, Cricova is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.36 £19.68

$8.57 MDL 152

207.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$109 £81.1

$28.08 MDL 499

286.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.00

$10.43 MDL 185

2.68%

Cappuccino

$5.59 £4.17

$1.03 MDL 18.29

442.72%

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

$3.00 £2.24

$1.04 MDL 18.54

188.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 £1.66

$0.65 MDL 11.61

241.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.65 £7.20

$1.97 MDL 34.97

389.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.26 £6.16

$2.26 MDL 40.16

265.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.47

$2.32 MDL 41.32

-15.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 £1.56

$0.45 MDL 8.03

364.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 £1.94

$1.04 MDL 18.51

149.04%

Eggs

$5.37 £4.01

$1.31 MDL 23.24

309.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.12 £9.79

$6.72 MDL 120

95.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.03 £8.23

$4.59 MDL 81.7

140.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.73 £13.23

$12.29 MDL 219

44.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.37

$1.08 MDL 19.22

193.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$0.88 MDL 15.61

56.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 £2.11

$1.07 MDL 19.06

163.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 £2.51

$1.05 MDL 18.60

220.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 £1.27

$0.76 MDL 13.54

123.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 £1.33

$1.05 MDL 18.66

69.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 £1.11

$1.04 MDL 18.43

43.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 £1.36

$1.03 MDL 18.40

76.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.85 £17.80

$3.38 MDL 60.1

605.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.44 £10.03

$4.41 MDL 78.4

204.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 £2.32

$2.61 MDL 46.41

19.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 £3.35

$4.29 MDL 76.4

4.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.13 £3.08

$0.58 MDL 10.36

612.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$266 £199

$22.71 MDL 404

1071.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.98 £4.46

$1.13 MDL 20.15

429.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.39 £2.53

$0.26 MDL 4.65

1203.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.6 £42.21

$6.86 MDL 122

724.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 £1.65

$1.37 MDL 24.34

61.31%

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

$38.3K £28.6K

$28.9K MDL 513.5K

32.51%

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

$41.0K £30.6K

$23.9K MDL 425.1K

71.56%

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

$372 £278

$232 MDL 4,128

60.38%

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

$18.66 £13.93

$7.86 MDL 140

137.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.53 £30.26

$11.37 MDL 202

256.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 £41.82

$54.7 MDL 972

2.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.10 £12.76

$11.10 MDL 197

54.05%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.40

$7.38 MDL 131

143.22%

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

$2,946 £2,199

$110 MDL 1,961

2570.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$47.6K £35.5K

$5,194 MDL 92.3K

816.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £86.8

$56.6 MDL 1,006

105.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 £42.47

$28.26 MDL 502

101.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.5

$83.3 MDL 1,481

53.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 £115

$112 MDL 1,985

37.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,935 £2,191

$902 MDL 16.0K

225.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,258 £1,686

$221 MDL 3,930

921.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,919

$1,401 MDL 24.9K

274.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,859 £2,881

$1,132 MDL 20.1K

240.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.2K £12.8K

$2,768 MDL 49.2K

520.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,278 £6,179

$1,920 MDL 34.1K

331.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,621 £4,196

$569 MDL 10.1K

887.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.78

-31.71%

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

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cricova: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 55.8%

Cricova

$221 21.7% 90.2% $2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$432 10.7%

Cricova

$251 24.7% 41.7% $180

Eating Out

London

$396 9.8%

Cricova

$133 13.1% 66.3% $262

Groceries & Markets

London

$360 8.9%

Cricova

$189 18.6% 47.6% $171

Getting Around

London

$305 7.6%

Cricova

$27 2.7% 91% $278

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Cricova

$126 12.4% 38.5% $79

Sport & Entertainment

London

$92 2.3%

Cricova

$69 6.8% 24.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,935 in London and $902 in Cricova. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays about 9.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $109 in London vs $28 in Cricova for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $189 per month, with Cricova cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇲🇩 Cricova

🕒 Local time

13:15 1:15 PM

15:15 3:15 PM

2 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

10,642

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 MDL = 5.62 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 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 = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 17.78 MDL (100 MDL = 5.62 USD). 1 EUR = 19.97 MDL (100 MDL = 5.01 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

London
Cricova

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 Cricova: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,048 in London and $1,017 in Cricova, so Cricova is about 75% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in London is about 9.9 times higher, 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: $2,935 in London versus $902 in Cricova. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cricova runs roughly 91% less than in London. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,946 in London versus $110 in Cricova. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,017 in Cricova versus $4,048 in London, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cricova but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Cricova 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.

Expats usually find Cricova gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.