Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Moldova

Name: Moldova
Address: MD

For one person, living is cheaper in Moldova: $1,184 a month against $1,775 in Spain, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Spain
Learn more

Spain Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Moldova
Learn more

Moldova Living Index

Jump to prices

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,775

/mo nomad

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,184

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Spain and in Moldova

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

A single person spends $1,775 per month in Spain vs $1,184 in Moldova, rent included.

Spain $1,775
Moldova $1,184

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Spain vs $1,775 in Moldova, rent included.

Spain $2,606
Moldova $1,775

A family of three spends $3,438 per month in Spain vs $2,367 in Moldova, rent included.

Spain $3,438
Moldova $2,367

The regional cost range is wider in Spain ($931–$2,610) than in Moldova ($356–$1,341), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Spain is about 50% higher than in Moldova on average.

Spain sits 30% above the global median, while Moldova is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.96

$9.34 MDL 167

78.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 €49.91

$33.28 MDL 593

67.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.37 €10.18

$8.13 MDL 145

39.85%

Cappuccino

$2.42 €2.17

$1.92 MDL 34.19

26.04%

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

$2.68 €2.40

$1.03 MDL 18.39

160.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.60

$0.76 MDL 13.46

135.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.07

$2.00 MDL 35.65

71.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 €3.47

$1.91 MDL 34.02

103.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.21 MDL 21.49

-0.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 €1.33

$0.66 MDL 11.79

124.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 €1.50

$1.38 MDL 24.61

21.01%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.07

$2.62 MDL 46.74

30.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 €12.70

$9.43 MDL 168

50.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.33 €7.46

$5.09 MDL 90.8

63.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.20 €14.52

$8.36 MDL 149

93.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$0.99 MDL 17.70

147.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.82

$1.84 MDL 32.75

10.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$1.90 MDL 33.96

9.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$2.06 MDL 36.65

25.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$0.78 MDL 13.82

134.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$0.57 MDL 10.14

250.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.34 MDL 23.95

-2.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.89 MDL 15.86

-13.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.36 €5.70

$3.38 MDL 60.3

88.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.06

$4.33 MDL 77.2

30.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.27 MDL 22.73

2.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.99 MDL 35.41

5.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.47

$0.37 MDL 6.68

343.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.91 €29.49

$14.40 MDL 257

128.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.43 €3.97

$2.17 MDL 38.71

104.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.34 MDL 6.15

332.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.98 €22.39

$4.92 MDL 87.6

407.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.69 MDL 30.09

4.73%

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

$35.5K €31.8K

$29.7K MDL 529.7K

19.56%

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

$30.6K €27.4K

$27.7K MDL 493.5K

10.61%

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

$149 €134

$221 MDL 3,939

-32.43%

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

$17.67 €15.84

$9.37 MDL 167

88.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.88 €28.57

$10.73 MDL 191

197.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.24 €39.64

$40.08 MDL 715

10.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.29 €13.70

$17.72 MDL 316

-13.71%

Cinema Ticket

$9.66 €8.66

$8.55 MDL 152

12.98%

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

$544 €488

$389 MDL 6,941

39.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K €9,504

$5,437 MDL 96.9K

95.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 €76.1

$66.2 MDL 1,181

28.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.11 €33.26

$42.17 MDL 752

-12.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 €79.9

$104 MDL 1,857

-14.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.8

$110 MDL 1,965

-4.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 €947

$597 MDL 10.6K

76.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$808 €724

$392 MDL 6,981

106.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 €1,453

$1,143 MDL 20.4K

41.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,246 €1,117

$733 MDL 13.1K

69.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,135 €3,706

$2,426 MDL 43.3K

70.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,633 €2,359

$1,796 MDL 32.0K

46.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,999 €1,791

$751 MDL 13.4K

166.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

8.76

-62.33%

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

Last update for Spain: October 24, 2026

Last update for Moldova: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Spain

$808 45.5%

Moldova

$392 33.1% 51.5% $416

Groceries & Markets

Spain

$272 15.3%

Moldova

$186 15.7% 31.6% $86

Eating Out

Spain

$239 13.5%

Moldova

$143 12.1% 40.2% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spain

$199 11.2%

Moldova

$241 20.4% 21.2% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Spain

$143 8%

Moldova

$145 12.3% 1.8% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Spain

$64 3.6%

Moldova

$57 4.8% 10.1% $6.4

Getting Around

Spain

$51 2.9%

Moldova

$20 1.7% 61.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $920 in Spain vs $402 in Moldova. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,508 in Madrid and $691 in Chisinau.

Average salary: $1,972 in Spain vs $546 in Moldova. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 129% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 111% more in Spain.

Public transport is 72% more expensive in Spain.

Salaries are about 3.6 times higher in Spain, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Spain.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Spain

🇲🇩 Moldova

🕒 Local time

05:01 5:01 AM

06:01 6:01 AM

1 h ahead of Spain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,415,750

2,603,813

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MDL = 5.61 USD

100 MDL = 5.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Spain Moldova 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Spain
Moldova

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

Spain vs Moldova: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Moldova is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 33% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Spain: a central one-bedroom averages $920 versus $402 in Moldova.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Moldova – part of why living there is about 33% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Moldova, but in Spain 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.