Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Targu Mures and Chisinau

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Mures: $938 a month against $1,288 in Chisinau, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Targu Mures
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Targu Mures Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Chisinau
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Chisinau Living Index

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Targu Mures

🇷🇴 Romania

$938

/mo nomad

Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,288

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Targu Mures and in Chisinau

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Targu Mures vs $1,288 in Chisinau, rent included.

Targu Mures $938
Chisinau $1,288

A couple spends around $1,461 per month in Targu Mures vs $1,978 in Chisinau, rent included.

Targu Mures $1,461
Chisinau $1,978

A family of three spends $1,984 per month in Targu Mures vs $2,669 in Chisinau, rent included.

Targu Mures $1,984
Chisinau $2,669

Targu Mures is about 27% cheaper than Chisinau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Targu Mures and Chisinau are more affordable than the global median – Targu Mures 31% lower, Chisinau 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.12 RON 43.15

$11.34 MDL 201

-19.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.19 RON 200

$50.1 MDL 890

-15.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.00 RON 37.83

$8.65 MDL 154

-7.51%

Cappuccino

$2.17 RON 10.27

$2.11 MDL 37.44

2.84%

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

$1.44 RON 6.83

$1.19 MDL 21.09

21.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$0.85 MDL 15.08

44.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 RON 9.04

$2.26 MDL 40.11

-15.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 RON 10.68

$2.00 MDL 35.53

13.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 RON 6.34

$1.24 MDL 21.99

8.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 RON 5.07

$0.73 MDL 13.03

46.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.87

$1.46 MDL 25.97

-0.68%

Eggs

$2.88 RON 13.65

$2.78 MDL 49.31

3.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.00 RON 37.84

$9.65 MDL 171

-17.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 RON 27.47

$5.26 MDL 93.5

10.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.08 RON 47.68

$8.83 MDL 157

14.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.00 RON 4.72

$0.93 MDL 16.44

7.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 RON 6.29

$1.87 MDL 33.25

-28.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.39 RON 6.59

$2.11 MDL 37.47

-34.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 RON 9.00

$2.28 MDL 40.57

-16.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.64

$0.68 MDL 12.00

13.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 RON 2.61

$0.52 MDL 9.22

5.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$1.31 MDL 23.32

-38.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.64

$0.83 MDL 14.82

-7.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 RON 27.61

$3.36 MDL 59.6

73.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.39 RON 34.98

$4.64 MDL 82.4

59.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.06

$1.22 MDL 21.60

-12.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 RON 7.32

$1.88 MDL 33.46

-17.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 RON 3.11

$0.41 MDL 7.21

60.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.06 RON 119

$13.72 MDL 244

82.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 RON 4.14

$2.20 MDL 39.04

-60.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 RON 4.04

$0.32 MDL 5.75

165.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.47 RON 35.32

$4.98 MDL 88.5

50.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 RON 8.55

$1.74 MDL 30.95

4.02%

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

$28.1K RON 133.0K

$29.9K MDL 530.9K

-5.96%

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

$25.3K RON 119.8K

$28.6K MDL 507.6K

-11.42%

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

$101 RON 477

$244 MDL 4,334

-58.71%

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

$9.37 RON 44.35

$9.37 MDL 166

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.19 RON 38.75

$10.56 MDL 187

-22.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.30 RON 200

$42.29 MDL 751

0.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.38 RON 87.0

$20.91 MDL 371

-12.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.27 RON 29.67

$8.21 MDL 146

-23.63%

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

$1,330 RON 6,291

$436 MDL 7,737

205.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,764 MDL 102.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 RON 248

$78.4 MDL 1,392

-33.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.80 RON 141

$47.66 MDL 846

-37.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.7 RON 363

$113 MDL 1,998

-31.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 RON 366

$114 MDL 2,031

-32.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 RON 1,964

$677 MDL 12.0K

-38.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$286 RON 1,355

$430 MDL 7,640

-33.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$650 RON 3,077

$1,249 MDL 22.2K

-47.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$472 RON 2,232

$831 MDL 14.8K

-43.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,238 RON 10.6K

$2,607 MDL 46.3K

-14.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,487 RON 7,035

$1,981 MDL 35.2K

-24.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$991 RON 4,687

$880 MDL 15.6K

12.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.47

9.1

-17.91%

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

Last update for Targu Mures: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chisinau: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Targu Mures

$286 30.5%

Chisinau

$430 33.4% 50.2% $144

Groceries & Markets

Targu Mures

$192 20.5%

Chisinau

$192 14.9% 0.1% $0.3

Eating Out

Targu Mures

$148 15.8%

Chisinau

$165 12.8% 11.9% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Targu Mures

$118 12.6%

Chisinau

$264 20.5% 123% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Targu Mures

$106 11.3%

Chisinau

$159 12.3% 49.4% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Targu Mures

$55 5.8%

Chisinau

$59 4.6% 7.1% $3.9

Getting Around

Targu Mures

$33 3.5%

Chisinau

$19 1.5% 41.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $415 in Targu Mures versus $677 in Chisinau. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 13% higher in Targu Mures, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Targu Mures versus $50.0 in Chisinau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $192 – making Targu Mures the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Targu Mures

🇲🇩 Chisinau

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

Same time as Targu Mures

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

134,290

750,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 17.76 MDL (100 MDL = 5.63 USD). 1 EUR = 19.97 MDL (100 MDL = 5.01 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Targu Mures Chisinau 330 km

From you

Targu Mures
Chisinau

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

Targu Mures vs Chisinau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chisinau is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Targu Mures and $1,932 in Chisinau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Targu Mures, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 0% cheaper in Chisinau – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Targu Mures and $50.0 in Chisinau. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Targu Mures, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Chisinau at $1,288. In Targu Mures it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chisinau it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Targu Mures – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Targu Mures. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chisinau makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.