Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Moldova and Australia

Name: Australia
Address: AU

For one person, living is cheaper in Moldova: $1,184 a month against $2,626 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Moldova
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Moldova Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index

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🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,184

/mo nomad

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Moldova and in Australia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Moldova and in Australia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,184 per month in Moldova vs $2,626 in Australia, rent included.

Moldova $1,184
Australia $2,626

A couple spends around $1,775 per month in Moldova vs $3,810 in Australia, rent included.

Moldova $1,775
Australia $3,810

A family of three spends $2,367 per month in Moldova vs $4,994 in Australia, rent included.

Moldova $2,367
Australia $4,994

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,303) than in Moldova ($356–$1,341), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Moldova is roughly 55% lower than in Australia on average.

Moldova sits 13% below the global median, while Australia is 93% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.34 MDL 167

$17.65 A$25.00

-47.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.28 MDL 593

$85.2 A$121

-60.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.13 MDL 145

$11.09 A$15.71

-26.69%

Cappuccino

$1.92 MDL 34.19

$3.90 A$5.52

-50.77%

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

$1.03 MDL 18.39

$2.85 A$4.04

-63.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 MDL 13.46

$2.31 A$3.28

-67.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.00 MDL 35.65

$7.53 A$10.66

-73.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 MDL 34.02

$8.59 A$12.16

-77.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 MDL 21.49

$1.76 A$2.49

-31.25%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 MDL 11.79

$2.81 A$3.98

-76.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 MDL 24.61

$2.24 A$3.18

-38.39%

Eggs

$2.62 MDL 46.74

$5.02 A$7.12

-47.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 MDL 168

$9.87 A$13.98

-4.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.09 MDL 90.8

$9.32 A$13.20

-45.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.36 MDL 149

$14.86 A$21.05

-43.74%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 MDL 17.70

$3.82 A$5.41

-74.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 MDL 32.75

$2.92 A$4.14

-36.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 MDL 33.96

$3.13 A$4.44

-39.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MDL 36.65

$4.81 A$6.81

-57.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 MDL 13.82

$2.80 A$3.97

-72.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 MDL 10.14

$2.38 A$3.37

-76.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 MDL 23.95

$2.37 A$3.36

-43.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 MDL 15.86

$1.65 A$2.34

-46.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 MDL 60.3

$39.13 A$55.4

-91.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.33 MDL 77.2

$13.93 A$19.73

-68.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MDL 22.73

$4.96 A$7.02

-74.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 MDL 35.41

$5.17 A$7.33

-61.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 MDL 6.68

$2.42 A$3.43

-84.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.40 MDL 257

$94.6 A$134

-84.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 MDL 38.71

$3.49 A$4.95

-37.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 MDL 6.15

$1.60 A$2.26

-78.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 MDL 87.6

$39.84 A$56.4

-87.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 MDL 30.09

$1.39 A$1.97

21.58%

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

$29.7K MDL 529.7K

$30.0K A$42.5K

-0.98%

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

$27.7K MDL 493.5K

$25.8K A$36.5K

7.46%

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

$221 MDL 3,939

$205 A$290

7.75%

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

$9.37 MDL 167

$28.33 A$40.14

-66.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.73 MDL 191

$58.8 A$83.3

-81.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.08 MDL 715

$55.7 A$78.8

-27.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.72 MDL 316

$19.57 A$27.73

-9.45%

Cinema Ticket

$8.55 MDL 152

$15.38 A$21.78

-44.41%

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

$389 MDL 6,941

$2,145 A$3,039

-81.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,437 MDL 96.9K

$18.3K A$26.0K

-70.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.2 MDL 1,181

$78.3 A$111

-15.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.17 MDL 752

$56.3 A$79.7

-25.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MDL 1,857

$115 A$163

-9.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 MDL 1,965

$123 A$174

-10.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$597 MDL 10.6K

$1,591 A$2,254

-62.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$392 MDL 6,981

$1,293 A$1,831

-69.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 MDL 20.4K

$2,524 A$3,576

-54.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$733 MDL 13.1K

$2,005 A$2,841

-63.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,426 MDL 43.3K

$8,751 A$12.4K

-72.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,796 MDL 32.0K

$6,260 A$8,868

-71.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$751 MDL 13.4K

$3,984 A$5,644

-81.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.76

5.93

47.72%

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

Last update for Moldova: October 25, 2026

Last update for Australia: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Moldova

$392 33.1%

Australia

$1.3K 49.2% 230% $901

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Moldova

$241 20.4%

Australia

$292 11.1% 21.2% $51

Groceries & Markets

Moldova

$186 15.7%

Australia

$374 14.3% 101% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Moldova

$145 12.3%

Australia

$168 6.4% 15.5% $23

Eating Out

Moldova

$143 12.1%

Australia

$297 11.3% 107% $154

Sport & Entertainment

Moldova

$57 4.8%

Australia

$86 3.3% 51.1% $29

Getting Around

Moldova

$20 1.7%

Australia

$116 4.4% 485% $96

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $402 in Moldova vs $1,383 in Australia. For reference, capital cities sit at $691 in Chisinau and $1,749 in Canberra.

Average salary: $546 in Moldova vs $3,874 in Australia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 244% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 211% more in Australia.

Public transport is 367% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are about 7.1 times higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Moldova

🇦🇺 Australia

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

13:50 1:50 PM

9 h ahead of Moldova

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,603,813

26,473,055

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.61 USD

100 MDL = 5.04 EUR

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to MDL – Moldovan Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇩 Moldovan Leu (L)

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 17.83 MDL (100 MDL = 5.61 USD). 1 EUR = 19.85 MDL (100 MDL = 5.04 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.634 EUR).

USD to MDL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Moldova Australia 14,980 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Moldova
Australia

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

Moldova vs Australia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Moldova is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 55% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,383 versus $402 in Moldova.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Moldova – part of why living there is about 55% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Moldova, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Moldova is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.