Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Moldova and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Moldova: $1,185 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Moldova
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Moldova Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,185

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Moldova is 29.5% cheaper than Istanbul without rent, and 22% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Moldova is 29.8% cheaper than Istanbul without rent, and 26.8% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 MDL 161

$11.81 ₺592

-22.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.05 MDL 584

$54.9 ₺2,754

-39.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.47 MDL 150

$9.26 ₺465

-8.53%

Cappuccino

$1.80 MDL 31.77

$4.30 ₺216

-58.14%

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

$1.06 MDL 18.80

$1.77 ₺89.0

-40.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 MDL 12.82

$0.56 ₺28.32

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 MDL 33.73

$4.69 ₺235

-59.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 MDL 34.96

$7.12 ₺357

-72.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 MDL 21.41

$1.25 ₺62.7

-3.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.61 MDL 10.78

$0.88 ₺44.17

-30.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 MDL 23.48

$2.20 ₺111

-39.55%

Eggs

$2.71 MDL 47.87

$2.43 ₺122

11.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.45 MDL 167

$10.48 ₺526

-9.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.10 MDL 90.1

$5.31 ₺267

-3.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.33 MDL 147

$21.10 ₺1,058

-60.52%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 MDL 16.70

$1.86 ₺93.1

-49.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 MDL 32.61

$2.30 ₺115

-20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 MDL 33.47

$1.22 ₺61.0

54.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 MDL 37.20

$1.80 ₺90.2

16.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 MDL 12.49

$0.69 ₺34.83

2.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 MDL 10.02

$0.64 ₺32.16

-10.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 MDL 22.60

$1.36 ₺68.0

-5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 MDL 15.05

$0.58 ₺28.94

46.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 MDL 59.5

$2.34 ₺117

44.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.53 MDL 80.1

$13.03 ₺653

-65.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 MDL 21.71

$2.36 ₺118

-47.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 MDL 35.00

$3.32 ₺166

-40.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 MDL 6.60

$0.88 ₺44.07

-57.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.39 MDL 272

$66.1 ₺3,316

-76.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 MDL 39.63

$1.28 ₺64.4

75.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 MDL 5.56

$0.85 ₺42.80

-63.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 MDL 89.7

$11.09 ₺556

-54.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 MDL 28.57

$1.48 ₺74.0

9.46%

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

$29.7K MDL 525.4K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-38.91%

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

$28.2K MDL 497.9K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-32.92%

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

$219 MDL 3,869

$92.7 ₺4,650

136.04%

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

$9.14 MDL 162

$11.20 ₺562

-18.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.67 MDL 189

$15.89 ₺797

-32.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.65 MDL 719

$74.7 ₺3,745

-45.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.87 MDL 316

$22.95 ₺1,151

-22.14%

Cinema Ticket

$8.19 MDL 145

$8.05 ₺404

1.74%

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

$388 MDL 6,856

$948 ₺47.6K

-59.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,593 MDL 134.3K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-79.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 MDL 1,172

$53.9 ₺2,702

23.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.97 MDL 725

$41.49 ₺2,081

-1.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MDL 1,797

$101 ₺5,060

0.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 MDL 1,916

$91.3 ₺4,580

18.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$588 MDL 10.4K

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-41.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 MDL 7,083

$625 ₺31.3K

-35.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 MDL 20.2K

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-43.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$733 MDL 13.0K

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-34.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,427 MDL 42.9K

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-18.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,764 MDL 31.2K

$1,730 ₺86.8K

1.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$760 MDL 13.4K

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-33.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.76

40.42

-78.33%

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

Last update for Moldova: November 2, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Moldova

$401 33.8%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 55.9% $224

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Moldova

$239 20.1%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 49.8% $119

Groceries & Markets

Moldova

$185 15.6%

Istanbul

$258 17% 39.8% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Moldova

$143 12.1%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 9.4% $13

Eating Out

Moldova

$140 11.9%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 57.3% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Moldova

$57 4.8%

Istanbul

$91 6% 59.2% $34

Getting Around

Moldova

$21 1.8%

Istanbul

$75 5% 263% $54

Good to know

🇲🇩 Moldova

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

10:52 10:52 AM

11:52 11:52 AM

1 h ahead of Moldova

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,603,813

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.66 USD

100 MDL = 5.04 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to MDL – Moldovan Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇩 Moldovan Leu (L)

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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to MDL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Moldova Istanbul 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Moldova
Istanbul

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Cost of Living Comparison Between Moldova and Istanbul

TRY, USD, EUR to MDL – Moldovan Leu Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Moldova

Istanbul

Moldova

Istanbul

Moldova vs other spots: cost of living compared

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