Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ungheni and Balti

For one person, living is cheaper in Ungheni: $647 a month against $974 in Balti, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Ungheni
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Ungheni Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Balti
Learn more

Balti Living Index

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Ungheni

🇲🇩 Moldova

$647

/mo nomad

Balti

🇲🇩 Moldova

$974

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ungheni and in Balti

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Ungheni vs $974 in Balti, rent included.

Ungheni $647
Balti $974

A couple spends around $1,013 per month in Ungheni vs $1,414 in Balti, rent included.

Ungheni $1,013
Balti $1,414

A family of three spends $1,378 per month in Ungheni vs $1,854 in Balti, rent included.

Ungheni $1,378
Balti $1,854

Ungheni is about 34% cheaper than Balti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Ungheni and Balti are more affordable than the global median – Ungheni 52% lower, Balti 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.17 MDL 128

$8.51 MDL 152

-15.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.35 MDL 400

$22.53 MDL 403

-0.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.60 MDL 118

$10.35 MDL 185

-36.23%

Cappuccino

$1.36 MDL 24.40

$1.74 MDL 31.14

-21.84%

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

$0.70 MDL 12.56

$1.06 MDL 19.00

-33.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MDL 8.45

$0.65 MDL 11.70

-27.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 MDL 17.41

$1.12 MDL 20.09

-13.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 MDL 24.14

$1.38 MDL 24.61

-2.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MDL 30.75

$1.20 MDL 21.54

43.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.32 MDL 5.64

$0.45 MDL 8.03

-28.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 MDL 15.52

$1.54 MDL 27.47

-43.51%

Eggs

$1.93 MDL 34.50

$2.15 MDL 38.48

-10.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.92 MDL 177

$6.78 MDL 121

46.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.99 MDL 71.4

$4.70 MDL 84.1

-15.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.41 MDL 150

$6.18 MDL 111

36.08%

Apples (1kg)

$0.43 MDL 7.71

$0.99 MDL 17.68

-56.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 MDL 21.72

$2.29 MDL 41.03

-47.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 MDL 18.52

$1.88 MDL 33.65

-44.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 MDL 20.36

$2.29 MDL 40.87

-50.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.43 MDL 7.76

$0.71 MDL 12.77

-39.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.32 MDL 5.68

$0.52 MDL 9.21

-38.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 MDL 39.53

$0.43 MDL 7.71

413.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 MDL 14.60

$0.54 MDL 9.73

51.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 MDL 58.9

$3.27 MDL 58.5

0.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.30 MDL 76.9

$4.34 MDL 77.6

-0.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 MDL 24.59

$1.35 MDL 24.21

2.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 MDL 30.66

$1.99 MDL 35.67

-14.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MDL 6.13

$0.34 MDL 6.15

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.78 MDL 300

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.65 MDL 29.47

$2.76 MDL 49.41

-40.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 MDL 7.19

$0.24 MDL 4.25

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 MDL 63.2

$5.45 MDL 97.4

-35.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 MDL 25.25

$1.62 MDL 29.00

-12.96%

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

$33.4K MDL 597.1K

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

$20.2K MDL 360.6K

$24.1K MDL 430.5K

-16.22%

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

$139 MDL 2,482

$220 MDL 3,942

-37.03%

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

$11.09 MDL 198

$7.74 MDL 138

43.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.86 MDL 284

$11.03 MDL 197

43.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.86 MDL 248

$36.85 MDL 659

-62.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.34 MDL 274

Cinema Ticket

$3.86 MDL 68.9

$7.61 MDL 136

-49.28%

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

$113 MDL 2,012

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,113 MDL 91.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.75 MDL 854

$44.39 MDL 794

7.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.92 MDL 302

$33.84 MDL 605

-50.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$33.66 MDL 602

$55.6 MDL 994

-39.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.5 MDL 1,189

$50.9 MDL 910

30.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$254 MDL 4,542

$397 MDL 7,093

-35.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$109 MDL 1,955

$280 MDL 5,004

-60.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$329 MDL 5,876

$657 MDL 11.7K

-49.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 MDL 4,939

$495 MDL 8,859

-44.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,220 MDL 39.7K

$1,399 MDL 25.0K

58.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,644 MDL 29.4K

$992 MDL 17.7K

65.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$566 MDL 10.1K

$606 MDL 10.8K

-6.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Ungheni: October 26, 2026

Last update for Balti: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ungheni

$166 25.6%

Balti

$239 24.6% 44.3% $73

Groceries & Markets

Ungheni

$165 25.5%

Balti

$162 16.7% 1.8% $3

Accommodation & Living

Ungheni

$109 16.9%

Balti

$280 28.7% 156% $171

Eating Out

Ungheni

$106 16.4%

Balti

$135 13.9% 27.9% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Ungheni

$74 11.5%

Balti

$83 8.5% 12.1% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Ungheni

$22 3.3%

Balti

$52 5.4% 141% $30

Getting Around

Ungheni

$5 * 0.8%

Balti

$22 2.3% 340% $17

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $254 in Ungheni versus $397 in Balti. 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 7% higher in Balti, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Ungheni versus $23 in Balti. Groceries tell a different story – $165 in Ungheni vs $162 in Balti – so Balti wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Ungheni

🇲🇩 Balti

🕒 Local time

17:47 5:47 PM

Same time as Ungheni

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,000

144,800

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.59 USD

100 MDL = 5.03 EUR

100 MDL = 5.59 USD

100 MDL = 5.03 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ungheni Balti 63 km

From you

Ungheni
Balti

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

Ungheni vs Balti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $647 in Ungheni, $974 in Balti – roughly 51% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Ungheni and $1,461 in Balti. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ungheni, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $254 there versus $397 in Balti.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $647 in Ungheni and $974 in Balti. That’s a gap of about 51%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Ungheni and $23 in Balti. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Balti has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $647 in Ungheni to $974 in Balti. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Ungheni. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Balti makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.