Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Moldova and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,184 in Moldova, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,184

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Moldova and in China

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,184 in Moldova versus $791 in China.

Moldova $1,184
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,775 in Moldova versus $1,251 in China.

Moldova $1,775
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,367 in Moldova versus $1,711 in China.

Moldova $2,367
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in Moldova: monthly costs span $356 to $1,341, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Moldova.

Living in Moldova is roughly 50% more expensive than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Moldova 13% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.34 MDL 167

$2.98 ¥19.81

213.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.28 MDL 593

$22.09 ¥147

50.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.13 MDL 145

$5.20 ¥34.60

56.35%

Cappuccino

$1.92 MDL 34.19

$2.97 ¥19.74

-35.35%

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

$1.03 MDL 18.39

$0.48 ¥3.19

114.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 MDL 13.46

$0.30 ¥2.01

153.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.00 MDL 35.65

$1.08 ¥7.18

85.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 MDL 34.02

$2.28 ¥15.15

-16.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 MDL 21.49

$1.80 ¥11.96

-32.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 MDL 11.79

$1.68 ¥11.15

-60.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 MDL 24.61

$0.92 ¥6.13

50.00%

Eggs

$2.62 MDL 46.74

$1.61 ¥10.73

62.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 MDL 168

$13.38 ¥89.1

-29.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.09 MDL 90.8

$3.35 ¥22.28

51.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.36 MDL 149

$11.35 ¥75.5

-26.34%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 MDL 17.70

$1.82 ¥12.12

-45.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 MDL 32.75

$1.31 ¥8.69

40.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 MDL 33.96

$1.49 ¥9.89

27.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MDL 36.65

$1.27 ¥8.47

62.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 MDL 13.82

$0.71 ¥4.73

9.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 MDL 10.14

$0.93 ¥6.21

-38.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 MDL 23.95

$0.62 ¥4.12

116.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 MDL 15.86

$0.56 ¥3.74

58.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 MDL 60.3

$3.78 ¥25.15

-10.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.33 MDL 77.2

$12.13 ¥80.8

-64.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MDL 22.73

$0.83 ¥5.54

53.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 MDL 35.41

$1.68 ¥11.21

18.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 MDL 6.68

$0.29 ¥1.92

27.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.40 MDL 257

$17.83 ¥119

-19.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 MDL 38.71

$1.49 ¥9.89

45.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 MDL 6.15

$0.37 ¥2.49

-8.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 MDL 87.6

$7.10 ¥47.24

-30.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 MDL 30.09

$1.26 ¥8.37

34.13%

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

$29.7K MDL 529.7K

$19.4K ¥129.4K

52.79%

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

$27.7K MDL 493.5K

$17.5K ¥116.7K

57.82%

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

$221 MDL 3,939

$54.6 ¥363

304.95%

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

$9.37 MDL 167

$8.73 ¥58.1

7.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.73 MDL 191

$11.07 ¥73.7

-3.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.08 MDL 715

$40.77 ¥271

-1.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.72 MDL 316

$14.48 ¥96.4

22.38%

Cinema Ticket

$8.55 MDL 152

$6.78 ¥45.12

26.11%

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

$389 MDL 6,941

$517 ¥3,438

-24.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,437 MDL 96.9K

$19.8K ¥131.8K

-72.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.2 MDL 1,181

$46.53 ¥310

42.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.17 MDL 752

$35.66 ¥237

18.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MDL 1,857

$77.0 ¥512

35.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 MDL 1,965

$80.3 ¥534

37.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$597 MDL 10.6K

$386 ¥2,567

54.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$392 MDL 6,981

$235 ¥1,561

66.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 MDL 20.4K

$822 ¥5,469

39.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$733 MDL 13.1K

$453 ¥3,015

61.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,426 MDL 43.3K

$4,697 ¥31.3K

-48.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,796 MDL 32.0K

$2,372 ¥15.8K

-24.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$751 MDL 13.4K

$1,093 ¥7,275

-31.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.76

3.46

153.18%

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

Last update for Moldova: October 25, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Moldova

$392 33.1%

China

$235 29.6% 40.1% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Moldova

$241 20.4%

China

$74 9.4% 69.2% $167

Groceries & Markets

Moldova

$186 15.7%

China

$210 26.5% 13% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Moldova

$145 12.3%

China

$108 13.6% 25.8% $38

Eating Out

Moldova

$143 12.1%

China

$88 11.1% 38.4% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Moldova

$57 4.8%

China

$54 6.9% 5% $2.8

Getting Around

Moldova

$20 1.7%

China

$22 2.8% 12.8% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $402 in Moldova, $298 in China. Capital cities: $691 in Chisinau vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $546 in Moldova, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 35% higher in Moldova.

Dining out costs 23% more in Moldova.

Salaries are 60% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Moldova

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

03:01 3:01 AM

09:01 9:01 AM

6 h ahead of Moldova

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,603,813

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.61 USD

100 MDL = 5.04 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, 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).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to MDL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Moldova China 6,730 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Moldova
China

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 China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,184 in Moldova, China comes out about 33% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $402 in Moldova and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.